Fabrique
Strategy, Design, Technology in One
As AI accelerates production and lowers the barrier to execution, the real question becomes: What happens to craft?
With Harmen van Balen & Sjoerd van der Kooij (Fabrique)
In this episode of UX Rotterdam Insights, we speak with Harmen van Balen, UX Director at Fabrique, and Sjoerd van der Kooij, Director and Commercial Lead at Fabrique, about the future of design craftsmanship in an AI-shaped world.
As AI accelerates production and lowers the barrier to execution, the real question becomes: What happens to craft? We explore how traditional design processes are evolving and in some cases, dissolving. The familiar steps, rituals, and frameworks that defined UX for years are being reshaped by tools that can prototype, generate, and test at unprecedented speed.
We also discuss what new skills are becoming essential like systems thinking, facilitation, strategic judgment, and the ability to translate AI potential into meaningful business impact.
Fabrique connects strategy, branding, interaction, content, and technology into cohesive experiences that truly reach people and drive real change.
Keynote | Harmen Van Balen
The power of design in an AI-shaped world
I will challenge the audience to rethink our as (UX) designers. But also to question what we will desperately try to hold onto. What should we let go of as designers?
Where should we stop resisting and start making space for technology? And how does this shift make our work better, not smaller?
Strategy, Design, Technology in One
Fabrique is a strategic digital design agency that has been shaping complex digital experiences since 1992. Known for combining analytical thinking with creative courage, Fabrique helps organizations turn complexity into clarity and ideas into measurable impact.
They design everything with a digital interface: apps, websites, platforms, services, and immersive experiences. But their work goes beyond screens.
From e-commerce and finance to culture and public services, Fabrique focuses on outcomes: behavior change, brand strength, usability, and longterm business value. Their projects range from omnichannel strategies for major retailers to service design for world-class cultural institutions.
Strategy is always the starting point. Using a holistic design thinking approach, Fabrique examines human needs, business goals, and technological possibilities together ensuring solutions are desirable, viable, and feasible.
Their teams of designers and developers work side by side, integrating design and technology from concept to launch and beyond.
As a long-term partner, Fabrique helps organizations not only build digital products, but also strengthen internal capabilities from design systems to transformation strategies.
Learn more about Fabrique:
