Inside Phase II of Playground’s Internship Projects: From Research to Working Prototypes
A lot can change in two months. When we last checked in with our interns, they were deep in research mode, talking to people, testing assumptions, and figuring out how to build it. Now, they have something to show for it. Here's where Yeline, Joost, Bram, and Yin are at, and how you can help them take the next step.
Yeline
ASAP is a safety app that connects you to your Inner Circle with one tap. Live location, SOS alerts, check-ins, a follow-me session. For all those uneasy moments before you'd ever call the police, and just want your people to know where you are.
A few months in and I'm happy to share that the app is now testable! Getting here meant figuring out a lot of small things that actually matter. Should the SOS trigger be a slider or a button? Turns out a slider doesn't work well in the rain. Button it is. But then how intentional does it need to be to avoid accidental alerts? Do we need an extra step or two? You only find that out by putting it in real hands.
I've been doing that everywhere I can: taking our social media followers along on the design process through polls and behind-the-scenes updates, building an early adopter email list, hosting a safety community event, testing at the USP library, and testing at Trajectum where I got to connect with companies like Odido, the Utrecht municipality, and FC Utrecht. That last part matters because I want ASAP to stay free for users, always.
We're still building and taking suggestions on new features. The more people test it, the better it gets. Fill in the form to join our test panel and help build an app that keeps your daughter, sister, mother, or anyone who has ever felt unsafe on the journey home, safe.
Joost
My project is a proactive HR tool designed to catch the early signs of burnout. Often, managers only find out someone is struggling when they're already on their way out. I built a weekly pulse survey based on the scientific Job Demands-Resources model, which maps out what drains people's energy and what gives it back. Instead of waiting for a yearly evaluation, it gives managers the insight they need to start a warm, human conversation exactly when it matters most.
The tool has two parts. A fast, mobile-friendly survey that takes employees one minute to fill out, and a real-time analytics dashboard for managers and HR that visually compares how an employee feels with how their manager thinks they're doing. That gap is where the conversation needs to happen.
We're running live pilots with a few organisations, including Team Playground! I've been pitching directly to HR directors and team leads and the biggest learning so far is that the tech needs to be foolproof. Automated invites landing in spam, email layouts breaking in Outlook, these are the kinds of things that quietly kill adoption. I've also learned that organisations want to make the survey feel like their own, so making the wording fully adaptable is next on my list.
I'm looking to connect with HR professionals, team leads, or founders of fast-growing, mission-driven companies. If you know an organisation where people are passionate but at risk of running themselves into the ground, I'd love an introduction. I'm also looking for a technical co-founder with expertise in React, Firebase, and data security to help scale this into something solid. Email me to connect!
Bram & Yin
YourSkillspass is a digital profile for status holders (refugees with a residence permit) that shows what someone can do, who they are, and what drives them, not just what their diploma says. Right now, many status holders end up working far below their level because the Dutch labour market relies heavily on formal CVs and diploma recognition. A lot of skill, experience, and motivation gets lost in translation. We want to give people a tool to be seen for what they actually bring.
In the second phase of our internship, we've built a website where status holders can create a profile through a guided builder. It combines multiple-choice questions to lower the language barrier with open questions that give space to tell their own story: skills, languages, working style, personal strengths, what drives them. Since the platform isn't fully ready for live use yet, we're turning three profiles into physical cards to test the concept in the real world.
We're currently building those profiles together with status holders and will be testing them at the All Together Baarn festival on 5 and 6 June. People can pick up a card, read who someone is, and write down their first impressions. It's a way to gather honest feedback while connecting with employers and policymakers at the same time.
From our 30+ interviews, we've learned that status holders often prefer to talk about themselves in their mother tongue, and that employers can be hesitant due to how status holders are perceived. We want to see what happens when you put a different kind of profile in front of them.
Here's how you can help. If you're an employer, we'd love to add you to our network of people willing to look beyond the standard CV. If you work at a municipality, as a job coach, or at VluchtelingenWerk, we'd love to hear what you'd need to use something like this in practice. And if you know status holders who'd want to build a Skillspass, or simply know someone we should talk to, an introduction goes a long way.
We're also hosting our closing event on 1 July at Playground, bringing together everyone who has contributed to YourSkillspass so far.
Would you like to connect? Send either Bram or myself, Yin, an email!