Living with Diabetes: An Immersive Experience
 

In partnership with the Diabetes Fund, I created an immersive experience that allowed people throughout the Netherlands to feel what living with diabetes is actually like. Working alongside researchers, we designed interactive elements that triggered physical and chemical reactions in participants' bodies mirroring the daily experiences of diabetes patients. This evidence-based approach transformed abstract understanding into embodied empathy, providing profound insights into the challenges faced by those living with this condition.

 
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This installation recreated diabetes symptoms— balance issues, focus problems, and simulated hypoglycemic attacks—in engaging public square activities. Visitors approached these as fun challenges, only to have a Dutch celebrity reveal afterward how these sensations mirror the daily reality of diabetes patients. This unexpected connection transformed entertainment into meaningful empathy.

We created the world's first mobile modular escape room experience—an innovation since replicated by hundreds of businesses. This interactive awareness game traveled throughout Dutch cities and villages for a full year, transforming how the population relates to the 1 in 16 Dutch citizens living with type 1 or type 2 diabetes.

This transitioned into the design of a restaurant with the intention of creating an environment that stimulated healthier dining.