Tom

Tom

Interaction Designer in Hamburg

About

👋 | Interaction Designer for emotional, user-centered brand experiences.

I advise companies on how to create strong brand loyalty through innovative technologies and bold design.

Side Projects

2024

Who hasn't been there? You're at an event, hoping to network, surrounded by people, but not sure how to start a conversation…

I’ve been there too 😪

Until I created my own (N)icebreaker. It blinks, lights up, and catches people’s attention. 💡

At the last networking event, I noticed it again: lots of people came up to me on their own, saying they’d never seen anything like it and wanted to know what it was and how it worked.

What I usually say is that my work as an interaction designer revolves around design, creative technology, and people – and my (N)icebreaker combines all of that.With my gadget, I can start conversations effortlessly and have an interesting topic to discuss right away.

Ideally, people scan the QR code, and my new contact goes directly to my LinkedIn profile.November is packed with events again. So, if you spot me with my (N)icebreaker, feel free to come over and let’s network together 😊

2024

The Project 100 Vending Machines From Japan is an explorative photo series documenting my first visit to Japan in mid-2024. It showcases the unique vending machines I found throughout my trip, featuring locations such as Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Uji.

2024

Power Pump is a custom-made human-interface device built to use your full body to interact with a digital scene.

2024
100 Vending Machines From Japan

Mouse Trail Effect + Layout Exploration For An Upcoming Project.

2024


I am currently developing an image previewer that appears when hovering over links. The great thing is, this works perfectly with various javascript transition managers, unlike the solutions I researched earlier, which seemed to struggle with transitions and navigating to another page.

2022
Lightning Laces

Here's an experiment focused on developing lightning laces that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also equipped to receive WebSocket messages using Python 🤯

2021
Thermochromic Lunar Calendar

Thermochromic lunar calendar within a frame using several PCBs and a controlling unit to heat different areas according to the moon phase.

2021
Look Mum No Screen Kinetic Logo Varations

Logo variations made for the HAW Hamburg design course: Look Mum, No Screen

2021

I’ve made a little interactive demo with Three.js and the GLTFloader. You can manipulate the lighting of the scene and play with the paw of the Maneki-Neko 😺

2021

Wie können sich schnell verändernde Informationen aus dem digitalen in den analogen Raum übersetzen lassen? Um dieser Frage nachzugehen, haben wir mit den Studierenden verschiedene Rapid Prototyping Techniken angewendet, um physische Objekte zu entwickeln, die eine Antwort auf diese Frage geben.

2021

Voy empowers all participants to explore the beauty of data-driven, computer-generated images by using predetermined hand gestures in midair.

2021

In this story, I want to talk about Slack and how to use it to stay updated. But a bit of context first. Near my place of work is a little café which offers new dishes daily. Every working day at about noon, we are all facing the same question: What are we going to eat for lunch? Most of my coworkers are interested in daily changing food and instantly start browsing the little cafés’ website to check the dish of the day.

2020

I recently found some old project photos showing me wrapping up the first vertical plotter I built a few years ago. I thought damn! This was a nice project. So I want to share the story and my experiences I gained during this time with you guys.

2020

Meow is a little modified Maneki-Neko. At first sight, she looks like any other happy lucky cat but once she’s connected to a WiFi network and integrated into your Slack environment (as a common Slack Bot), Meow starts to wave directly after you’ve received a Slack message.

Exhibitions

2017
Osnabrück

Wir haben modulare Messestände für die Ausstellung von mobilen Anwendungen und Prototypen entworfen und entwickelt. Der Stil besteht aus dem Kontrast von rauen, industriellen Materialien und modernen, eleganten Elementen.

Speaking

2023
Osnabrück, Germany

Static is not an option: Aus dem Leben eines Interaktionsdesigners

2021
3D Modeling, Printing and Finishing
Hochschule Bremerhaven

A talk about 3D printing methods, using different materials, and showing some insides into my finished projects.

2020
Hamburg

Writing

2021

Meow is a little modified Maneki-Neko. At first glance, she looks like any other happy lucky cat but once she’s connected to a WiFi network and integrated into your Slack environment, Meow starts to wave when you receive a Slack message.

2020

This project was initially meant to be a classic remote controller. Something like a basic volume control knob with maybe one or two more options. But we've all seen this kind of physical device too often.

Inspired by the pioneers in this field, I wanted to challenge the way of how the art of freeform electronics would normally happen. Most of the time, these circuit sculptures do not allow real user interaction, which is fine, because they are sculptures. But in my case, I needed to be creative when it came to implementing some proper tactile buttons and switches into a circuit sculpture.

Work Experience

2023 — Now
Hamburg

My name is Tom and I am a freelance User Interface and Experience Designer with a strong focus on interaction, both haptic and visual. I specialize in visual design, web, and real-time applications to create refreshingly new and playful human-computer interactions.

2018 — 2023

Während meiner Arbeit als Interaction Designer habe ich meine Leidenschaft für die Erstellung von Produktprototypen und das Explorieren von Mensch-Computer-Interaktion entdeckt. Dabei im ständigen Austausch mit dem Team zu stehen und Entwürfe zu iterieren, ist das, was mir dabei am besten gefällt.

2021 — 2022
Hamburg

Wie können sich schnell verändernde Informationen aus dem digitalen in den analogen Raum übersetzen lassen? Um dieser Frage nachzugehen, haben wir mit den Studierenden verschiedene Rapid Prototyping Techniken angewendet, um physische Objekte zu entwickeln, die eine Antwort auf diese Frage geben.

Contact

Dribbble
GitHub