Tom Van Iersel is a UX and product designer, researcher, and teacher with a background in Applied Psychology and a Master in Graphic Design from Sint Lucas Antwerp.
His curiosity about why people do what they do has always driven his work, from studying behavioural design and design systems, to crafting intuitive digital experiences.
Over the years, Tom has built expertise in design systems, concept visualisation, and prototyping, using Claude code, Figma, Cursor, Airtable as tools to push ideas further and make the intangible tangible. He founded Mad Robot in 2012, where he helps teams bridge the gap between psychology, design and technology.
When he's not designing or researching, you'll likely find him out running, hunting down vintage Star Wars toys or walking the dog.
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Concept
Design
I love transforming concepts into concrete products.
Starting from discovery workshops and stakeholder insights, I translate requirements into screen drafts and prototypes, iterating fast to align teams and validate ideas.
Prototyping
Prototyping is a valuable way to validate ideas with stakeholders and users. It also helps development. I use Figma and Claude code to create prototypes quickly and efficiently.
Designing and prototyping in the browser and designing in Figma both have their pros and cons. I use both to get the best of both worlds.
"His continuous focus on the ease of use of every functionality propelled the customer-facing solution from being 'good' to being 'state of the art'. Tom's psychology knowledge and very pragmatic approach resulted in a well thought through but nevertheless very agile design phase of the project. Very impressed!"
—Pieter Peremans—
Human centered.
Humans are a crucial part of the process. They are the ones who will use the product, and their input and feedback are essential to the success of the project. I use different methodologies to get to the root of the problem and to validate the solution. Observations, interviews, workshops, shadowing, etc.
