Vodafone UX Specialist Founds Innovation Agency

In Amsterdam, user experience specialist Harald Lamberts has founded an innovation agency called Essense, which aims to help clients use consumer insights to design products aligned with their business strategy and brand identity.

Lamberts is a design manager with more than ten years' experience in consumer research. Most recently he worked at Vodafone for six years, latterly as Head of User Experience, leading a UX design team of up to 50 researchers working on the firm's global consumer product range. Prior to this, he spent more than three years at Microsoft as a User Researcher.

His new company focuses on translating consumer insights to help create new products which are relevant for users.

The company interacts with target consumers using a broad range of design-research techniques - including consumer observations, brand identity assessments, co-design sessions and brainstorming - to gain a deep understanding of their experiences and needs. From the resulting insights, the firm's designers produce design concepts which are prototyped and validated with users to address potential flaws.

Once a design is accepted, the firm conducts feasibility assessments and product testing alongside its clients.

'Designing great products requires clever research, focused design and disciplined implementation, and this is what we do,' Lamberts states. 'I founded Essense because I am passionate about designing products that are relevant for consumers, make strategic sense for brands and are a pleasure to use.'

Web sites: www.essense.eu .