Maryam Javadian
Maryam Javadian smiling at a social gathering, holding a drink

About

I arrived in the Netherlands with five years of experience designing interiors, facades, and details for offices, fairs, medical, and residential spaces. I was here to immerse myself in a year of designing and prototyping joyful digital products. Yet upon entering a highly technological world, significantly different from mine, I was so lost trying to navigate my life through so many new discoveries.

My phone was too old that its battery didn't last, and I had to buy one that could tolerate downloading so many apps. I had to get used to a new map and learn weird street names to find my way through unfamiliar buildings. I had to shop in strange grocery stores where products had labels in a language I didn't speak. I felt stupid most of the time, and lost my sense of safety in so many non-dangerous situations. I had to use my phone so much during the day that the new battery started failing too. It was frustrating.

That situation gave me a great empathy for confused users, as I was walking, live, in their shoes. That's why I still find so much satisfaction in seeing people easily interact with something I've designed, without getting lost, feeling frustrated, or feeling stupid.

I work hard. But I play harder!

A few things about me

Tea, alwaysI drink way too much of it. Ask anyone who's shared an office with me.
The gymI go starting next Monday. Every Monday.
PhotographyI take more photos than a phone's storage can handle.
MacraméI knit handmade macramé. Gorgeous, if I say so myself.
TravelI spend all my savings on it. We work to buy tickets, right?
Dutch, by forceStill learning, but I can make the "g" sound perfectly, as an Iranian.
FriendshipI make friends in a blink, and keep them close.
PaintingWatercolour, mostly. Quiet, slow, the opposite of a sprint.
Watercolour painting by Maryam Javadian of small sailboats on a harbour at dusk
One of my watercolours: boats at dusk.
Let's talk

I'm always open to hearing about new ideas, projects, or collaborations.