Mithra Zahedi

Biography

Mithra Zahedi is an  Associate Professor,    Founding member of the Research Group in Planning and Design (GRAD) Member of the Computer Assisted Design Research Group (GRCAO) Member of the Quebec Association of Industrial Designers (ADIQ) Member of Design Research Society and Design Society Before becoming involved in teaching and research at the School of Industrial Design, Mithra Zahedi had a career as a practitioner in product design, information and human-computer interface as well as 'in the design of teaching materials. With a particular interest in human-centered design, she has collaborated with multidisciplinary design teams in Canadian and French companies (1990 to 2004) and Princeton University (2004 to 2007) in the United States. She obtained her doctorate - option technological innovations and computer science - from the Faculty of Planning. His thesis is titled "Innovative User-Centric Human Interface Design Model: The Designer as a Mediator". The model she proposes is based on interdisciplinary collaboration and "reflective copratics", a concept she develops more in her current research. She suggests that in the current technological context, collaboration, interdisciplinarity and reflection on tools and the design process are essential elements of practice, teaching and research. Mithra Zahedi is a professor of design and research at the University of Montreal, Canada. Her educational background is in product design and educational technology, followed by her PhD, which focuses on design interface and human-centered approach. She proposed a model where the designer is assigned the additional role of mediator that facilitates the convergence of disparate foci and ways of thinking. Thus, the model is based on interdisciplinary collaboration and "co-reflective practice", a concept that she further develops in her research. Her research interests include design thinking, design process and collaborative design among interdisciplinary team, with particular interest in the impact of team involvement in early stage design on user-centered design.    Education:  AME 2129 Space Geometry DIN 1040c Visual Communication Workshop DIN 1031 2D Expression  DIN 1032 3D Expression DIN 2020b / DIN 2022 Event and communication DIN 3132 Graphics and Design DIN 3019 Data visualization DIN 4010c / DIN 4015 Experience and interaction DIN 4016 - Research and ideation (supervision of finishing projects) DIN 4020 - Development and communication (supervision of graduating projects) DIN 6002 Ecodesign - Ecodesign strategic DESS (2 e cycle). Areas of expertise are  Codesign and collaborative design User-centered design Design Industrial Design Graphic design Human-computer interface Creation process.

Research Interest

Mithra Zahedi's research is part of a growing body of research on human-centered design approaches, interdisciplinary collaboration, and educational methods that lead to sustained and successful collaboration. She is particularly interested in collaboration in the exploration phase upstream of the project and in the design process. Collaboration is studied both in face-to-face work contexts and in remote work situations using information and communication technologies. Her research focuses more specifically on the design process in which she favors a research approach by project where the researcher has a role of designer / researcher. She is also interested in the design of human-computer interfaces (HCI).