Biography

Born with a natural inclination towards creativity, curiosity, and empathy, my childhood was shaped by these traits. As a young boy, I channeled my creativity by doing stuff like designing and creating octopus teddies using twisted and braided yarn, googly eyes, and styrofoam balls, which I sold in a second-hand shop. My curiosity and thirst for knowledge were insatiable, and whenever a toy broke, I would take it apart to understand how it worked and fix it, rather than throw it out. I also had a keen interest in understanding human behavior and often asked my parents for insights on the matter, which led to my growing empathy toward people.

As I grew older, I continued to channel my curious energy into exploring new cultures and ways of living. My travels around the world fueled my anthropological interest, leading me to visit museums, ruins, tribes, and temples. These experiences taught me to appreciate the diversity of human experiences and the importance of designing products that cater to people's unique needs and desires. While traveling around the world, I was struck by the way different cultures approached design and how they used it to solve problems. After I finished my travels I knew that to be a great product designer, I must learn even more about working with people.

I pursued a Bachelor's degree in Occupational Therapy to build a strong foundation of knowledge and skills working with people. My focus was on interviews, data extraction, welfare technology, and the interactions between humans and their environment. While pursuing my degree, I became confirmed that my true passion was in product design. I often realized that many of the traits I learned as an occupational therapist could be applied to product design, and especially to UX design. I was fascinated by the process of creating something new, solving problems, and making people's lives better through design.

It became increasingly clear to me that my future career was in product design, which led me to pursue a Master of Science in Product Design.

During my Master's degree, I knew that I had found the right "shelf" for me. I learned the skills and tools needed to create products that can improve people's lives. As a product designer, I am thrilled to use my creativity and empathy to design products that can make a positive impact on people's lives. I knew that I had found my calling, and I was confident in my abilities as a product designer.

Today, I am confident and pleased with the career path I have chosen as a product designer. I continue to be fascinated by the process of creating something new and seeing how it impacts the lives of the people who use it. I work to create products that are not only beautiful but also functional and meaningful. 

As a product designer, I understand that user experience (UX) is key to the success of any product. That's why I'm dedicated to creating designs that are intuitive, user-friendly, and accessible to all. Whether I'm designing for a digital product, a physical product or service, I always put the user's needs and desires at the forefront of my design process.

I believe that design has the power to change the world, and I am proud to be a part of that mission. I believe that design and UX can play a vital role in improving people's lives, and I am committed to using my skills to make a positive impact on the world.

Jens Bue Johan Hillers

My professional profile bridges the gap between the users (BA) and the product (MSc)

  • With a Master of Science degree in Product Design, I consider myself well-equipped to take on the position of Product Designer, and I graduated with distinction.

  • A large part of my approach to product design focuses on the user experience. My MSc degree always circled back to UX when designing products, and my BA practiced a holistic view of the clients/users, which has supported a particular focus on the users throughout the design process.

  • I have chosen additional courses in project management while pursuing my Bachelor's and Master's degrees, as well as practicing project management in my job as a hotel manager. Moreover, I am a certified Scrum Master and Scrum Product Owner.

  • As an occupational therapist, I have applied my knowledge, methods, and skills from my former occupation to product design, which has proven to be extremely useful and beneficial.

Product Design

The Double Diamond design process model

I often come across the question: “What is product design?” So let´s begin by clarifying what exactly product design is:

Product design is the process of creating new products that meet the needs and wants of users while also taking into consideration the constraints of the market, production, and technology. It involves a combination of creativity, technical expertise, and problem-solving skills to develop products that are both functional and aesthetically appealing.

In summary, product design is a multidisciplinary field that involves creating products that are functional, aesthetically pleasing, and meet the needs and wants of users. The process involves several stages, from research and conceptualization to prototyping and production, and requires a combination of creativity, technical expertise, and problem-solving skills.

I want to highlight some of my particular product designer skills:

As a product designer, there are many skills that are important for me to have. Here are some of the most important ones for me:

  1. Creativity: I am able to think outside the box and come up with unique and innovative ideas which are essential for a product designer.

  2. Problem-solving: I can identify problems and find solutions to them. This involves being able to analyze user needs and behavior, and design products that meet those needs.

  3. Technical expertise: I have a solid understanding of materials, manufacturing processes, and technology which is necessary in order to create functional and manufacturable products.

  4. Communication skills: I am able to communicate my ideas effectively to others, including clients, engineers, and manufacturers. This includes being able to create detailed design briefs, presentations, and technical drawings.

  5. Collaboration: I appreciate the collaborative process that involves working with other designers, engineers, and stakeholders. Product designers need to be able to work effectively as part of a team and to be open to feedback and criticism.

  6. User-centric design: I have a deep understanding of user needs and behavior, and to design products that are intuitive and easy to use.

