November 2-3, 2023
Hosted by the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas

Keynote: Cassini Nazir “Designing Curiosity: A Beginners Guide”

Registration | **Updated** IDEC Southwest Conference Agenda| Keynote Speaker Bio | Gallery Exhibit: Cey Adams

DESIGN AT THE EDGE: 
Design Scholarship – Design Practice

Interior designers create the environments we live, work, and play in. Join us as we discuss the transformations impacting the design process. design at the edge invites conversations around cutting-edge innovation, the climate change precipice, inclusion, evidence-based design, and the intersection of the arts and design.

Conference Schedule – Day 1

8:30 – 9:00 Registration and Check-in at College of Visual Arts and Design
9:00 – 9:15  Pastries and Coffee ART 282Welcome + Conference Overview, SW Region Chair

Presentation Block 1

9:15 – 9:35    The Safety Convergence of Chemical Exposure & Flammability
Debra Harris, Baylor University
The objective of this study is to determine a fire barrier solution for upholstered furniture that improves fire suppression and decreases chemical exposure risks for occupants during normal use.

10:40 – 11:00   Explore the Relationship Between Color, Crowding and Time Passage in Examination Rooms
Jahnia Wright, Oklahoma State University
Using Virtual Reality to explore the relationship between color, crowding and time passage in examination rooms.

11:05 – 11:25   Design Attributes of Healthcare Environments: Preferences between Female and Male Veterans
Payton Losh, Oklahoma State University
Self-Evaluation of Anxiety Inventory for Design Attributes of Healthcare Environments: Differences in Emotions and Preferences between Female and Male Veterans.

11:25 – 11:45 Discussion

11:45 – 12:30   Keynote: Cassini Nazir “Designing Curiosity: A Beginners Guide”
 Website Bio:

Curiosity is powerful. Research tells us it has the power to enhance intelligence and increase perseverance. Being curious propels us to deeper engagement, superior performance, and more meaningful goals.
Curiosity is a necessary—although often tacit—element in the design process. In many design processes, empathy is the first step. In order to understand others, we have to be curious about what life might be like outside our own experiences. How can we be more curious? Is it possible to invite others to be curious as well? We will explore a framework for designing curiosity.

This talk will give you an orientation to the strange, fascinating, and fragile phenomenon of being curious. Together, we will tackle these three topics:

  1. Defining curiosity: What is curiosity, and how does it manifest? We will learn the five faces of curiosity and—more importantly—what kind of curious you are.
  2. Producing curiosity: Humans can naturally produce curiosity—the question is, how? We discover the emotions that yield the by-product of curiosity and learn the ways in which curiosity may germinate.
  3. Inviting curiosity: How might we design ways to invite curiosity? We’ll look at a framework for inviting curiosity in your next design effort.

12:30 – 13:30   Lunch
(communicate your dietary needs by October 24th, 2023 to design@unt.edu with the subject line IDEC SW Regional Conference)

13:30 – 13:55

Poster Presentations – Block 1

Perspective Play: A Game of Empathy
Donald Orf, Oklahoma State University
Improving empathy towards gender identities by gamifying an experience one can have as a non-binary individual.

Coding-free VR for interior design education Zoom meeting
Hong Shih, University of Wisconsin – Madison
Cutting-Edge Interior Design: Coding-free VR Development for Interior Design Education

The Relationship Between Natural Lighting and Biophilic Elements and Children’s Behaviors
Naila Hasan, University of Oklahoma
“This study compared children’s behaviors in relation to lighting and biophilic design in children’s libraries with distinctive design attributes.”

Presentation Block 2

14:00 – 14:20   Digital Humanities and Design: An Exploration of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Residences
Elise King, Baylor University
This presentation explores the application of digital humanities methodologies as a potential approach and method of inquiry for interior design researchers; these concepts are explored through “Visualizing Frank Lloyd Wright,” a digital humanities dashboard that connects interrelated data into a single digital corpus.

14:25 – 14:45   Design for Motion: The Role of Spatial Cognition and Perception in Design
Kristi Gaines, Texas Tech University
Understanding and applying design features to address all the senses is necessary in providing beneficial spaces for all users.

14:50- 15:10   The Use of Artificial Intelligence in Interior Design Classrooms: Observations & Analysis
Nathaniel Walker, Stephen F. Austin State University
Observation and the analysis of the use of virtual reality (VR) technology and its influence in the critical thinking and problem-solving skills of interior design students.

15:10 – 15:30 Discussion
15:30 – 15:45 Coffee Break

Presentation Block 3

15:45 – 16:05   The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Creative Thinking in Early Design Studios
Zahrasadat Hosseini, Oklahoma State University and  Aditya Jayadas, Oklahoa State University
This study explores how the use of Creative AI can affect the concept generation phase of the design process and impact creativity in early design studios. The study used a mixed-method design to examine the effects of AI on the design process and found that participants who used AI assistance displayed more creativity in their design works.

16:10 – 16:35   Vision Training for Designers
Tiziana Proietti, University of Oklahoma
The Vision Training for Designers method focuses on enhancing students’ perceptual ability in discerning properties of tectonic elements, such as proportions, distances, and sizes, through targeted exercises and the use of specialized tools. 16:40 – 17:00 Child-Friendly Space (CFS) and Children’s Well-being in the Refugee Camps: A Systemic Review CFS and its Physical Environment in Responding Well-beingSalma Akter Surma The aim of the study is to explore the variability or commonness of CFS in different theoretical and practical contexts for conceptualizing and designing CFS and the reasons behind those.

17:00 –17:20   Discussion

17:30 – 19:00   Reception, finger food, and open bar

College of Visual Arts and Design Gallery Exhibit Cey Adams – Departure, 40 Years of Art and Design

DAY 2: Friday November 3

9:00 – 9:30 a.m. Coffee and Pastries

Presentation Block 4

9:30 – 9:50   Positive Leadership to Support Health and Well-Being for Design Students and Faculty
Kristi Gaines, Texas Tech University
The purpose of this investigation was to utilize a scientific approach to the identification of the general principles of happiness and determine ways to promote an environment of wellbeing and satisfaction in students, faculty, administration, and staff

9:55 – 10:15   Towards Therapeutic Learning Environment: Investigating Public Library’s Role in the Refugee Children’s Inclusion and Well-being
Salma Akter Surma, University of Oklahoma
The aim of the study is to explore how public library design and facilities can ensure physiological cognitive and social inclusion and well-being by applying therapeutic design strategies.

10:15-10:35   Discussion

10:40-11:25   Design at the Edge: What is inclusive design?
Natalie Ellis, University of North Texas, Yeji Yi, PhD, The University of Oklahoma, and Ammara Faisal, PhD
How have ADA and Universal Design created a path for creating Inclusive Design for the built environment and its understanding for 21st-century designers?

11:30 – 1:00   Lunch, Awards, SW Region Business Meeting