A bit about me
Hi, I am Thijs de Vries, first of all experience designer and gamification expert, but also workshop facilitator and public speaker.
I graduaded from the Technical University Delft in the masters program Design for Interaction. A brilliant program, since it educates the principles of the Delft Design Approach. An approach similiar to Design Thinking which helps transform fuzzy problems into concrete outcomes.
“Play is an interaction between players ignited by a to be designed product or service. I want to design that interaction.”
After this program I founded the engagement design studio Creative Seeds. I did many interaction and graphic design projects, but always wanted more. I didn’t just want to inform people, I wanted to change them. Change them for the (greater) good.
If you look at sports, people are very passionate. Might be for the beneficial friendships, for staying health or about winning. This passion is something very interesting, it can drive people and change them eventually.
If you look into the digital world and search for passion, you will find, amongst other things, video games. Players can get lost when playing games, they can be extremely passionate and end up spending many hours playing. So I wonder, would it be possible to grasp this passion and apply it to other areas than videogames?
“Passion can drive people and change them eventually.”
With this idea in mind, I transformed Creative Seeds into The Playful Company. A company for which I design, consult, facilitate and speak about changing people’s behavior through digital services by the use of game experiences. I’ve had the chance to work for some amazing companies such as Air France – KLM, Philips and Oxxio. But also help smaller businesses and startups with my gamification expertise.
I have been working in many fields such as mobility, energy, sports, health and business. But I’m even more passionate about education. That’s why I began my own startup in the beginning of 2013. With Eduapp we motivate teachers, through gamification, to share materials and ideas about tablet education.