Hi there, I'm Jana :)

Embodied Interaction + Critical Design Researcher

I'm a design researcher exploring how computational systems shape human agency, bodily autonomy, and the ways we interact with technology.

My practice combines research-through-design, critical inquiry, and physical prototyping to investigate human–technology relationships. Through tangible interfaces, material experimentation, and speculative design, I explore how these relationships can be made visible, felt, and questioned.

I graduated Cum Laude from the University of Washington’s Interaction Design program. Working across HCI, material experimentation, and design practice, I’m drawn to questions that emerge through making—and to the everyday experiences that give those questions meaning.

Research Interests

Embodied & Tangible Interaction
Human–AI Relationships
Critical & Speculative Design
Materiality & Personal Data
Participatory Design Research
Embodied & Tangible Interaction
Human–AI Relationships
Critical & Speculative Design
Materiality & Personal Data
Participatory Design Research

Selected Scholarships

Close Origins: Imprinting, Revealing, and Bounding Material Traces in Everyday Life

Co-authored research manuscript · Submitted to ACM CHI 2027

A collaborative, first-person research-through-design investigation of how everyday material traces become visible, interpretable, and shareable.

Additional scholarship

Space for a forthcoming research entry.

Methods & Practice

Research-through-Design

Design Inquiry

Qualitative Research

Interviews & Thematic Analysis

Physical Computing

ESP32 & Haptic Systems

Critical Design

Speculation & Theory

Spatial Prototyping

Unity & Hand Tracking

Participatory Methods

Workshops & Storytelling