Design contributes to human knowledge.
It’s political and it has consequences.
Milena Radzikowska & Stan Ruecker, Design + DH, Intellect Books, 2022

Feminists Coloring Feminists—new expanded edition
Dr. Milena RadzikowskaDr. Aynur KadirDr. Shana MacDonaldDr. Jennifer Roberts-SmithDr. Stan RueckerDr. Brianna Wiens BUY YOURS ON AMAZON > This book is intended as a space for both reflection and recognition of the public figures who model for us the kinds of work that need to be done, and who inspire

Kindness Through Design
Last year, what started as a quick post on FaceBook, grew into groceries and gift cards for five Calgary families plus a $2,000 donation through the Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association. The generosity and good will of our friends and neighbours blew us away. This year, my dear friend—Dr. D. Scharie

Research-Creation in Urgent Times
Design Collaboration Across Disciplines Design researchers and practitioners collaborate across a wide range of communities, disciplines, and subject matters. When people from different fields choose to work together, they need to find ways to understand each other as they are often separated by the words they use, the ways they

Information Graphics in the Pandemic: Are We Getting a Clear Picture? Webinar, April 14th, 12pm EST
The Design Industry Advisory Committee (DIAC) is collaborating with the Registered Graphic Designers of Canada (RGD) to present a panel of experts who will discuss the design of information graphics during the COVID19 pandemic. Since the pandemic began, we have been bombarded by data with information changing almost daily. It

We Are All Works in Progress S2:5 of Working Mom Wellness
This month, I had the great privilege of being interviewed by Lisa Bush—the creator of the Working Mom Wellness Community and host of the Working Mom Wellness Podcast. In the episode: We Are All Works in Progress, we spoke about: How design—though often invisible—has a significant impact on women’s mental

Statement on Racism, Oppression, and Racialized Violence
I stand with my students and colleagues in support of the Black Lives Matter movement—at MRU and in communities across Canada and the US—knowing that the fight for BIMPOC rights and lives has been ongoing for centuries, with far yet to go in making meaningful change and visible progress. I also recognize that Canada has its own racist history, and that it continues to benefit from oppressing and subjugating Indigenous communities—from RCMP’s military occupation of unceded land, to the abduction of Indigenous children, government refusal to ensure access to essential services and resources (such as water) within Indigenous communities, to the continued exploitation of Indigenous lands by resource development companies, and the staggering rates of violence against Indigenous women and girls.
research areas
DESIGN +
Design research contributes new knowledge that is actionable—beginning with an attempt to understand the present, grounded in an acknowledgement of the past that has shaped it, in order to define a better future and then figure out how to get to it from here, the present.
WICKED PROBLEMS
This is a category of problems (proposed by Rittel and Webber in the 1960s) that are messy, unsettling, complex, and ill-formulated. They contain confusing information, engage multiple stakeholders who hold conflicting values, and often result in confusing ramifications.
REFLECTION & ACCOUNTABILITY
“Know where you come from and know where your privileges are. If ‘all design is ideological’, as Dunne says, do take that statement seriously. Giving yourself the task to stop navel-gazing and to always second-guess your own decisions is not a shame. It is for the better, trust us.”
Pedro Oliveira and Luiza Prado