Loes van de Ven

Why this persona fits the audience

At a SaaS company in Amsterdam with 2 product designers and 3 support agents, she owns the knowledge base in Zendesk Guide. She reviews release tickets, rewrites help copy, and keeps a backlog of article updates in Linear.

• Age: 40
• Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Occupation: Content Designer
• Income: €72k/year
• Education: Master's degree in design
• Company size: Small (~6 people)
• Years in role: 5

“The best design isn't just about how it looks, but how seamlessly it helps someone understand and achieve something.”

Born and raised in Utrecht, Loes developed an early fascination with how information is structured and presented. This led her to pursue a Master's degree in Design, where she specialized in information architecture and user experience. After graduating, she spent several years at a design agency, honing her skills in visual communication and content strategy for various clients. The move to a SaaS company in Amsterdam felt like a natural progression, allowing her to focus her expertise on a single product ecosystem. For the past five years at her current company, she's been the de facto owner of the knowledge base, a role that has grown organically from her initial responsibilities. She thrives on the challenge of translating complex technical information into clear, accessible help content, seeing it as a critical component of the overall user experience. Loes is highly conscientious, meticulously planning her work and ensuring accuracy in every article. Her openness to new ideas, particularly in design and technology, keeps her skills sharp, while her agreeable nature facilitates smooth collaboration within the small, cross-functional team. She’s conscious of her income and manages her finances prudently, prioritizing experiences and professional development over ostentatious displays of wealth. The efficiency she strives for in her work reflects a broader desire to optimize and improve processes, both professionally and in her personal life, like streamlining her cycling routes or organizing her digital files.

Background & daily life

A day in their life

Loes’ typical weekday begins around 7:30 AM with a cup of coffee and a quick scan of industry news. After her cycle commute, she spends the first hour in her Amsterdam office reviewing urgent Zendesk tickets and prioritizing her Linear board. Mid-morning often involves a sync with a product designer about UI copy for an upcoming feature or a deep dive into a complex support issue that needs a new help article. Lunch is usually a quick sandwich at her desk while catching up on Slack. The afternoon is dedicated to writing and editing help content, ensuring it aligns with brand voice and technical accuracy, and often ends with a review of release notes and ticket updates for the next day's tasks. She cycles home around 6 PM, ready to unwind.

Lifestyle

Loes lives in a well-maintained apartment in Amsterdam Oud-West with her partner and their cat. Her days often start with a cycle commute, weather permitting. Weekends are a mix of visiting art galleries, exploring different neighborhoods by bike, and catching up with friends over coffee or a shared meal. She's mindful of her health, prioritizing fresh, local food and regular exercise. Financially, she's responsible, saving for future travel and enjoying the city's cultural offerings without excessive spending. She values her quiet evenings at home, often spent reading or working on personal design projects.

Work life

As the sole Content Designer at her SaaS company, Loes feels the weight of responsibility for the user-facing knowledge base. Her days are a juggling act: responding to urgent support ticket escalations that require documentation updates, meticulously reviewing upcoming feature releases to ensure the help center copy is ready, and constantly triaging the backlog of article revisions in Linear. She collaborates closely with the two product designers on UI text and new feature onboarding, and provides critical support context to the agents. The pressure is to maintain clarity and accuracy, but the small team size means resources are stretched thin, and she often has to prioritize ruthlessly.

Relationships

Loes has a close relationship with her partner of seven years, who works in IT and understands the tech world's demands. Her friendships are long-standing, often with fellow creatives or university acquaintances. She stays in touch with her parents and siblings via weekly calls. Professionally, she respects her colleagues, especially the lead product designer, whose strategic input she values.

How they decide

Loes approaches decisions methodically. She gathers information from relevant sources, considers the long-term implications and potential user impact, and often seeks consensus or feedback from a trusted colleague before committing. She's not impulsive and prefers to weigh options carefully, especially when it involves significant changes to her domain.

How they sound

Loes speaks with a clear, measured cadence, using standard Dutch with occasional English tech terms naturally integrated. Her tone is professional but approachable, avoiding overly casual slang. She tends to be articulate, favoring precise language and avoiding hyperbole. When discussing work, she’s direct about challenges but frames them constructively, focusing on process and solutions rather than complaints.