I am a design researcher and systems thinking practitioner working at the intersection of design, and politics. Born in 1991 in Torbat-e Jam, a city in eastern Iran, I bring a cross-cultural perspective to a practice that ranges from crafting relational objects to developing methods and frameworks for mediation in politically complex contexts. My research addresses systemic challenges such as energy poverty, public health crises, and pandemics—issues that demand collective, community-driven responses. Grounded in an interdisciplinary and emancipatory systems thinking approach, I integrate creative strategies including storytelling, speculative design, and dialogic methods to navigate these complexities. At the center of my practice is a commitment to the inclusion of diverse voices, methods and practices: bringing together multiple perspectives—including designers, lay citizens, and policymakers—to collaboratively engage with the layered political dimensions of social systems. Through participatory, practice-based approaches, I aim to support more informed, responsive, and adaptive forms of decision making. While my early work focused on human-centered design, my current research explores the systemic and political dimensions of design. I am particularly interested in the social aspects of systemic design (as distinct from the politics of design): building inclusive infrastructures that foster collective sensemaking, cultivate trust, and enable communities to co-imagine just and democratic futures. 

The earliest time I remember being drawn to design was when I was about ten years old—not through formal training, but during weekend visits to Kānoon-e Parvaresh-e Fekri-e Koodakān (The Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults), the city library in my hometown in Iran. I remember losing myself in books about geography, art, and sometimes astronomy, while my family browsed or attended workshops.

I didn’t always understand everything, but I was captivated by the visuals, maps, and unfamiliar ideas. Those weekends were less about school learning and more about wandering into new worlds. Looking back, I think that early curiosity was nurtured by my parents, both teachers with a deep passion for learning—especially my mother, a geography teacher

 

I remember spending hours poring over maps, tracing imaginary rotes across countries and continents, and even drawing my own. I often created geographies of my own—visually connecting places and ideas through sketches that felt like personal worlds. I still remember the moment I pulled a book from the shelf in the art section—its pages full of objects and forms unlike anything I’d seen before. It wasn’t about sculpture, painting, or calligraphy, nor was it filled with maps of stars or countries. Instead, it featured images of industrial objects: furniture, household items, architectural layouts, tools, and equipment. To me, it felt like the perfect blend of everything I loved—geography, art, and the visual logic of science—all woven together. The book was Design: A Concise History by Thomas Hauffe, originally published in 1998 and later translated into Persian. I no longer remember the name of the translator, but I vividly remember the experience of discovering it.

Although the text was well beyond my reading level at the time, I focused on the visuals—photographs, illustrations, and diagrams—and that visual journey alone was enough to ignite a deep curiosity about the world of design. It was my first true encounter with design literature, and it left a lasting impression. Years later, that early spark led me to pursue both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in industrial design.

 

In 2017, I completed my Master of Design Sciences at Amirkabir University of Technology in Tehran. Soon after, I joined Nipler—one of Iran’s leading firms in the design and manufacturing of furniture. Although my time there was brief, it gave me valuable, hands-on experience in design innovation and management—experience that would later prove vital in shaping my academic path. Following my work in industry, I returned to academia as a junior lecturer and workshop instructor at the University of Tehran. I worked with both undergraduate and graduate students, sharing not only technical knowledge but also my growing interest in the broader societal role of design. I remained in Tehran until 2018—a time during which I refined my research focus and deepened my passion for teaching and mentorship. That same year, a new opportunity brought me to Windsor, Ontario, Canada, where I joined the University of Windsor as a research assistant in ergonomic and user-centered design. My time in Windsor marked a pivotal moment in my career. Collaborating with researchers at both the University of Windsor and the University of Waterloo, I became increasingly interested in the “softer” dimensions of design—particularly its intersections with complexity science, systems thinking, and social innovation. This growing curiosity led me to explore emerging disciplines through coursework in service design, systems innovation, and culturally sensitive design approaches. That shift—from product design to service and systems design—continues to shape the core of my research and practice. Years later, and far from where I began my career, I completed a PhD in Belgium at the University of Antwerp; in design and social innovation.

