Hi, I’m Eileen! I majored in Human Centered Design & Engineering (Class of 2024), and this story begins in my second year when I joined the Dear Design research group. By focusing on design awareness and intentionally analyzing process over product, Dear Design transformed the way I work. It guided my focus away from learning design as a simple tool, to learning design to design intentionally and serve users holistically.
In engineering, design theory is often squeezed into one lesson about one standard design process. These monolithic views of design can become rigid and inaccessible. I loved how Dear Design invited students to be curious and explore novel ways of thinking about design, because in reality, personal design practices are ambiguous and defy standardization. This exploration can help us discover ourselves, and be our authentic self as designers.
Dear Design culminated in each student forming an “ideal design signature,” which was their personally ideal design process. (On this website, it's now called an Aspirational Design Signature). Mine incorporated reflection and finding personal meaning in my work throughout the process (see below). In this way, my ideal design signature moved beyond being a technical procedure for how to do design, and became a way for me to exist as a designer. My intention to reflect and to pursue meaning gave me hope that I can be a part of value-driven and impact-driven design.
Design awareness inspired me to join the Center for Engineering Learning & Teaching, and I’ve worked here from May 2022 through December 2025, designing and managing this website and sinking deeply into research on design expertise.
Because of Dear Design and the work I’ve done at CELT, I’ve come to better understand my own values. I want to design for meaning and truly connect with people. I want to balance being active and being reflective, even though it’s hard. I want to help empower others so that we can all become more aware and intentional about our work.
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