The Importance of Dialogue in Design
Design is communication. It’s the way we explain ideas, share information, and connect with others. Without clear communication, even the best designs can fail to resonate or serve their purpose.
For me, engaging in meaningful conversations and collaborations with both fellow designers and those who don’t identify as designers is crucial. It helps shape my design philosophy, sparks inspiration, and provides opportunities to contribute to the greater design discipline. Below are some highlights where such engagement has taken place.
For me, engaging in meaningful conversations and collaborations with both fellow designers and those who don’t identify as designers is crucial. It helps shape my design philosophy, sparks inspiration, and provides opportunities to contribute to the greater design discipline. Below are some highlights where such engagement has taken place.
Talks & Presentations
In November 2024, I was a presenter at the Hackaday Superconference in Pasadena, CA—an annual three-day event where hackers, makers, and designers passionate about innovation and technology come together for talks, workshops, and collaborative projects.
My presentation, titled “User-Friendly Interfaces for Energy Management,” explored the process behind my master’s thesis, where I discussed strategies for making complex energy data more accessible and engaging through intuitive, ambient devices.
My presentation, titled “User-Friendly Interfaces for Energy Management,” explored the process behind my master’s thesis, where I discussed strategies for making complex energy data more accessible and engaging through intuitive, ambient devices.
Teaching
In summer 2024 I had the pleasure of teaching and designing the curriculum for an audio interface design course at the Applied Sciences University of Potsdam, to 20 students of industrial, interface, and communication design.
In this course students designed and prototyped physical interfaces for electronic music-making. The design challenge was in partnership with the music software company Forever 89, and was to design a physical interface which improves the experience of making music with their software sampling device VISCO.
Topics for the course included:
○ socio-technical development of samplers
○ innovation in audio electronics
○ interface components, layouts, IO
○ AI & audio
○ form factors, ergonomics & accessibility
○ electronics & hardware prototyping
○ sustainable hardware design
○ hardware development processes
In this course students designed and prototyped physical interfaces for electronic music-making. The design challenge was in partnership with the music software company Forever 89, and was to design a physical interface which improves the experience of making music with their software sampling device VISCO.
Topics for the course included:
○ socio-technical development of samplers
○ innovation in audio electronics
○ interface components, layouts, IO
○ AI & audio
○ form factors, ergonomics & accessibility
○ electronics & hardware prototyping
○ sustainable hardware design
○ hardware development processes
The result of the 15 week-long course was six concepts for electronic instruments which propose new means of innovation in the relationship between visuals and audio, physical interactions for differently-abled musicians, new means for collaboration, the use of physical mechanics for sound design, and the repurposing of old standards in new form-factors. I was blown away with what the students came up with and at the level of fidelity of their prototypes.
Collaborative Workshops
In July 2023, I hosted a workshop at the Error Music Festival titled "AI Trip into the Future," engaging 10 youth aged 10-16. The workshop aimed to introduce participants to creative collaboration with AI tools, focusing on imagining the future of music-making. Through activities like brainstorming with ChatGPT, experimenting with random card assortments, generating visuals using tools like MidJourney, and creating hand-drawn sketches, we explored innovative ideas for the music tools of tomorrow.
