Oya Demirbilek

I am Professor of Industrial Design at UNSW Sydney, where my research focuses on co-design, inclusive design, design for ageing, and the development of products and environments that support dignity, accessibility, and quality of life. Across my work, I have been guided by a simple belief: design is at its best when it is created with people, not just for them. My academic and professional journey has been shaped by a longstanding commitment to people-centred design. I completed my undergraduate studies in Industrial Design at METU, graduating as the faculty valedictorian, and later pursued two PhDs exploring how older adults can actively contribute to the design of everyday objects and environments. My first doctoral research combined Quality Function Deployment with participatory design to develop structured frameworks for user-informed innovation. My second PhD involved working directly with older adults as co-designers in the development of products such as door handles and seating. Together, these experiences laid the foundation for my approach to design research: careful listening, collaboration, and translating lived experience into design knowledge. At UNSW, I have held several academic leadership roles, including Associate Dean of Education in the Faculty of Built Environment, Discipline Director of Industrial Design, and Program Director for the Master of Industrial Design and Master of Science (Industrial Design). I also led the design and development of UNSW’s first Built Environment MOOC, Re-Enchanting the City, which reached more than 9,000 participants globally through FutureLearn and was later integrated into the university curriculum. My research is also informed by lived experience. Since 2008, I have been a caregiver for my husband, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. This experience has deepened my understanding of the physical, emotional, and systemic challenges that accompany ageing, care, and neurodegenerative conditions, and it continues to inform my commitment to design that is inclusive, compassionate, and grounded in everyday realities. More broadly, my work brings together industrial design, design research, and education, with interests spanning product semantics, participatory methods, ageing, care, and wellbeing. Through research, teaching, and collaboration, I aim to contribute to a future in which design is more inclusive, more meaningful, and more responsive to the people whose lives it shapes. Industrial Design, Inclusive and accessible Design, Universal Design, Design for Old Age, Co-design and Participatory Design methods, Design Research Methods, Design & Emotion, Empathy, Product Semantics & Design Language