CHI NL Meet: Peter Lovei

Hello everyone! We are very excited to introduce this month’s CHI NL Meet guest Peter Lovei, where he shares with us his bio and aspirations! šŸ™‚

Image of this month's CHI NL Meet guest Peter Lovei. Peter is wearing a yellow polo shirt and red orange pants, and smiling.

What is your name?

Hi, I’m Peter Lovei!

What’s your current job / occupation?

Iā€™m a Data Designer at Philips Experience Design and PhD Candidate in Industrial Design at  Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e).

And what are you currently working on?

Together with my team at Philips Experience Design, we collect, analyze, visualize and store both qualitative and quantitative data as part of the innovation process. We work in the clinical domain and this means that our projects focus on a broad spectrum of topics touching upon both personal health (e.g. sleep studies, studies around pregnancy) and clinical topics (e.g. (re)designing care pathways for cardiology).

I am responsible for designing, building and maintaining the systems that allow us to execute these (clinical) trials. Next to my daily job, three years ago I started working toward my PhD at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). My focus is on the academic perspective of the work I mentioned above, and also teach a master’s elective course called Data-enabled Design. 

What is your proudest achievement so far? Can be anything, professional or otherwise.

My proudest achievement is that coming from a Computer Science background I have somehow made myself a valuable member of the Design community, both at Philips and at the TU/e as well šŸ˜Š. When I started out as an intern, I knew almost nothing about the design field. And here I am now teaching around 60 students each year about a new design process, which is also the main topic of my research as well. The cherry on top is that our (clinical) trials show that it is possible to promote a healthier lifestyle using our method.

Which person, paper, or concept has had the biggest influence on your work?

I was in a unique position that I joined the Data-enabled Design field, when it just started at our company and at the faculty. This was inspiring, and allowed me to bring in my computer science lens from early on to help shape a new aspect of design. 

From a broader perspective, I find Steve Jobs and the Apple products he launched have had the biggest impact on me enjoying the field I’m in, and wanting to adopt a more entrepreneurial mindset. Seeing what is possible using such smart products inspires my work, and has led me to where I am today.

What breakthroughs or developments do you expect in your profession in the next 10 years?

I believe that data will be even more important for the design process. More and more designers will have the ability to use tools for collecting, visualizing and analyzing data. I hope it will open a lot of possibilities for using it as a creative material. And if we are all professional in the use of data, we’ll also begin using some AI techniques as part of the design process as well. For example, producing engaging content using GPT-3 could allow for truly personalized designs and experiences. In my research, I am trying to show how it all could lead to healthier lifestyles, and thus hopefully to a healthier population.

What have you recently read, watched, or listened to that you would like to recommend to others?

I just started learning more about Microinteractions: Designing with details by Dan Saffer, and exploring how it could be relevant for my research.

In my free time, as an expat in the Netherlands, I really enjoy listening to the “Stuff Dutch People Like” Spotify podcast. And if you want to have some evening fun next to the hard work you all are doing, I would highly recommend the series Ted Lasso.

Finally, a chance for self-promotion: what should we read, watch, or listen to so we learn more about your work?

Connect with Peter Lovei on LinkedIn

CHI NL Meet takes place around once a month, where board members and blog editors Lisa and Abdo invite a member of CHI NL to introduce themselves to the wider SIGCHI community and the world šŸŒ.

CHI Nederland (CHI NL) is celebrating its 25th year anniversary this year, and we have much in store to acknowledge this occasion. Stay tuned!