Dr Deana McDonagh is Professor (Industrial Design) and Chair of Graphic 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 and faculty at the Beckman Institute of Advanced Science and Technology. 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. She concentrates on the emotional user-product relationships and how empathy can bring the designer closer to users’ authentic needs, ensuring both functional and emotional needs are met by products. She is a Research Fellow at Coventry University (UK), Adjunct Professor at Northwestern University (USA), visiting Professor at Arizona State University (USA) and Director of Research and Insight for Herbst Produkt design consultancy (USA). She is the Designer Entrepreneur-in-Residence (start-up incubator) at the Research Park, and Designer in Residence at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) where she provides design guidance.
