Zeinab Aghdassi D E S I G N R E S E A R C H E R

Phone: (+98) 912-4579193 [email protected] in/zeinabaghdassi

I’m strongly interested in Design Process and the approach we can figure out the needs and problems and then ideate for solving them.

EDUCATION

MA University of Art, Industrial Design 2014-2017 Thesis: “User-Centered Package for Saffron” Advisor: Dr.R. Mortezaei Thesis GPA: 17.75/20 BS , Polymer Engineering 2009-2013 Thesis: “PVC formulation for making decorative items and improve their designing parameters” Thesis GPA: 20/20

FIELDS OF INTEREST

• Design thinking • User-Centered Design • Emotional Design • Interaction Design • Experience Design

HONORS AND AWARDS

Ranked 26th among more than 2,000 participants in the Industrial Design M.A. Entrance Exam, 2014

LANGUAGES

English: IELTS overall score: 7 Listening: 7.5 Reading: 7.5 Speaking: 6.5 Writing: 6

Persian: Native Speaker RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Ph. D. Research Proposal 2018 ( Sep-Dec) • Emotion Measurement in UX: Reviewing Current Methods and Designing a Framework for Deeper Understanding

Dissertation, Tehran University of Art, 2016-2017 Advisor: Dr.R. Mortezaei • Deep research on User-Centered Design Methodology, Emotional Design, Package design

Service design Course, Iran 2015-2016 Lecturer: Saleh Baradaran Amini • Learn how to develop a service project from A to Z • My Case study was “Designing Elevator waiting time”

UCD Course, Iran 2015-2016 Lecturer: Dr.Bagheri • UCD principles, UCD ISO • My Case study: “Designing an elevator’s indoor and outdoor interface”

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Tehran University of Art, Iran Oct 2017 Teaching Assistant, Department of Industrial Design • User Centered Design Research Methods, workshop for graduate students, Lecture on +20 research methods utilizing in 4 phases of design process (Discover, Define, and Design & Deliver) including Cultural probe, Journey Mapping, Paper prototyping, etc.

University of science and technology, Iran Oct 2016 to Mar 2017 Teaching Assistant, Department of Industrial Design • Technical Language, industrial design master students, developing course materials, lecturing and designing specific procedure for class with the support of my supervisor

Tehran University of Art, Iran July 2016 to Aug 2016 Visiting lecturer, Department of Industrial Design • Taught a 6 week course with the topic named: “Professional English for designers”, Designing the class material through Design Thinking methods and attend the customized and interactive class with Undergraduate students Zarafshan school, Iran

PUBLICATIONS

CONFERENCE PAPER IN REVIEW

Aghdassi, Z., Yantac, A, E. , Emotion Measurement in UX: Reviewing Current Methods and Designing a Framework for Deeper Understanding, DIS conference 2019

JOURNAL PUBLICATIONS

Aghdassi, “Comparing Packaging In Ecommerce and Buying in person,” Dastavard Magazine, vol. 23, 2018

CONFERENCE PAPERS

Aghdassi, Z., Fakhravar, M. and Sarebanha, M., “A low cost handcraft’s packaging replaced the present ones with different user experience,” Proceedings of The First International Packaging Handicrafts and Sustainable Development Conference, April. 12, 2015.

PRESENTATIONS AND INVITED LECTURES

Workshop, "Designing Persona", 6.1.2019, Rahnema College Keynote Address, “Emotional Design beyond Experience Design” UXshiraz Conference, 13.07.2017. Online Class, “Emotional Design”, 22.11.2016. Iran Description: Attend and manage online class with Don Norman on this topic, we had a professional discussions on related topics on User Centered Design.

PROFESSIONAL TRAINING

Workshops

• Randomness Doesn’t Exist, Giovanni Ottonelo (Art director at IED), 18 February 2018, Iran • "Enterprising by Design", Dr.Bijan Aryana, University of Tehran • Spaces digital and physical in experience UX, Ramtin Lotfabadi (College Professor At Waterloo), 27 September 2017, Iran • Design Thinking, Avatech, 2016, Iran

Conferences

UserX 2018 Conference, Iran, 2018 First and second Service Design Conference, Iran, 2015 and 2016 First International Packaging Handicrafts and Sustainable Development Conference, Iran, April, 2015. SOFT SKILLS

COMMUNICATION AND WRITING SKILLS

• Public speaking experience • Experience with presentations & persuasive communications

ORGANIZATIONAL AND PLANNING SKILLS:

• Punctual and efficient with time management • Methodical in planning and performing tasks

RESEARCH AND ANALYTICAL SKILLS

• Excel In analyzing for maximum efficiency

THE ABILITY TO BUILD EFFECTIVE RELATIONSHIPS:

• Project a self-confident, authoritative, and enthusiastic persona • Promote relationships built on trust, respect, and honesty in the workplace

