Namahn

Namahn is a user-centered design consultancy based in Brussels, Belgium. Considered a pioneer in user-centered design in Belgium,^[1] Namahn focuses on interaction design and information architecture.

Its clientele falls largely into two groups: Belgian companies dominating the local market in the financial, industrial, healthcare and utilities sectors; and multinationals headquartered in Belgium that are active in the high-tech industry, and cater to a global market ^[2]. In an effort to deepen its specialization, Namahn has recently turned its attention to research into designing for safety-critical systems (e.g. medical applications, transportation control, plant management and emergency response). In 2006, it began a two-year research project on interaction design for safety-critical systems for the Institute for the Encouragement of Scientific Research and Innovation of Brussels (ISRIB)^[3]. The goal of the project ^[4] is to translate knowledge acquired from research into practice-oriented and market-worthy methods for designing user interfaces for safety-critical systems ^[2].

Involvement in the arts

Since 2004, the Belgian composer of contemporary classical music Walter Hus ^[5] has been artist in residence at Namahn. Walter Hus’ recording studio, featuring a Decap organ^[6], is located in the Namahn spaces.

History

Namahn was founded in 1987 by Joannes Vandermeulen. For five years, Namahn co-owned Integration by Design^[7], a company Mr. Vandermeulen co-founded with Kris Vanstappen. When Mr. Vanstappen went on to found Human Interface Group in 1992 with Christel Dehaes, the company changed its name to Using It, and later to Namahn.

Notes

1. ^ Leijnse, Bruno. "WEBSCHRIJVEN. 15 tips", Trends, September 14, 1995. Accessed May 21, 2008.
2. ^ ^{a b} Interfaces, Vol. 74, Spring 2008, pp. 14-16
3. ^ http://www.irsib.irisnet.be/index_en.htm accessed 15 June 2008.
4. ^ Geldof S., Vandermeulen J. A Practitioner's View of Human-Computer Interaction Research and Practice. Artifact, 1:3, 134-141, January 2007, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17493460701800181, accessed 7 June 2008.
5. ^ http://www.walterhus.org/ in the 'About' section, accessed 15 June 2008.
6. ^ http://www.decap-herentals.be/ in the 'Technical' section, accessed 15 June 2008.
7. ^ Blancquaert, Lieve. "De computer kan het niet verhelpen", Knack, June 21, 1989, page 47.