I am Amaru Muckenhirn
Driven by curiosity, I enjoy creating systems, exploring ideas, and adopting new perspectives within and beyond the design field. I am a digital concept and experience designer(UX/UI) .
Nature was my first teacher
Growing up in Nicaragua, I found my greatest teacher in nature. One unforgettable moment was a birdwatching tour in the rainforest. I was fascinated by how birds distinguish one another through subtle details in their songs and appearances, and how plants thrive in a symbiotic, balanced system. This experience taught me the value of interconnection and made me wonder about how systems work.
And here it begins. With a spark of curiosity.
Design became my way of understanding and creating systems — tools to shape how we see, hear, and interact with the world.
Inspired by nature’s systems, I became drawn to the idea of decoding visual languages, hieroglyphics, and even human behavior. My intrigue with how we communicate and process information led me to communication design, where I found a perfect blend between creativity and logic.
My academic experience (FH Aachen 2015 – 2019) was mainly focused on "creative" and experimental research. I explored topics such as synesthesia, neuroplasticity and VR-based medical education tools, always seeking to understand how humans and nature work. The freedom to create without the constraints of reality drew me to 3D, AR, and VR.
Immersive technologies allowed me to design immersive experiences that could reveal the unseen and reimagine the possible in a playful way.
My bachelor thesis focused on creating VR learning environments that turned educational journeys into a kinetic, immersive (kind of - alice in wonderland) experiences. This work reflected my journey in using design to reshape the way we learn and interact.
During my bachelor thesis — focused on designing alternative learning systems in VR — I was diagnosed with dyslexia. What initially seemed very challenging turned out to be a transformative experience. Understanding dyslexia helped me understand my way of thinking since childhood.
It’s an ability to approach problems from in a non-linear way and looking at things with alternative perspectives to find creative and sometimes unconventional solutions.
So I continued my path of curiosity in the market.
Creating augmented exhibition concepts and edutation apps with ad modum (2020-2021)
Applying data-driven design to build corporate ventures with Bridgemaker (2021-2023)
Diving into new tools and coding languages to expand my technical and methodical expertise with C3 (2023 - now)
But perhaps the most formative experience was launching bivid in 2019.
Running my own business bivid (2019 - now) has shaped me significantly - teaching me resilience, strategic thinking, and the art of balancing creativity with practicality. Through bivid, I've not only tested and implemented sustainable design processes, but also refined my ability to lead teams and foster change.
My research path
My research path now focuses on finding unification or reconnection between humans, technology, and nature...
to merge these into a sustainable, cooperative system. By blending the lessons of the natural world with the possibilities of technology, I want to push the limits of the possible to nurture the one thing that is most important: my curiosity towards a sustainable future.
