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Isabel Prochner

Assistant Professor

Dr. Isabel Prochner is a design teacher, researcher, and industrial designer focused on socially and community-engaged design. Her research, creative practice, and service endeavors to bolster social responsibility through design, thus participating in the transition to more equitable futures. She is currently writing her third book, Human Factors for Industrial Designers, under contract with Routledge and has published in the top journals Design Studies and Design Issues. Prochner was awarded the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) Young Educator Award 2024. She has served on approximately 20 graduate thesis juries and mentored dozens of undergraduate researchers. 

Design justice

Human factors

Design research

IDS 1114: Play to Make

IDS 2114 History Industrial Design

IDS 2124 History of Modern Industrial Designers

AAD 4234 Capstone Collaborations

Selected Recent Publications

Books

Prochner, I. (in preparation). Human Factors for Industrial Designers. Under contract with Routledge.

Prochner, I. (2023). Designing for Sex and Gender Equity. Routledge.

Journal articles and conference proceedings

Prochner, I., & Godin, D. (2024). Personas as Public, Audience, and Stereotype: A Critical Inquiry. Design Issues, 41(1).

Prochner, I., & Godin, D. (2022). Quality in Research Through Design Projects: Recommendations for Evaluation and Enhancement. Design Studies, 78.

Education

Ph.D. in Environmental Design, University of Montreal

Master of Applied Science in Environmental Design, University of Montreal

Bachelor of Design in Industrial Design, University of Alberta