Paul Middelkoop

Product Designer

paul.middelkoop@gmail.com

UI / UX Design

Product & Service Design

Problem Discovery

Workshop facilitation

Rapid Prototyping

User research

Hello there

As a designer, I help develop user-friendly and effective products and services. Based on Design Thinking, I facilitate workshops, map customer journeys, and design concepts to quickly validate the riskiest assumptions. I also design flows, interaction patterns, and interfaces so that MVPs succeed on their merit — not fail due to execution.

Experience

@Port of Rotterdam

Routescanner

2022 – Present

Google Maps for Global Container Shipping

View case study Go to website

Product Design — Redesigned the main search and results interface for better usability, responsiveness, and accessibility.
User journey mapping —Initiated and facilitated user journey mapping sessions to improve onboarding.
AI prototyping — Initiated discovery and prototyping for an LLM integration to enable complex search queries and port/route comparisons using a canvas-based approach that adapts to user needs.
Brand update — Led the brand update to attract a better defined target audience through updated visuals and content.
User interviews — Conducted user interviews to refine interaction patterns.
Quantitative analysis — Used PostHog for quantitative analysis and opportunity spotting.

Port Alert

2022 – 2024

Alerting system for Truckers & Terminals

View case study Go to website

Riskiest-Assumptions — Introduced the Riskiest-Assumptions method as a working model within the team.
Stakeholder Management — Monthly roadmap and design updates presented to stakeholders.
Product Design — Designed 1) native app for drivers with map functionality, 2) desktop dashboard for transporters, and 3) alert tool for port terminals.
Qualitative interviews — Interviews with drivers, terminals, and planners leading to major roadmap improvements.

Lab / Innovation / Incubation Teams

2022 – 2024

Contributed to various projects, amongst which:

Bridge Height — Facilitated problem analysis and quick wins for inland shipping efficiency.
GeoFluxus — Introduced a Start-Up on Circular Waste, and facilitated identifying the targets and users for the pilot.
PLATO — UX advice to make a data science tool (rShiny) for dredging operations accessible.
Innovation Radar — Interface design for innovation mapping tool.