Ing. Erik Thomassen

I manage a department that creates Speech Recognition solutions for automotive infotainment systems, for Volkswagen, Skoda, Daimler and Audi. I am in charge of 30 team leaders, software architects, requirement managers, C++ developers, testers and external contractors. My department is spread across 5 countries and 2 continents, so collaboration is crucial. Our speech solutions control a wide range of vehicle functionality, such as Radio, Phone, Media, Navigation and more. The future is now.

Heading up the creation of a User Experience department by consolidating individual designers into a single department. This required the introduction of new working structures, quality control measures, a requirement management process, stakeholder management improvements and much more. My department was responsible for the user research and design of the world’s biggest 'fleet management platform'. Solutions were tailored as Business-to-Business telematics serviceson HTML5, Android, and iOS.

Novo Nordisk is a global fortune 500 company that focuses on the treatment of diabetes. Tasked with innovating and revolutionizing the product portfolio I designed their next generation drug delivery systems, treatment regimes, apps, wearables and was also instrumental in the development of the company’s new 10 year digital strategy.

As Senior UX Designer, Project Manager and manager of the User Experience team for emerging markets, I managed the design of software for standalone navigation devices, built-in car solutions, and motorcycle navigation systems. I was responsible for the user experience of 15 million navigation units per year and worked closely with VPs and C-level leaders within the company.

This master’s course follows the methodology of Integrated Product Design as a systematic approach to product development and innovation. It involves business processes at all stages of the product life cycle, including the needs of user, maker, and society as a whole.