My current research focuses on community engagement, conflict resolution, and citizen empowerment through interdisciplinary approaches, with particular emphasis on addressing complex societal challenges such as pandemic preparedness, energy poverty, and technological destabilization. I am especially interested in the democratization of design practice and participatory methodologies that support more equitable and just social transitions. I explore how design, when integrated with systems thinking, can enable more holistic and action-oriented responses to multifaceted issues. Grounded in creativity, form-giving, and the progressive dimensions of design science, my work leverages design as a powerful tool for systemic change. A central aspect of my current research involves the co-design and facilitation of dialogic processes, tools, and methods, including the Design-Driven Conflicts (DDC) framework. The DDC integrates a set of methods from adjacent fields to critically examine the role and impact of antagonistic actors, aiming to create new associations essential for addressing complex, real-world challenges.

Some are thoughtful on their way

Some are doubtful, so they pray

 

قومی‌ متفکرند در مذهب و دین

قومی ‌به گمان فتاده در راه یقین

During my PhD research, I developed the Design-Driven Conflicts (DDC) Approach—a systemic design method that connects designerly ways of knowing with insights and practices from other disciplines. The DDC is an interactive, process-oriented framework designed to facilitate constructive dialogue at the process level and network-building at the outcome level, ultimately accelerating mindset and systemic transformation. The method has undergone three cycles of refinement. In its latest iteration, the DDC focuses on fostering meaningful deliberation, enabling higher-order learning, and supporting both structural and cognitive transformation across multiple levels of a system or organization. The DDC Approach is structured around five sequential and cumulative phases, each with distinct objectives and tools:

1. Mapping the Context

This phase begins by mapping the situation of rivalry—analyzing the broader context, identifying key actors, and understanding their relationships through the lens of shared and individual resources. The DDC offers a unique typology of resources and tools to connect archetypes based on these assets, enabling a nuanced view of the ecosystem.

2. Exploring Power, Rivalry, and Imbalance

Next, the focus shifts to unpacking power dynamics and rivalries among stakeholders. This phase uncovers tensions, injustices, and root causes of conflict. The insight here is that rivalry often stems from perceived imbalances or denied access to power. The DDC provides a distinctive framework for categorizing different forms of power and offers tools to visualize the complexity of power relations.

3. Actors’ Journey

Once rivalry sources are revealed, participants embark on the Actor’s Journey—a creative and reflective process that explores the roots of conflict across past, present, and potential futures. This phase encourages participants to map their experiences visually and narratively, ultimately identifying underlying motivations, barriers, and enablers. The DDC provides a context-sensitive framework, along with tools to illuminate and zoom out from individual and collective perspectives on conflict.

4. Problematization and Frame Innovation

Building on previous phases, this step transitions from framing conflict to reframing the problem. Participants shift perspectives, build new connections, and identify common ground. The DDC introduces a novel framework for designing new boundary objects, reordering stakeholder positions, and envisioning shared “passage points”—emergent equilibria from which collaborative futures can take shape.

5. Narrative Structuring

In the final phase, participants co-create a shared narrative structure to scale insights, solutions, and strategic interventions. These narratives are designed to strengthen connectivity and alliances, while avoiding undesired futures. The DDC provides a set of narrative design tools and prompts that help translate systemic insights into inclusive, actionable messages that can guide future decision-making.

The DDC Approach has proven particularly effective in complex, multi-stakeholder environments, where deep dialogue and systemic insight are critical to enabling transformation. It is especially suited for contexts marked by entrenched conflict, uncertainty, and power imbalance—offering a creative yet rigorous pathway toward collective sensemaking and structural change.

My design portfolio spans a broad spectrum—from physical product design to services and complex systems. Over time, this journey underwent significant transformation. I no longer approach product design solely as a response to user-centered needs. Instead, I now understand products as components of larger systems: social materials, relational tools, and boundary objects whose meaning and functionality emerge through dialogue and interaction among diverse actors. In this sense, my designs are inherently political, social, and cultural. Between 2011 and 2015, my work focused primarily on product design. From 2015 to 2018, my attention shifted toward service and systems innovation. Since 2018, I have concentrated on designing methods, practices, and frameworks for addressing complex, systemic societal challenges. This includes planning tools for community engagement, blueprints for participatory processes, and the design of rituals and practices intended to leverage the collective power of publics in transforming rigid or entrenched systems. Many of my earlier works were recognized or shortlisted in design competitions, and one project—Katour—was awarded a national patent.