Berat Zekaj

I design, teach and train, with a focus on accessible digital products and systems change.

Get in touch

Based in Amsterdam Noord
Open for work

Berat as a clay figure with a red beanie and a mustache
(Fig. 01) Self-portrait · clay, Three.js

I teach 385+ students a year to design things people can use.

I’m Berat Zekaj, a digital designer and lecturer based in Amsterdam Noord, with roots in Peja, Kosovo. I work between the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, my training company Berr, and design projects on accessibility and systems change.

Beyond the lessons I have supervised 40+ internships, run about three trainings a month through Berr, and finished my MSc cum laude (8.3).

“We, the students of yesterday, are the changemakers of today.”

Valedictorian speech, MSc Economic Transformation (2025) · Read the speech

(The human side)

Outside work, I’m usually exploring Japanese streetwear, adding another pair of Salomons to the collection, or finding my way back to Kosovo. A little shy at first, probably making a joke five minutes later.

From research to working service.

Four projects from research to something people use: a learning format, advice a school adopted, public tools and a systems map.

  1. Peer learning that people actually show up for

    A peer learning format for the Living Labs of the Amsterdam Donut Coalition, from the first interviews to a tested session.

    Client
    Amsterdam Donut Coalition
    My role
    Designer of the format and lead facilitator, team of four
    Result
    Still in use and shared with Doughnut Economics Action Lab. All 5 participating initiatives rated the first session valuable.

  2. Why don’t more mbo students start a business?

    User research and systems analysis on “the missing entrepreneur”.

    Client
    ROC van Amsterdam Zuidoost
    My role
    Lead interviewer and transformation advisor, team of four
    Result
    The advice was adopted into the curriculum and is still in use.

  3. Accessibility tools that suggest the fix

    A WCAG 2.2 toolkit that tells you what to change, with the exact value.

    Context
    Self-initiated, used in my lessons
    My role
    Designer and developer, solo
    Result
    Five free, public tools: contrast, fluid type, colour blindness, touch targets and moving backgrounds.

  4. Untangling a wicked problem: drug crime in Amsterdam

    A causal loop diagram and stakeholder map of a problem nobody owns.

    Client
    Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences
    My role
    Systems mapper, team of four; I led the causal loop diagram
    Result
    A system map with more than sixty relations and leverage points at the root.

Questions I can help with.

  1. Do people understand and use what we made?

    User research and UX/UI: interviews, usability tests and prototypes, from wireframe to high-fidelity.

    You get Research insights you can act on, and a prototype tested with real users.

    Seen in Missing Entrepreneur · WCAG toolkit

  2. Our service works on paper, but not for the people who use it.

    Service design and co-creation: journey maps, service blueprints and sessions with the people involved.

    You get A redesigned service or format, documented so your team can run it.

    Seen in Living Labs

  3. This problem is bigger than one team. Where do we start?

    Systems thinking: causal loop diagrams, stakeholder maps, the iceberg model and Cynefin.

    You get A shared map of the problem and the leverage points worth acting on.

    Seen in Drug crime · Missing Entrepreneur

  4. Can you run a workshop or training for our team?

    Workshops and trainings that get a team learning from each other.

    You get A session designed around your team, for schools, education professionals and organisations.

    Seen in Experience

  5. Is this new technology a good idea, and how do we try it responsibly?

    Digital innovation: AI concepts and creative technology, tested quickly and weighed for their impact on people.

    You get A working prototype and a clear view of what it means for the people involved.

    Seen in Tools & experiments

How I work

  • Every voice in the room. I use Deep Democracy so the minority view is part of a group decision, not overruled by it.
  • Listen first, then design. People need to feel heard before they can learn from each other.
  • Feedback as a habit. I work with 360° feedback and use it to sharpen my work.
  • Theory that earns its place. Cynefin, the iceberg model and Small Wins are tools, not decoration, and I’m explicit about their limits.
  • Reflect, adjust, repeat. After every project I ask what worked, what didn’t, and what I’d do differently.

Teaching, training and building.

