Dr. ir. Tromp, N.

Nynke Tromp is Associate Professor at the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering.

Academic Background

Nynke Tromp works as an Associate Professor of Social Design & Behaviour Change in the department of Human-Centered Design at Delft University of Technology. She co-runs the Systemic Design Lab and is co-founder of Redesigning Psychiatry.

Tromp’s main aim is to understand what designers can bring to table in the light of complex societal issues. On the one hand, she focuses on the artefact (i.e., the product, service, programme or system) and its capacity to shape people’s behaviour. She studies how designers can use this power to foster desired societal transitions. On the other hand, she focuses on design thinking and methodology, and more particularly integrative thinking and reframing, as valuable skills in face of complexity.

Her thesis Social Design (2013) and her book Designing for Society (2019) represent her study so far. To ensure the practical value of her research, she has worked at Reframing Studio and collaborates with various societal partners. She has worked on a great variety of topics like democracy (see her TEDx presentation), organ donation, and recovery from psychosis. She is currently active in the domain of mental healthcare, food consumption, safety, reintegration to work, and wildlife trade.

Aside from her academic positions, Tromp is part of the management team of the Delft Design for Values Institute, part of the editorial board of Social Design Showdown, and committee member Social Design at Stimuleringsfonds.

Education

2013
PhD, Social Design: How products and services can help us act in ways that benefit society, Industrial Design Engineering, Delft (cum laude)
2007
MSc, Designing Social Cohesion, Industrial Design Engineering, Delft (cum laude)

Specialisation/field of research

Design for Behaviour Change
Social Design
Design Methodology, Vision in Product design approach

Lectures/coaches students on

Product Ontwerpen 3
Vision in Product design (ViP)
Context & Conceptualisation
Social Design

Media

TU Delta, July 2013

"You cannot force people to eat three pieces of fruit a day, but you can try to seduce them". This says Nynke Tromp in the TU Delta on the occasion of her thesis defence on Friday 12 July about 'Social Design. How products and services can help us act in ways that benefit society'.

Read the full interview (Dutch only)