10/21/2026
🎓 DRI Voices: Meet Kiana Fathinezhad
What if the way we design learning environments could change how students experience education?
During her time in the MFA in Design for Responsible Innovation, Kiana Fathinezhad (’25) investigated how learning management systems could better support the unique needs of studio-based education.
💬 “Conducting qualitative research with faculty and students taught me to ground design decisions in people’s experiences rather than assumptions about what works.”
Her thesis research explored nonlinear information architecture for studio courses, challenging conventional approaches to organizing digital learning environments.
By engaging directly with faculty and students, Kiana used human-centered research to better understand how digital systems shape teaching, learning, and creative collaboration.
Her work reflects a central idea behind DRI: meaningful innovation begins with understanding the people and experiences behind a design challenge.
What could you rethink through design research?
Applications for Fall 2027 are open!
🔗 Learn more and apply at go.Illinois.edu/ApplyDRI
School of Art and Design at Illinois
College of Fine & Applied Arts at Illinois
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
