Thinking Through Design

Will Nickley sits down with host Adam Fromme in this episode of the Thinking through Design podcast.  “A big part of their role as designers, ultimately, is to decide when a particular type of making is appropriate” Will Nickley In this episode Will discusses design-based making, creative thinking, and the value of bringing ideas forward before we know exactly where they will lead. Will explains how sketches, prototypes, diagrams, and even puppets can help us explore possibilities, make sense of complex problems, communicate with others, and test ideas before committing to a solution. Through a playful exercise (that listeners can follow along with) called the Ideation Equation, he demonstrates how people approach the same prompt in different ways, revealing the value of diverse perspectives. The conversation also explores Will’s work in codesign with young people, including queer and trans youth, to improve healthcare experiences. Using familiar everyday objects, participants express experiences that might otherwise be difficult to articulate to help shape more inclusive approaches to care. Will reflects on the responsibility researchers have to listen, communicate what they learn, and be honest about what their work can accomplish. And we discuss the role of AI in design education and the importance of keeping people at the center while design tools and processes evolve. Will Nickley is an Associate Professor in the Department of Design at The Ohio State University. His work explores how design, making, and codesign can support social impact, particularly by empowering young people and communities to help shape more equitable futures. Through interdisciplinary collaborations spanning design, engineering, social work, and healthcare, he investigates how people use tangible tools and creative activities to explore ideas, communicate lived experiences, and develop more inclusive solutions. His work includes collaborations with community organizations to improve healthcare experiences for queer and trans youth. Links mentioned in the podcast: Ideation EquationCoDe Rainbow You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts. Click here to view the episode transcript.

Rae Watters sits down with host Adam Fromme in this episode of the Thinking through Design podcast.  “I think that individualism and your perspective is just so valuable. I never want to have a piece of work that I do that I can’t see myself in.” Rae Watters In this episode, Rae discusses game design, storytelling and the ways interactive experiences shape how we understand one another. At the center of our conversation is the development of Role Call, a collaborative game in which players take on the role of a stage manager navigating the relationships, challenges, and ambitions of a student theater production. Rae’s thesis investigates consent and relationships in games: What if non-player characters (“NPCs”) could communicate not just how they respond to us, but what they want for themselves? Drawing on queer theory, game studies, and communication research, Rae is exploring how games might move beyond transactional relationships in which players simply receive what they want. Our conversation focuses on what Rae calls “consent feedback”, the design decisions within the game that affect how dialogue, personality, emotional context, and social cues can create more nuanced interactions with NPCs. We also talk about how games can serve as spaces for practicing social understanding, how designers balance a project’s intended message with the experience of play, and why making room for individual perspectives matters. Rae Watters (he/they) is a third-year MFA student in Digital Animation and Interactive Media in Ohio State University’s Department of Design. With an undergraduate background in computer science and engineering and a minor in game studies, Rae’s work explores consent in games, specifically how non-player characters can communicate their own preferences, motivations, and boundaries. This research informs Role Call, a collaborative narrative and management game developed with Skye Winters, Sophia Reeder, Calvin Than, and Alex Sallade, scheduled for release in Spring 2027. Rae also teaches introductory game design, bringing students from disciplines across the university into the process of creating and understanding games. You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts. Click here to view the episode transcript.

Shadrick Addy Kuteh sits down with host Adam Fromme in this episode of the Thinking through Design podcast.  “I think it’s very important that designers start to be intentional and mindful of their own values.” Shadrick Addy Kuteh In this episode, Shadrick discusses design for social impact and the ways designers can contribute to complex social and cultural challenges. He shares a recent project with Save the Children and Equality Labs that uses virtual reality to help policymakers understand how civil unrest can affect children’s access to education, and reflects on the importance of lived experience, cultural context and community knowledge when designing for social impact. The conversation also explores the challenges of measuring impact over time, and how Shadrick brings questions of ethics and personal values into his teaching through a student design manifesto. He discusses his emerging research into cultural transmission and the role design might play in cultural policy. As a through line to our conversation, we consider how designers can recognize opportunities to improve people’s lives and environments, and whether designers have limited themselves by the kinds of problems they believe design can address. Shadrick Addy Kuteh is an Assistant Professor in the Ohio State Department of Design. His work explores how design, extended reality and storytelling can preserve cultural heritage, encourage empathy and facilitate meaningful social interaction. He holds a B.S. in Graphic Design from Elizabeth City State University, a Master of Graphic Design from North Carolina State University, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Art Education from The Ohio State University. You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts. Click here to view the episode transcript.

Hasna Kone sits down with host Adam Fromme in this episode of the Thinking through Design podcast.  “Something could look good. Makes sense. But if you don’t have a valid reason behind it, it doesn’t really make sense.” Hasna Kone In this Student Spotlight episode, Hasna Kone shares her experience as an exchange student at Ohio State. A third-year industrial design student from Montreal, Hasna came to Columbus curious about how industrial design is taught and practiced here. Her semester expanded her perspective on design, offering a firsthand look at different approaches to project structure, pace, critique, presentation, and the balance between developing individual skills and taking a project from beginning to end. Our conversation also explores Hasna’s emerging approach to design: making early, seeking honest feedback, understanding the purpose behind design decisions and recognizing when a project requires expertise beyond the designer’s own knowledge. Looking ahead, she is particularly interested in healthcare and medical equipment design because of its potential to directly improve people’s lives. This episode is part of the Student Spotlight mini-series. During the summer, we sit down with students at Ohio State DESIGN, giving them a chance to share their experiences and talk about the ideas that inspire them. You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts. Click here to view the episode transcript.

Sophie Chu sits down with host Adam Fromme in this episode of the Thinking through Design podcast.  “You have to be really mindful of what you make, because you don’t always have to create more just for the sake of creating more. You should create because it’s needed and because it’s going to do good in the world.” Sophie Chu In this Student Spotlight episode, fourth-year industrial design student Sophie Chu reflects on her journey through Ohio State’s Department of Design, from discovering industrial design as an unexpected path to developing a Capstone project centered on sustainability and circular systems. Sophie discusses how extensive field research in Franklinton, Ohio led her team to identify barriers that prevent small businesses from adopting sustainable practices, inspiring her project, Local Loops, which connects business waste with artists to create public installations that make sustainability visible within the community. We also talk about how industrial design extends beyond products into systems and services, the value of collaborative studio culture, and how her second major in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies broadened her perspective on inclusive design. The conversation concludes by touching on ethics, curiosity, and why designers should create only what is truly needed to improve people’s lives. This episode is part of the Student Spotlight mini-series. During the summer, we sit down with students at Ohio State DESIGN, giving them a chance to share their experiences and talk about the ideas that inspire them. You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts. Click here to view the episode transcript.