“Discursive Design and its Practical Application: Nudging End-of-Life Planning”. Design4Health Conference, Amsterdam. Poster accepted, but cancelled due to COVID-19. July 1.

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Co-Workshop Facilitator (with Stephanie M. Tharp & Deepa Butoliya). PRIMER19: Futures for All, New York NY, June 15, “Making Futures: Dissonance & Discrimination.”

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Presentation/Conversation Facilitator. (with Stephanie M. Tharp, Omar Sosa-Tzec) AIGA Decipher Conference. Ann Arbor MI, September. “Discursive Design and the Question of Impact: Perspective, Pedagogy, Practice.”

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“Discursive Design Basics: Mode and Audience”. Nordic Design Research Conference (NORDES). Experiments in Design Research. Copenhagen, Denmark. 

“Discursive Design: Brand Building, User Research, and Entrepreneurship.” Plenary Speaker. Industrial Design Society of America (IDSA). Midwest Conference. April 20.

“Re-Thinking Design: Four Fields of Practice”. Design Principles and Practices Conference, Plenary Speaker. Chicago, IL.

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“Meaning and Discourse”. Midwest Regional Industrial Design Society of America Conference. Minneapolis, MN. 

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“Discursive Design.” Industrial Design Society of America National Education Conference. Phoenix, AZ.

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Presenter (with Stephanie M. Tharp). International Engineering and Product Design Education Conference. Salzburg, Austria. September 7–8, “Designerly Research—Information vs. Inspiration.” 

“Value, Dispossession, and Design.” 2005 IDSA Eastern District Conference. Vancouver, Canada.

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“Value in Dispossession: Rejection and Divestment as Design Strategies.” 2004 IDSA National Education Conference. Pasadena, CA.

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“Adventures in Value: Some Axiological Contributions to Conceptions of Products and Design.” 2003 IDSA National Education Conference. New York, NY.

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“Commodity Fetishism and Identity Formation: Michael Graves’ Housewares for Target®.”  IDSA National Education Conference. Lafayette, LA.

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“Design and Humanity: An Expansion of Professional Boundaries.” IDSA National Education Conference. Chicago, IL

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“Product and the Soul.” IDSA National Education Conference. Washington, DC.  (Selected as Top 3 of presentations).

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Presenter/Panelist (with Stephanie Tharp). International Conference on Design Futures (online). Tsinghua University. Beijing, China. (November 7)

Lecture (with Stephanie Tharp). Institute for Design, University of Bergen, Norway (online). “Discursive Design: The Expansion of Design at Two Levels” (September 7)

Lecture. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan. +Impact Studio. “Discursive Design for ‘Critical’ Designing”. (December 9)

Lecture. Stamps School of Art & Design, University of Michigan. ArtDes 151. “Four Fields and Discursive Design.” (December 2)

Lecture. Design Science Seminar Series. University of Michigan. “The Expanding Roles of Design: Beyond Traditional Boundaries and Back Again.” (December 6)

Workshop. FutureLab. Shanghai, China. “Discursive Design: Dissonance and Dissemination” Workshop. (November 25) /http://www.ade-futurelab.com/

Invited to run a full-day workshop to Chinese designers and students on aspects of discursive design. FutureLab is an international platform dedicated to the research and presentation of innovative teaching practice for future art and design education.

Lecture. Mitchell Lecture Series Speaker. School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Chicago, IL. (November 14) 

Lecture (with Stephanie Tharp). University of Cincinnati, School of Design, Architecture, Art & Planning. Cincinnati, OH. “Critical, Speculative, and Alternative Things.” (September 20)

Speaker. Hongik University Lecture Series. Invited by Dean of Industrial Design, Sung Hwang. Hongik University, Industrial Design Department: Seoul, South Korea. “Discursive Design: In Service of Industry and Institutions.” (May 9)

Lecture & Workshop Facilitator (with Stephanie Tharp). The Future of Design Education conference. Ewha Womens University. Seoul, South Korea, “Four Fields of Design” & “Dissonance: Leveraging the Strangely Familiar.” (May 6) 

Critic. Design Fiction and Architecture, Advanced Design Studio. Prof. Philip Plowright. Lawrence Technical University. (April 29)

Keynote Lecture (with Stephanie Tharp). Adelphi University, Discursive Design Conference. “The Four Fields of Design & Design Thinking.” (April 26) 

Guest Critic. University of Michigan—Ross School of Business, Impact Studio, Final Critique. (April 8) 

Lecture (with Stephanie Tharp). Graduate Seminar Series, University of Illinois—Chicago, “Discursive Design: Critical, Speculative, & Alternative Things.” (March 14) 

Lecture (with Stephanie Tharp). Senior Design Colloquium, University of Illinois—Chicago, “Materious through the Four Fields of Design.” (March 15) 

Speaker & 2-day Workshop Lead. California College of the Arts. Invited by Dean of Design. San Francisco, CA. “Discursive Design: Critical, Speculative, and Alternative Things.” (February 28)

Speaker. Lawrence Tech Speaker Series: Invited by Dean of Architecture and Design, Karl Daubmann. Lawrence Technical University: Detroit, Michigan. “Discursive Design: Beyond Design and Back Again.” (September 20) 

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Invited Conference Speaker. PRIMER 18 Speculative Futures Conference San Francisco. “Dissonance: Leveraging the Strangely Familiar.”  (May 1–3)

Presentation and Roundtable Contributor (with Stephanie Tharp). Global Futures Lab Symposium Speaker. MAXXI (National Museum of 21st century Arts), Rome, Italy. “Dissonance and Discourse.”

