Hi, my name is Erika Hajdu

I’m a human-centered designer with a love for research, living in the Netherlands. I am a curious and open-minded problem-solver. I love being helpful, and my empathy helps me connect with people to understand their needs and wishes. I deliver engaging workshops and create user-friendly and meaningful materials and interventions. Through my freelance business, kolabor, I help research and public sector organisations to improve engagement, collaboration, and creativity by providing tailored advice, materials and workshops.

I believe that anything we make should have some meaning and value for people and the planet. So, I love working on projects that create useful knowledge and contribute to personal, societal and ecological wellbeing.

In my free time, I like trying out new arts and crafts, going for a hike, doing photography, reading, and making noise with any instrument I can get my hands on.

My background

I grew up in a small town located in the south-east of Hungary. After finishing my degree in Industrial Design Engineering (Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary) I studied research-oriented Product Design (University of Leeds, United Kingdom) and Design for Interaction (Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands).

Prior coming to the Netherlands, I was working as a graphic designer in Germany which equipped me with attention to detail and a love for solving everyday challenges. Up until recently I’ve been working at Erasmus University Rotterdam, making workshop materials, tools, and templates for strategic planning and evaluation of societal impact.