The Resilient Designers Podcast

What happens when the path forward isn't really clear? In this episode, Vim talks with three students from Delft University of Technology - Toby from electrical engineering, Wessel from architecture, and Lena from industrial design - about navigating the uncertainties of student life. From switching studies to tackling procrastination, from stepping outside comfort zones to managing diverse team dynamics and dealing with performance pressure, they share honest insights about what it really takes to find your way. How do you stay motivated when the vibe isn't right? How do you not feel imposter syndrome? When is 70% certainty enough to make a choice? And why might planning everything perfectly and then throwing it out the window be exactly what you need? This conversation explores the messy reality of student life, where taking baby steps, being open, and finding your own way might be the best advice of all.

Mentioned in this episode:
WAVE student association at TU Delft
The importance of taking breaks and doing something entirely different when unmotivated
Time blocking and planning strategies (that you might not follow)
The 9-to-5 approach vs. following your creative flow
"What Critique Looks Like" paper on giving good feedback
Bas Flipsen and Stefan Persaud's research on team collaboration at IDE
The value of spending time with your team outside of project work
Architecture as learning from walking around and observing buildings
The procrastination limbo and deadline-driven work
Cultural differences in design approaches (Italian aesthetics vs. Dutch pragmatism)

What happens when failure becomes the teacher? In this episode, Vim talks to Bas Flipsen and Stefan Persaud about productive failure - an approach where you struggle first, learn second, and somehow end up understanding more deeply than before. How do you teach students to become comfortable with not knowing? Why is struggling essential to learning? From aerospace's "first time right" culture to design's messy iterations, Bas and Stefan challenge how we think about mistakes, learning, and becoming comfortable with not knowing. They share their decade-long journey transforming design education at TU Delft, the surprising power of reflection dice, and why making "shitty art" might be the most important thing you do today. This conversation explores trust, team dynamics, and the radical idea that all professionals were amateurs once - and they all failed along the way.
Mentioned in this episode:
Connect: The Secret Formula for Coaching Design Teams - available at repository.tudelft.nl
The Reflection Dice - 3D printable file available on Thingiverse
Manu Kapur's Productive Failure methodology and TED Talk
Amy Edmondson's research on types of failure
Donald Schön on reflective practice
Gordijn's 34 methods of reflection
Erin Meyer's Culture Map for team dynamics

What happens when design meets the real mess of the world? In this episode, Brooke and Leon talk to Mieke van der Bijl-Brouwer about designing with complexity - where there are no neat problems, no perfect solutions, and no clear finish lines. From system shifts to directionality, Mieke challenges the dominant worldview of design as problem solving and offers a new lens: one that values relationships, learning and navigating the unknown together. Mieke shares her journey from traditional industrial design to tackling complex societal challenges, emphasising the importance of systems thinking, transdisciplinary collaboration and a shift from a mechanistic worldview to a complex relational one.
Mentioned in this episode:
Designing Out Crime Research Center in Sydney
Professor Kees Dorst and the frame innovation methodology: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23461421-frame-innovation
New South Wales Mental Health Commission
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their perspective on well-being.
Terri Trespicio's TEDx Talk on passion and career paths: https://youtu.be/6MBaFL7sCb8?si=IVYS0XRA_GrVbBC_
Designing Your Life - Odyssey Planning: Activity and worksheets for exploring future paths: https://designingyour.life/worksheets-and-discussion-question

When asked about her ongoing strength as a professional working across the disciplines of design, craft and art, Tiiu Meiner says: partial delusion. Upon further investigation, it is the resilience she finds through language, more specifically poetry, that helps her navigate and persevere. Conducting poetry workshops with working design professionals, Tiiu credits language as a tool for understanding ourselves and our professional practice, and as a way to encourage constructive feedback that can help us in our professional careers and personal wellbeing.

For more information on the Resilient Designers project, visit:
resilientdesigners.com

Itika Gupta, co-founder and CEO of Studio Carbon, takes us on her journey of discovering design. When traditional job opportunities failed to recognise the full scope of design's potential, she and her classmates forged their own path into the professional world. By co-founding Studio Carbon, they've slowly expanded projects beyond the traditional view of design, paving the way for a contemporary understanding of design and its potential. In this conversation, Itika shares how designers can embrace the messiness of pluralism and ambiguity - like water, finding strength in multiple perspectives rather than seeking a single right answer.

For more information on the Resilient Designers project, visit:
⁠resilientdesigners.com⁠