  7. Attention to detail: I have a keen eye for detail, and am able to create products that are aesthetically pleasing and visually coherent.

  8. Business acumen: I have a good understanding of business and marketing, and I am able to design products that are commercially viable and meet the needs of the target market.

    Overall, I am a versatile and multidisciplinary professional who can balance creativity with technical expertise, and who is able to work effectively as part of a team.

UX/UI and prototyping are natural elements of my way of working. In my portfolio, you will find a case called “prototyping” where I display my skills and project in the area of prototyping. UX/UI was a factor that was constantly being evaluated and considered as a natural way of thinking throughout my studies and work.

Furthermore, I want to emphasize that my MSc degree is defined as a Humanistic MSc (DEN: humanistisk cand.it.). In short terms, this means that the users were the focus of every course I took.

Feel free to engage with my portfolio to view a selection of relevant projects which will demonstrate my skills in practice.

Prototyping

Occupational Therapy

How does it apply to product design?

Biomechanics and anatomy

Occupational therapy is a healthcare profession that focuses on helping individuals of all ages to participate in meaningful and purposeful activities (or "occupations") that are important to them despite physical, mental, or emotional challenges. Occupational therapists work with people who have conditions that limit their ability to perform everyday tasks such as dressing, eating, working, or engaging in leisure activities.

The goal of occupational therapy is to help individuals develop or regain the skills they need to engage in activities that are meaningful to them, improve their overall physical and mental health, and enhance their quality of life.

As an occupational therapist, I have gained a unique approach to my field of work. When considering user experience, it is important to explore, understand, and illustrate the user's experience with a product, service, or activity. This experience takes place in a dynamic relationship between sensory inputs, the execution of the activity, and psychological and cognitive processes. As an occupational therapist, I have extensive knowledge of these elements and a toolbox of techniques for exposing, comprehending, and visualizing the mechanics and dynamics of user experience.

As an occupational therapist, I possess a range of skills that can be applied to the field of product design, including:

  1. Assessment and evaluation

  2. Psychology and interviews

  3. Welfare technology

  4. Human anatomy and biomechanics

  5. Ergonomics

In the following section, I will elaborate upon these five skills. This section is quite long due to the complexity of the topics, so feel free to circle back here if you want to learn more about these skills from occupational therapy can be applied to the field of product design:

Occupational Therapy

  1. Assessment and evaluation: I am skilled at analyzing a person's ability to perform various activities and movements. This skill is useful in understanding how users interact with products and services, and how to optimize their experience. For instance, let´s imagine we are designing a new type of swingset for a playground. What I could do was create an activity and movement analysis to investigate how the user would enter the swing, hold on, create motion, and get off the swing. This analysis would not involve UX, but rather the motoric and cognitive processes occurring while operating the swingset. These data would provide a deeper understanding of how to improve the swingset and what modifications need to be made to enhance its overall operation. Moreover, as an occupational therapist, I am skilled at evaluating users' abilities and needs, which can help guide the design process. I can conduct user testing to identify potential design flaws and make recommendations for improvement.

  2. Psychology and interviews: Occupational therapists are trained in understanding how psychological and cognitive processes affect a person's ability to engage in activities. This knowledge is useful in designing products and services that are easy to use and understand. Furthermore, I have extensive training in facilitating and conducting interviews in different settings and contexts, such as expert interviews, focus interviews, semi-structured interviews, etc. This proved to be very useful while conducting field research for my MSc in order to gain insights and data from the informants and users while creating a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere, even in vulnerable encounters.

  3. Welfare technology: I have expertise in using technology to improve the quality of life for individuals with disabilities or chronic conditions. This skill is useful in designing products and services that are accessible and user-friendly. I have always had a big interest in welfare technology and therefore I also choose to do an apprenticeship in the municipality, in the department which granted, user-tested, and modified welfare technology to the citizens. Alongside the apprenticeship, I attended a course in welfare technology at the University College Lillebælt.

  4. Human anatomy and biomechanics: I have a deep understanding of the human body, how it moves, and how it interacts with the environment. This knowledge is essential for designing products that are safe, comfortable, and effective. Moreover, I am trained to understand how sensory inputs affect a person's ability to engage in activities. This knowledge is useful in designing products and services that are comfortable and appealing to the user's senses.

  5. Ergonomics: Every activity involves the element of ergonomics. Occupational therapists are experts in ergonomics, which combines anatomy, physiology, and sociology. While ergonomic chairs and tables are commonly discussed, ergonomics applies to a wide variety of products. Ergonomics is essential to consider when designing products and services for people to optimize their experience and eliminate the risk of injuries.

By applying these skills, I play an important role in the design of products that promote health, independence, and well-being.