Lecturer, coordinator & coach

Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences2022 – now

I teach UX/UI, user research, accessibility, front-end development and generative AI in the bachelor Communication and Multimedia Design and in three Associate degrees: Frontend Design & Development (~80 students a year), Smart Media Production (~160) and Cyber Security (~145). I coordinate Quality Assurance, designed the “Learning ability & ethics” learning line at Smart Media Production and coordinated the final year of Frontend Design & Development. I have supervised 40+ internships and sit on the assessment and programme committees. I also teach and coach students in the minor “AI voor Creatieve Denkers”.

Founder & trainer

Berr2024 – now

Trainings and workshops on design thinking, AI and inclusion, also as a trainer for Fawaka. Groups of about 20 people. For schools and education professionals across Amsterdam, from primary schools to MBO colleges such as ROC van Amsterdam. Clients include Brede School Rembrandt, Blokkenhut, 7e Montessorischool, STAIJ, Jenaplanschool ’t Startnest and NiNsee. I also led workshops at a three-day DUO event with ~5,000 attendees.

Advisory council member

DUO Youth Council2023 – now

The council advises DUO (Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs) on everything that affects students. I advise on policy, services and communication from the students’ perspective, review DUO’s communication in the communication committee and turn pain points in the digital service into concrete recommendations.

Earlier work
RoleOrganisationFieldYear
Researcher, during my masterAmsterdam Donut CoalitionSystems change2024 – 25
Front-end developerOutput4youDevelopment2021 – 22
SpecialistAppleRetail2021 – 22
InternshipNoProtocol · Royal FloraHollandDevelopment2020 – 21
InternshipDaily Paper ClothingWeb & e-commerce2018 – 19

Always learning, mostly at the HvA.

Education
DegreeSchoolYear
MSc Economic Transformation (opens in a new tab)HvA · cum laude (8.3) · valedictorian2024 – 25
University teaching qualification (BDB)HvA · also BKE, assessor, didactic coaching2023
BA Communication & Multimedia Design (opens in a new tab)HvA · minor Managing Creativity & Innovation2017 – 21

Tools & experiments.

Small tools I build for my lessons and for myself, free to use. And this site, in three versions: Editorial (you’re here), Gradient and Swing.

Contrast checker logo: a circle half dark, half light, with a black and an orange letter A
(Fig. 02)Contrast checker · tool2026
Fluid type logo: three letters growing along a dashed line
(Fig. 03)Fluid type scale · tool2026
Colour blindness logo: a red, a green and a grey circle overlapping
(Fig. 04)Colour blindness check · tool2026
Touch target logo: a small square inside a dashed circle inside a bigger square
(Fig. 05)Touch target check · tool2026
Moving gradient logo: soft orange and red colour clouds inside a circle
(Fig. 06)Moving gradient · tool2026
Melt type logo: the letters Aa melted together
(Fig. 07)Melt type · tool2026
Prompt kit logo: a text box with a prompt chevron, lines of text and a red cursor
(Fig. 08)Prompt kit · tool2026
Espresso dial-in logo: a grinder dial with a red pointer inside a green target band
(Fig. 09)Espresso dial-in · tool2026
The Gradient version of this website: the clay head on a warm peach gradient
(Fig. 10) Gradient · this site2026
The Swing version of this website: a hand-drawn Berat on a swing
(Fig. 11) Swing · this site2026

Skills, languages & who I worked with.

Skills

  • Digital design
  • UX/UI
  • User research
  • Interaction design
  • Prototyping
  • Service design
  • Design systems
  • Front-end development
  • Creative technology
  • AI
  • Design ethics
  • Inclusive design
  • Agile
  • Facilitation

Languages

  • Dutch
  • English
  • Albanian

Worked with

  • 7e Montessorischool
  • Amsterdam Donut Coalition
  • Bieb in Bloei
  • Blokkenhut
  • Brede School Rembrandt
  • City of Amsterdam
  • Daily Paper
  • DUO
  • Fawaka
  • Jenaplanschool ’t Startnest
  • NiNsee
  • OBA
  • ROC van Amsterdam
  • Royal FloraHolland
  • STAIJ
  • Topnotch
  • VPRO