(March 1–3)

Invited Symposium Speaker and Workshop. Four Fields of Design. Rhode Island School of Design. Providence, RI. (October 13–14)

The industrial design grad and undergrad program at RISD has for 10 years structured part of their curriculum around a framework that Stephanie Tharp and I created. We were invited to a special symposium addressing a retrospective of the implementation our Four Fields, and a look to the future. We also ran a workshop on discursive design with their grad and undergrad students.

Critic. Cranbrook, 3D Design. Graduation Review. (April 25)

“Licensing for Product Designers.” Invited Lecturer. University of Illinois at Chicago. (March 19)

Lecture. “Product Licensing.” University of Illinois at Chicago, Entrepreneurial Product Development Course. March.

Lecture and Studio Critic. “Good(s) for Thinking.” California College of the Arts, Graduate Design program. October.

“Discursive Design, Tools for Thinking.” Invited Lecturer and Critic. California College of the Arts, San Francisco. (October 6)

Lecture (with Stephanie Tharp). Senior Design Colloquium, University of Illinois—Chicago, “Materious & the Four Fields.” (September 26)

Guest Critic. Graduate Industrial Design Program, University of Illinois at Chicago. (Oct. 3)

“Discursive Design and Criticality.” Invited Lecturer. School of the Art Institute of Chicago. (February 28)

“Discursive Design: Good(s) for Thinking.” Invited Lecturer. Professional Practice Colloquium. University of Illinois at Chicago. (February 15)

“Bouroullec: Color, Texture, and Pattern.” Gallery Speaker (with Stephanie Tharp). Museum of Contemporary Art. Chicago, IL. (November 3)

“Design Entrepreneurship.” Invited Lecturer. Interdisciplinary Product Development. University of Illinois at Chicago. (November 8)

Panelist. Speculative Design. ArtExpo 2012. Chicago, IL.

(September 21)

“Design Entrepreneurship, Product Licensing, and the Tale of the Samurai Umbrella”. Invited Lecturer. Design Club and Entrepreneurial Club, Northwestern University. (April, 19)

“Industrial Design and Sustainability”. Idea Party, College of Architecture and the Arts. (January 17)

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Lecture (with Stephanie Tharp). “Materious and the Four Fields of Design,” University of Illinois—Chicago Design Colloquium, Chicago IL. (March)

“Research + Theory + Making”. School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Chicago, IL.

“When I Was You: Ten Thesis Objects and a Quilt”. AIADO Mid-Day Musings. Chicago, IL.

“User Discourse: Design Research and the Art of Interviewing”. University of Illinois-Chicago, Integrated Product Development Studio.  Chicago, IL.

“Discursive Design”. Industrial Design Department, Purdue University. 

Lafayette, IN.

“Discursive Design”. Graduate Industrial Design Department, Pratt Institute. Brooklyn, NY.

Panelist. Design in Chicago, Northwestern University. Evanston IL

Lecture (with Stephanie Tharp). “Discursive Design,” Columbia College Chicago. (Dec. 5)

Workshop Facilitator. 50+ Designing for the 50+ Workshop. School of Design, Singapore. (June 16–19)

This 4-day workshop, co-led with Thomas Kong and Stephanie Tharp and a team from Singapore Polytechnic’s School of Design, introduced students to design research strategies and methods of inquiry into issues around Singapore’s 50+ elderly population. 

“Discursive Design”. Design Colloquium, University of Illinois-Chicago. Chicago, IL.

Guest Critic. The McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University. Chicago, IL.

Moderator. Elogico Roundtable, International ecological experts. Brand.It and SAIC.  

Chicago, IL.

“Discursive Design”. Design Theory course, Columbia College. Chicago, IL.

Guest Critic. K-Lab, School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Chicago, IL 

Guest Critic. Graduate Industrial Design Studio, University of Illinois–Chicago. Chicago, IL

“Organizational Culture and Designed Space”. Chicago Merchandise Mart. Chicago, IL.

Discussant. About, With and For (Design Research) Conference. Chicago, IL

“Housewares Show Guide: Design Highlights.” Industrial Design Society of America. International Housewares Show, Chicago. (March)

2006 Invited Workshop Participant. Rehabilitation Products Brainstorming Workshop, Northwestern University. 

“Design Research for ‘The Art of Wind’”. Inter-institutional and -disciplinary studio, SAIC + IIT, Chicago, IL.

“Organizational Culture and Designed Space.” Chicago Merchandise Mart.  Chicago, IL.

“What Engineers Should Know About Industrial Design.” Department of Engineering, Northwestern University. Evanston, IL.

“Material Culture and Consumption.” Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois-Chicago.

“Design Within Context.” Chicago Furniture Designers Association. Chicago, IL.

“Organizational Culture and the Built Environment.” Haworth Corporate Headquarters. Holland, MI.

“Ideation and Product Design”. Southern Yangtze University, School of Design. Wuxi, China.

“‘Savages’ and Toasters: Anthropological Theory and Design Practice.” Industrial Design Department, Rhode Island School of Design. Providence, RI. 

“Contemporary Consumption and Theories of Commodity Fetishism.” Industrial Design Department, Purdue University. Lafayette, IN.