Ellen Ayoob
Program Director, Master of Integrated Innovation for Products and Services
Contact
Pittsburgh, PA
Pittsburgh, PA
Bio
Ellen M. Ayoob has spent over 20 years working on multidisciplinary teams in academia, industry, and the nonprofit sector. She believes all design must be human-centered and cares deeply about the experiences and narratives embedded in the design interactions we have daily. She digs deep using mixed methods to understand users, works with clients and sponsors to articulate actionable design strategies, and has spent most of her career as the glue between engineering, design, and business.
Ellen is Program Director for the MIIPS program and an Assistant Teaching Professor at the Integrated Innovation Institute. Prior to joining iii, she was Director of Education at the Creative Nonfiction Foundation. She has worked previously at the Human Computer Interaction Institute, Robotics Institute, National Robotics Engineering Consortium, Wall-to-Wall Studios, and the Software Engineering Institute. In addition, she has been a guest speaker and panelist for professional groups and other academic institutions, served as the vice president and president of the local chapter of AIGA, co-chaired design conferences and workshops, and presented at multiple conferences.
Areas of Expertise
- Human-centered research and design
- Design thinking
- Writing
Integrated Innovation Courses
- Integrated Product Conceptualization
- iii Seminar Series
- Integrated Product Development Capstone
- Innovation Mindset in Practice
- The Elements of Professional Practice
- Integrated Product Development Methods
- Innovation Mindset in Practice
Education
- Master of Design in Communication Planning and Information Design, Carnegie Mellon University
- Bachelor of Arts in Communications, Dual Minor in Psychology and Journalism, University of Pittsburgh