Simone van den Broek

Research Group: Situated Art, Design and Technology

‘The ultimate goal is to provide people with the information, skills and tools that enable them to improve the quality of their daily lives.’

Simone van den Broek is a researcher within the Situated Art, Design and Technology research group, and a tutor for the Communication & Multimedia Design programme at Avans University of Applied Sciences in Den Bosch.

Simone van den Broek completed an MA in Industrial Design at Eindhoven University of Technology, and a BA in Communication & Multimedia Design at Avans University of Applied Sciences. The combination of these two design disciplines ensures that she designs comprehensive and compelling concepts. She combines a scientific basis with a practical approach, shaping concepts from start to finish with the aim of activating certain behaviour.

Simone is a specialist in Design Research and Behavioural Change Design. Her passion is design that makes people think and encourages them to take action. Using design, she informs, amuses and activates her audience. The ultimate goal is to provide people with the information, skills and tools that enable them to improve the quality of their daily lives.

Robotic AI Interfaces for Creativity

AI in Participatory Design (2023 – 2024)

This project explores the role of artificial intelligence in participatory design, focusing on how AI can support creativity, collaboration, and inclusion among diverse stakeholders. While AI tools can enhance accessibility and act as mediators in co-creation processes, the study also highlights critical risks such as over-reliance, bias, and reduced participant agency. The research contributes to discussions on the responsible integration of AI in participatory design, calling for careful balancing of technological assistance and human input.

Living Gold (2023 – 2024)

Our research project Living Gold explored the application of mycelium material in goldsmithing, igniting inspiration and promoting new possibilities for bio-based design. Mycelium, nature’s hidden architect, holds immense potential for creativity and environmental consciousness. By tapping into this abundant resource, we aimed to reshape the boundaries of jewellery creation.

Mythic Mytherials (2023 – 2024)

This project explores how material experience can support the wider acceptance of mycelium bio-composites as sustainable insulation in the construction industry. Through an interdisciplinary co-design workshop, potential stakeholders interacted with mycelium-based materials, revealing a generally positive perception centered on sustainability, circularity, and material lightness. The research contributes to biobased design practices by identifying both the experiential and systemic conditions—such as familiarity and certification—necessary for the integration of novel bio-materials into mainstream construction.

Social Robots and Co-Design (2022 – 2023)

Exploring the role of social robots in co-design facilitation, this project investigates how affective expressions by robot facilitators shape human group dynamics. Through an experimental co-design setting with 98 participants, findings reveal that positive mood expressions by robots increase perceived robot valence, which in turn fosters cooperation and reduces conflict. The research contributes novel insight into embodied technology and situated design, offering new perspectives on the integration of artificial agents within participatory design practices.

Nature Connectedness in Semi-Public Spaces (2022 – 2023)

This project investigates how biophilic design can be integrated into semi-public academic environments to foster a renewed sense of nature connectedness. Using a situated design approach, opportunities for embedding natural elements and sensory experiences were explored and implemented in the OpenX area at Avans Breda. The research contributes to embodied and ecological design practices by reimagining the boundaries between inside and outside, and by integrating active, nature-inspired engagement into educational routines.

Living with Living Artefacts (2021 – 2022)

This project examines how and why people might accept living artefacts as part of their everyday lives. Through a semi-systematic literature review across disciplines, the research identifies six key motivations for human–nonhuman cohabitation, including care, biophilia, and utilitarian benefits. These insights inform a set of design guidelines that support bio-designers in integrating living artefacts into daily life, contributing to the evolving field of biobased design and human–organism interaction.

Publications

Van den Broek, S. (2024, October) Levend Goud, A duo exhibition between Do Collection and Simone van den Broek. Mycelium jewellery exhibition, Dutch Design Week

van den Broek, S., Sankaran, S., de Wit, J., & de Rooij, A. (2024). Exploring the Supportive Role of Artificial Intelligence in Participatory Design: A Systematic Review. In Proceedings of the Participatory Design Conference 2024: Exploratory Papers and Workshops-Volume 2 (pp. 37-44). https://doi.org/10.1145/3661455.3669868

van den Broek, S., Rovers, I., and Calcan, F. (2024) Material experience and user acceptance of mycelium bio-composite insulation in the construction industry through interdisciplinary co-design, in Gray, C., Hekkert, P., Forlano, L., Ciuccarelli, P. (eds.), DRS2024: Boston, 23–28 June, Boston, USA. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2024.525

Van den Broek, S. (2024, May) Ondergrondse symfonie, Mycelium. Mycelium necklace for the Silver Challenge, Nationale Zilverdag

Nelisse-Rovers, I.C.A., Peuling, S., Roccio, S., Buscone, S., John, N., Pelkmans, J. & van den Broek, S. (2024, June) Mythic: Insulating with Mycelium Biocomposites. Whitepaper, MNEXT, Avans University of Applied Sciences.

de Rooij, A., van den Broek, S., Bouw, M., & de Wit, J. (2023). Co-Designing with a Social Robot Facilitator: Effects of Robot Mood Expression on Human Group Dynamics. In Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Human-Agent Interaction (pp. 22-29). https://doi.org/10.1145/3623809.3623820

van den Broek, S., de Rooij, A., & van Dartel, M. (accepted), Living with Living Artefacts: Six Concepts for Designing User Acceptance of Living Artefacts, In Proceedings of the 2022 Conference of the Design Research Society (DRS 2022).

All publications

Research Group: Situated Art, Design and Technology

Living in cities developed around data and acting within the inscrutable structure of our techno-society demands art and design that can help understand how we relate to these rapidly changing surroundings and to reflect on that relationship. The research group Situated Art, Design and Technology responds to this exigency by fostering a situated turn in art and design through a diverse portfolio of interdisciplinary research projects in partnership with academic and cultural partners, as well as with government and industry.

‘People are the product of their relationships with their environment. It’s important to understand how technological developments influence these relationships.’

Michel van Dartel

‘My practice is situated in between different actors, in this shape-shifting middle many things can happen.’

Tara Karpinski

‘Imagination is the key to a strong inclusive society. Artistic work and situated design can contribute to a better understanding of the other.’

Jenny van den Broeke

‘Investigating the potential of sensory augmentation to bridge the sensory gap between deaf and hearing.’

Michel Witter

‘‘Understanding how creativity and imagination emerge from interactions with our environment will lead to improved innovation processes, tools and technologies.’’

Alwin de Rooij

‘Through an interplay of design and research, the apt questions and necessary tools can be discovered and applied to each research project.’

Antal Ruhl

‘Humans are atmospheric beings, particles, dust, in intimate cycles of exchange, actors with an incredible force.’

Annemarie Piscaer

‘Could experimental sensory translation of art works improve their accessibility for sensory diverse exhibition audiences?’

Eva Fotiadi

‘The tacit and embodied knowledge of practitioners about the complex reality of design can provide an important resource to innovate how we learn and teach’