Human-Centered Design & Storytelling
Overview
This project showcases my application of human-centered design principles, emphasizing empathy, user research, and iterative development. It highlights how I design with intention, ensuring that user needs, behaviors, and experiences guide every decision. Through this work, I demonstrate my ability to create solutions that are not only functional, but also meaningful and responsive to real users.
Design, for me, is about more than aesthetics; it is about creating meaningful experiences. Throughout my studies in Media Arts and Design, I have developed an emerging expertise in Human-Centered Design and visual storytelling. In simple terms, this means I design with people in mind. I do not assume I know what users need; instead, I research, observe, prototype, and test to understand how others experience what I create.
Whether I am designing physical game components, developing a documentary, or articulating my design philosophy, my process is grounded in empathy and iteration. I begin by identifying the problem from the user’s perspective, exploring multiple creative solutions, and refining my ideas through feedback and testing. Storytelling plays a key role in this process, allowing me to communicate complex ideas visually and emotionally in ways that are engaging and accessible.
The three projects below represent different applications of this mindset across media: interactive design, documentary storytelling, and theoretical reflection. Together, they demonstrate how I apply human-centered thinking at every stage of my work, from conceptual development to execution, and reflect my growth as a designer who values empathy, structure, and intentional communication.
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My Design Process and Philosophy - Spring 2025
Developed in Spring 2025 for my Introduction to HCI course, this multi-part project required me to design and articulate my ideal user experience process rather than a specific product. The assignment included a professional process sketch, a detailed written narrative, and a research-supported philosophy grounded in at least five academic HCI sources. Through this project, I defined how I approach problem identification, user involvement, prototyping, stakeholder collaboration, and iterative evaluation. By integrating theories of human cognition, user research methods, and evidence-based design principles, I solidified a core belief that now guides my work: “I am not the user.” This project represents the theoretical and ethical foundation behind my creative practice and reflects my growth into a more intentional, research-informed, and human-centered designer.
Level-up Log - Fall 2024
As part of my Honors contract in Game Design Psychology: Theory and Prototyping, I developed three board game projects that explored how psychological theory and user experience design influence player interaction. The first reimagined Tic-Tac-Toe while preserving the core “three-in-a-row” mechanic, challenging us to innovate within familiar constraints while ensuring the rules remained intuitive for players. The second adapted the 1990s horror video game Clock Tower into a tabletop format, translating digital suspense and narrative tension into physical mechanics and player decision-making. The final project, Alley Cats, was a fully original competitive strategy game built from scratch; as lead visual designer, I created the custom cards, board layout, logo, and packaging, focusing on visual hierarchy, readability, and rule clarity. Across all three projects, iterative prototyping and playtesting helped refine how players interpret information, navigate the system, and engage with the game experience.
Food Around the World: Livery - Spring 2024
In this documentary project, I explored cultural identity and experience through the lens of food, using Livery as a focal point to tell a broader narrative about community and tradition. Through research, visual composition, and intentional sequencing, I structured the project to communicate more than information; I aimed to create an immersive viewing experience. Every decision, from framing and pacing to the organization of scenes, was guided by how an audience would interpret and emotionally engage with the story. This project demonstrates how I apply human-centered thinking to visual media, using storytelling as a design tool to translate context, culture, and meaning into a cohesive and accessible narrative.
Reflection
These three experiences represent an important stage in my development as a designer and storyteller. While each project explored a different medium, including interactive game design, documentary storytelling, and theoretical design reflection, they all challenged me to think more deeply about how people experience the work I create.
Through my coursework and Honors experiences, I began to understand that design is not only about creating something visually appealing, but about carefully considering the needs, behaviors, and perspectives of the audience. Whether designing board game components that players must easily understand, structuring a documentary narrative that communicates culture and identity, or defining my own user-centered design philosophy, I learned that meaningful design requires empathy, research, and continuous iteration.
These projects also helped me become more confident in combining creativity with critical thinking. Each experience required problem-solving, adaptation, and reflection on how my design decisions influenced the user or viewer experience. As a result, I developed a stronger understanding of how storytelling and human-centered design can work together to create more engaging and meaningful media.
Overall, this showcase reflects my growth as a Media Arts and Design student who values thoughtful design processes and meaningful communication. The lessons I gained from these experiences will continue to shape my academic interests and professional goals as I pursue work that combines design, storytelling, and user experience to create meaningful and engaging media for diverse audiences.