Podcasts & videos
Nov. 28, 2023
Dr. Deana McDonagh, Professor and founder of the (dis)Ability Design Studio, Beckman Institute of Advanced Science and Technology
What if we could harness everyday surroundings, such as our homes and workplaces, to actively monitor and improve wellbeing? Dr. Deana McDonagh, Professor and founder of the (dis)Ability Design Studio at the Beckman Institute of Advanced Science and Technology, envisions a future that includes personalized medication and nutrition in wellness-centered home environments. Her work focuses on evolving the notion of "disability" and instead emphasizes designing for diverse abilities. As a visionary industrial designer, she shares the importance of experiential learning to cultivate empathy in creating a more inclusive and emotionally sustainable future.
PURE
PURE, short for Personalized, Unique Rolling Experience, a new robotic wheelchair under development at the UI that would offer hands-free movement and handle a variety of terrains and can be customized for each user.
April 15, 2015
Designing Empathy
How do you use your toilet paper? Are you a folder? A wrapper? A scruncher? We're betting it's the latter, but we understand if you think we're asking for too much information—even though the answers to questions like these matter. Deana McDonagh discusses why you can't design anything for someone if you don't understand them first and how creating empathetic products improves the quality of life.
May 9, 2013
The Best Kept Secret - Design Thinking: Deana McDonagh at TEDxUIUC 2013
Feb. 19, 2011
What Is Your Material Landscape Doing For You?
Deana McDonagh talks about the importance of keeping it simple, encouraging you to "cut the crap."
Deana McDonagh is an Associate Professor of Industrial Design in the School of Art + Design at the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) and faculty at the Beckman Institute of Advanced Science and Technology. Prior to joining the University of Illinois she was a Reader in User-Centred Design at Loughborough University in the UK. She is an Empathic Design Research Strategist who focuses on enhancing quality of life for all through more intuitive and meaningful products, leading to emotional sustainability. Her research concentrates on emotional user-product relationships and how empathy can bring the designer closer to users' authentic needs.
