Design for Play alumnus Esben Dyrholm Hansen

Tell us a bit about yourself!
My name is Esben Dyrholm Hansen. I'm from a small town in Jylland called Odder, and I'm currently situated in Copenhagen. I have a bachelor's degree in Industrial Design from Design School Kolding and a Masters in Play Design.

Where do you work at the moment?
I’m currently working in an in-house design team working on the new Children's hospital in Copenhagen called "Mary Elizabeth’s Hospital".

What is your role and what are your tasks?
My main areas of responsibility are 5 physical play areas located in the hospital where patients and their relatives can explore a playful treatment-free zone. As a preliminary exercise, I have also been tasked with developing tools and methods to help convey the benefits of play to external stakeholders, as well as developing design guidelines that can help put play into context in different concepts. A way to build a bridge from theory into actual design if you will.

What is the value of a Play designer?
We are two play designers in our team, with two different areas of expertise. A common contribution is our understanding of what play is, and why it’s beneficial in the context of designing a hospital. Where we differentiate is our background. I contribute with bringing ideas to life through sketches and 3D, which is a highly valued skill that I couldn't be without in this line of work.

What value has the Design for Play master’s programme played in your current work?
The MA programme has given me a solid design foundation, by providing a sense of direction and a language to talk about design that I didn't have before. Furthermore, it has opened up a lot of opportunities by reaching out to companies through the "Design Intrapreneurship" course, which is mainly the reason why I have a job today.

Do you have any advice to give to someone undertaking this educational path?
Think of play design as an extension of your current skills, and don't get caught up in definitions of what play is, since it’s a lot of different things.

Find more interviews with Design for Play alumni here.

Interested in the journeys of our alumni from the other master’s degree programmes? Explore the stories from Design for People alumni here and Design for Planet alumni here.