Berat Zekaj — Digital Designer, Lecturer & Changemaker

(About)
Digital designer · Lecturer · Changemaker

I make complicated things feel simple.

I’m Berat Zekaj, a digital designer, lecturer and changemaker based in Amsterdam Noord, with roots in Peja, Kosovo. I move between design, technology and education, turning complex problems into things people can understand, use and improve.

Students reached yearly: 385+
Internships supervised: 40+
Training sessions per month: 3×
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.

(Work)
Selected cases, 2024 – 2026

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.

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.
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.
Accessibility tools that fix, not just flag

A WCAG 2.2 toolkit that suggests the fix, not just the failure.

Context
Self-initiated, used in my lessons

My role
Designer and developer, solo

Result
Five free, public tools.
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.

(Expertise)
UX/UI · Service design · Innovation

Questions I can help with.

Do people understand and use what we made?

UX/UI design · User research

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

Service design · Co-creation

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

Systems thinking

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
Can you run a workshop or training for our team?

Workshops & training

Trainings and workshops on design thinking, AI and inclusion, for groups of about 20, through my practice Berr.

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

Seen in Experience
Is this new technology a good idea, and how do we try it responsibly?

Digital innovation · AI

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.

(Experience)
Work, 2018 – now

Teaching, training and building.

Work
Role	Organisation	Field	Year
Lecturer, coordinator & coach	Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences	Education	2022 – now
Founder & trainer	Berr	Training	2024 – now
Advisor, volunteer	DUO Youth Council	Public sector	2023 – now
Researcher, during my master	Amsterdam Donut Coalition	Systems change	2024 – 25
Front-end developer	Output4you	Development	2021 – 22
Specialist	Apple	Retail	2020 – 21
Internship	NoProtocol · Royal FloraHolland	Development	2020 – 21
Internship	Daily Paper Clothing	Web & e-commerce	2018 – 19

More about what I do at the university

Lecturer in three Associate degree programmes: Frontend Design & Development (~80 students a year), Smart Media Production (~160) and Cyber Security (~145). I teach “The web is for everyone”: HTML, CSS, JavaScript and design.
Curriculum coordinator for the final year of Frontend Design & Development: wrote the learning-line plan, aligned the teaching team and chaired the coordination meetings.
Coordinator of “Learning ability & ethics” at Smart Media Production, one of the five competencies students graduate on. I designed the learning line; colleagues now build their own lessons on it.
40+ internships supervised; member of the assessment and programme committees.
Student projects with VPRO, Topnotch, Bieb in Bloei, OBA and the City of Amsterdam. Organised and led sessions on diversity, equity and inclusion.

More about what I do at Berr

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

(Education)
Degrees and qualifications

Always learning, mostly at the HvA.

Education
Degree	School	Year
MSc Economic Transformation (opent in nieuw tabblad)	HvA · cum laude (8.3) · valedictorian	2024 – 25
University teaching qualification (BDB)	HvA · also BKE, assessor, didactic coaching	2023
BA Communication & Multimedia Design (opent in nieuw tabblad)	HvA · minor Managing Creativity & Innovation	2017 – 21