Dr. Ellen Ayoob

Biography

Ellen M. Ayoob has spent 20 years working with multidisciplinary teams across academia, industry, and the nonprofit sector. She emphasizes human-centered design and is deeply invested in understanding the experiences and narratives embedded in design interactions. Ellen utilizes mixed methods to gain insights into user behavior and collaborates with clients and sponsors to develop actionable design strategies. Her career has bridged engineering, design, and business, reflecting her holistic approach to innovation. As the Program Director for the Master of Integrated Innovation for Products and Services (MIIPS) at the Integrated Innovation Institute, Ellen has also held leadership roles in various educational and design organizations. She has worked at the Human Computer Interaction Institute and the National Robotics Engineering Consortium, and she is a former Director of Education at the Creative Nonfiction Foundation. Beyond her academic responsibilities, Ellen has actively contributed as a guest speaker and panelist for professional groups and academic institutions, and has served in leadership positions within local AIGA chapters, co-chairing design conferences and workshops. Her expertise encompasses human-centered research, design thinking, and integrated product conceptualization.

Research Interests

Experience