dr. D. Ozkaramanli - Leerkes (Deger)

I am assistant professor in Human-Centred Design at the Department of Design, Production and Management. I am fascinated by the richness of dilemmas people experience in daily life. That’s why as a designer and researcher, I pursue dilemma-driven design in my work. I developed dilemma-driven design as part of my doctoral studies by integrating psychology of dilemmas with human-centred design methodologies. This led to a new design approach that not only generates genuine empathy for people’s deeply-held aspirations and values, but it also stimulates critical thinking and creativity in design processes.

Currently, I work with the moral dimensions of dilemmas and research the ethical questions and moral dilemmas designers experience in their practices. For this, I weave together knowledge from design ethics, moral psychology, and critical theory to support systematic modes of ethical reasoning when dealing with such moral dilemmas.

Research areas:

Design research methodologies
Conceptual design methods
Design ethics
Participatory design
Systemic design
Dilemma-driven design

Research methods & techniques:

Qualitative analysis/coding
Phenomenological interviews
Case studies
Co-creation
Dilemma analysis

DesignLab:

I am a research fellow at DesignLab - a cross-disciplinary ecosystem connecting science with society for tackling complex societal challenges (often within the context of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals).

Teaching:

I teach conceptual design methods and supervise graduation projects on a wide range of topics from food design to UX design. In addition, I co-coordinate Transdisciplinary Master-Insert 'Shaping Responsible Futures' - which is a six-month, extra-curricular master programme taught by enthusiastic academics from all over the university, and involve working in transdisciplinary teams on addressing complex societal challenges.

Background:

I have an interdisciplinary and international academic background with a BSc. and an MSc. degree in industrial engineering (Louisiana State University (2005) and University of Miami (2008), respectively) and a second-MSc. and a PhD degree in Industrial Design (Delft University of Technology (2010, 2017)). Before joining the University of Twente, I worked as an assistant professor at the University of Liverpool where I contributed to setting up a new bachelor programme in Industrial Design (February 2016 - July 2018).

Collaboration:

Contact me if you are a student looking for a graduation project that may touch upon the above topics, or if you are a professional working in the creative industries and want to know more about new design methods, design ethics, or particularly about dilemma-driven design. I'd love to hear from you!

(If you are wondering how to pronounce my name – it is pronounced as “de’er” as if there is no “g” :))