On Materials Experience

Elvin Karana is assistant professor in the Department of Design Engineering (DE) at Delft University of Technology (DUT), The Netherlands. Her research interests include materials driven design, understanding and mobilizing materials experience in design, and designing with bio-based materials. She recently led a nationally funded project on Meanings of Bio-Plastics, and is a principal researcher/task leader of a European Project (FP7) on Smart Material Interfaces. She is published in Materials and Design Journal, International Journal of Design, Journal of Cleaner Production, and Design Issues. Elvin is main editor of Materials Experience: Fundamentals of Materials and Design (Elsevier, 2014). She is the developer and coordinator of the materials library ‘Made Of…’—a permanent exhibition at DUT (http://www.io.tudelft.nl/madeof).

Owain Pedgley is a senior lecturer in Industrial Design at the University of Liverpool, UK. His principal research and educational expertise centers on how materials can be used to positively affect product interaction, product personality and user experiences. Owain has extensive experience coordinating student project-based innovation partnerships with firms including Nokia, Bosch Siemens Hausgeräte and Vitra. Prior to his academic career, he practiced product design in the sports equipment and musical instrument sectors, and co-founded the guitar innovation venture “Cool Acoustics.”

Valentina Rognoli is assistant professor in The Design Department, at the School of Design, at Politecnico di Milano (Italy), where she conducts research activity in the field of materials and design. After two years at Enzo Mari's studio in Milan, Valentina focused her PhD research on materials and their expressive-sensory dimension, and developed an “Expressive-Sensorial Atlas of Material” to improve materials education in the field of design. She contributed to define the concept of materials experience and tinkering with materials. Her current research topics delve into materials and their relationship with user experience, education, additive manufacturing, sustainability, DIY, imperfection and repair. She has published fundamental books and articles in the domain of materials and design.