2023: Data Driven: Design Research for Collaborative Futures

To welcome our newest DDes Cohort of outstanding student-practitioners, we mark the sixth anniversary of the program and celebrate the 75th anniversary of the College of Design. 

In 2023, the Doctor of Design (DDes) program is excited to partner with students in the Ph.D. program in Design, to present this milestone event—Data-Driven: Design Research for Collaborative Futures. We are interested in the impact of new data sources design analytics on social and personal technology(s), professional expertise, and, of course, research in design.

Friday, August 18, 2023

9:00 am – 1:30 pm
Virtual Meeting

Helen Armstrong, professor of graphic & experience design, will open the symposium with a keynote address titled: Augment/ Interrogate: The Critical Intersection of A.I. and Design. She will be joined by respondent Tania Allen, professor of media arts, design and technology. 

Keynote Speaker: Helen Armstrong

Helen Armstrong is Director of the MGXD Program and Professor of Graphic & Experience Design at North Carolina State University. Her research focuses on digital rights, human-machine teaming, and accessible design. Armstrong authored Graphic Design Theory; Digital Design Theory; and co-authored Participate: Designing with User-Generated Content. Her new book, Big Data, Big Design: Why Designers Should Care About Artificial Intelligence, demystifies A.I.—specifically machine learning— while inspiring designers to harness this technology and establish leadership via thoughtful human-centered design.

The keynote will be followed by two doctoral student-powered panels: 

I. Panel One on Consideration of How Ethics and Data Inform Design will be moderated by Dr. Sharon Joines, associate dean for academic strategy. Doctoral students joining this panel include Meghan Bausone (Doctor of Design), Ashley Beatty (PhD in Design), Sana Behnam Asl (PhD in Design), Melissa Eggleston (Doctor of Design) and Raunak Mahtani (PhD in Design).

II. Panel Two on Environmental Data, Eco-precarity, & Climate Design will be moderated by Dr. Traci Rider, university scholar & associate professor of architecture. Doctoral students joining this panel include Hannah Dankbar (PhD in Design), Astrid Haryati (Doctor of Design), Liz McCormick (PhD in Design) and Mike Ortosky (Doctor of Design).

We encourage our traditional design partners and anyone interested in the future of design to attend this transdisciplinary event, including graduate students, faculty, design practitioners, and business professionals.