About Harmen van Balen
I started my career at Momkai, a design agency in Amsterdam, as an interaction designer. Back when UX was not cool yet and we just called it what it was. Interaction design. Deep in execution, prototyping, pattern design, interaction details, and absolute obsession with usability.
Later, I moved to Fabrique, where I now work as UX Director. Over time, my focus expanded from making things right to making the right things. Strategic design became my playground. Design as a tool for exploration, definition, future vision, and organisational movement.
Today, my work sits at the intersection of UX and CX, with a strong focus on organisational change. I help teams and companies unlock their full design potential. Not just by improving what they create, but by strengthening the conditions that allow design to create real impact. Culture, maturity, leadership, and ways of working determine whether design becomes decorative or truly transformative.
Vision on creative industry
The industry is moving from interface-centred to intent-centred.
We are shifting from screen interactions to conversational, spatial, and ambient experiences. AI becomes the first technology that meaningfully steps into human interaction.
UX design is no longer just about creating artefacts. It becomes orchestration of behaviour, meaning, and trust. Creative agencies now operate less as execution factories and more as cultural accelerators inside organisations. The future belongs to teams that understand humans deeply and systems holistically.
The most exciting shift? Real intent. Technology that responds to people, not the other way around.