PROBLEM SOLVING AND CREATIVITY

• Flexible about exploring new paths, procedures, and approaches • Develop creative tools to find solutions

MULTI-TASKING

• Flexible and open to change

TECHNICAL SKILLS

Graphics (Presentations, Info graphics) Excel in Designing Catalogs, Brochures, Posters, Social media posts and other 2D materials Tools Adobe Photoshop, PowerPoint, 3D Max Modeling, Hand-Sketching

Research Methods Excel in using and mixing creative tools in various steps, such as Interview, Lotus Blossom, 6 hat thinking, Cultural probe and etc. RELATED VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE

• Member of Autism Association in Iran, From March 2018, Helping to design methods and contents to make right awareness in society. • Senior Member of Academic community of industrial design at Tehran University of Art, 2015-2016

INTERESTS/HOBBIES

Basketball: +15 years playing basketball which really helps me in idealization and creativity

SWEET POINTS IN MY PROFESSIONAL LIFE:

The research journey which I started to look forward to doing what PERSONA do with the deep understanding of the target audience; I might do with the deep understanding of human emotion in the context of interaction design. Changed my Field of study to Design: I specified years to find my passion and certainly that was the most sweetest point in my professional life Researches on my Master thesis: I learned how to investigate to find problems people have with Saffron Packages, define all stockholders in this project and interview with each 3 groups (Saffron Farmers/producers, Manufactures and end users) , and learn how to reach and deliver creative alternatives to solve the problems found

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

I get to know design from beautiful world of POLYMERS; during my bachelor studies on polymer engineering. When I grow into industrial design, I understand how much exciting is this world. In these years of surfing in design community, I find myself especially interested in DESIGN THINKING; that’s the right issue which made me stay awake at night and read more on... I’m doing my best to change my mindset into designedly thinking and do all my activities in this way. Right now my main focus is on User centered design approaches, techniques and methods. I'm doing academic and business research in this field and as a result help some startups and small business to find their customer's real need. Beside I'm really interested in user centered design tools, therefore I work as a practitioner on some workshops. ABOUT MY MASTER THESIS:

“Designing User-Centered Package for Saffron”, this was my thesis title and in this practical research, I focused on four distinct keywords which are discussed below

I. Saffron, in order to understand the root reasons of inherent precious, from toils in harvesting to all other processes; designing a package which can illustrate the inherent identity of Saffron was one of the objective of this research.

II. User Centered Design, as I really believe in this methodology, I travelled to different cities to talk to people and catch up their real needs. Besides, I collected more than 120 individual image from the ways people keep saffron. Also, I visited the saffron farms, interviewed with farmers and Wholesalers states in order to feel the saffron context.

III. Emotional Design, was an approach of this research; in order to make a pleasurable experience from the saffron package with the help of parameters in Visceral, Behavioral and reflective levels of mind. (Norman (2005) )

IV. Food Packaging, was strongly necessary in this research. I searched over new trends and technology in this industry. Resealable packaging, smart packaging are the examples which were discussed in this research.

Main References I benefit in my thesis

Desmet, P. (2004). From disgust to desire: How products elicit emotions, In Mcdonagh, D. Hekkert, P. Erp, P. and Gyi, D.Design and Emotion, Taylor and Francis Press,London,

Bezerra, P. Felipe.P, Arrudab.A and Araujoc.K (2015) Experience Design as a tool to promote interaction among users in the beverage market: proposal for a new emotional approach in usability, 6th International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics (AHFE 2015) and the Affiliated Conferences, AHFE 2015. Available online at: www.sciencedirect.com [access 15 may 2016]

Lassalle D (2003). Priceless. Turning Ordinary Products into Extraordinary Experience, Harvard business school press, Boston.

Mcdonagh, D. Hekkert, P. Erp, P. and Gyi, D. (2004). Design and Emotion London: Taylor and Francis Press

Norman,D.A (2005). Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things. NewYork: Basic Books.

Prahalad C.K., Ramaswam.V (2004). The future of competition, Soundview Executive Book Summaries, Pennsylvania REFERENCES

Dr. Seyed-Reza. Mortezaei, [Assistance Professor] [Industrial Design] [University Of Technology and Science] Email: [[email protected]]

Mr. Mehdi Fallah, [Design Leadership Specialist] & [Director | Industrial Design Department] Tehran University of Art Phone: [+9821 66463193] Email: [[email protected]] [email protected] Vali-e-Asr Ave. | Tehran | 1591634311 | IRAN

Dr.Mohammed Aghdassi, [Associate Professor] [Industrial engineering] Tarbiat Modares University | TMU Phone:[ +98 21 82883396] Email: [[email protected]]

Dr. Mohammad Razzaghi, [Assistant Professor] Tehran University of Art Phone: [+9821 6646 3193] Email: [[email protected]] [email protected] Vali-e-Asr Ave. | Tehran | 1591634311 | IRAN