THE SCHOOL OF INDUSTRIAL DESIGN 

GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY 

Under the provisions of the regulations for the degree 

MASTER OF INDUSTRIAL DESIGN 

on

Monday, April 20, 2026

1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. EST 

West Architecture 155

Teams Link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/24849602813179?p=fybULgTapGBfjzglrY

Irene Jacob

will present a thesis defense entitled, 

"Bridging the Gap: Enabling Participant Access for Student-Led Healthcare Design"

 Advisor: 

Dr. Leandro Miletto Tonetto, Georgia Tech School of Industrial Design 

Committee:  

Dr. Eunsook Kwon, Georgia Tech School of Industrial Design
Dr. Leila Aflatoony, Georgia Tech School of Industrial Design

Faculty and students are invited to attend this presentation. 

Abstract  

Human-centered design in healthcare relies on meaningful engagement with real users, such as patients, clinicians, doctors, and other healthcare staff. However, student designers often face significant challenges in accessing, recruiting, and sustaining interactions with these stakeholders. These challenges are not simply individual limitations but reflect broader systemic gaps in how user engagement is supported within design education and practice. As a result, many student-led healthcare projects rely on limited, simulated, or indirect input, reducing the depth and validity of design outcomes.

This research investigates the structural barriers that prevent student designers from effectively engaging real healthcare users and examines how these challenges impact the design process. Key issues identified include limited access to participants, lack of credibility, ethical uncertainty, and the absence of mechanisms to support ongoing engagement.

In response, the thesis proposes a digital platform-based design intervention that reimagines how student designers discover, connect with, and collaborate with healthcare participants. The concept emphasizes accessibility, trust, and continuity, positioning user engagement as an ongoing relationship rather than a one-time validation step. It also addresses gaps in design pedagogy by providing structured support that helps students navigate ethical processes, build credibility, and develop confidence in engaging with real healthcare users. By reducing reliance on informal networks and lowering barriers to participation, the platform enables more consistent, informed, and sustained engagement throughout the design process. This work reframes user engagement as a systemic design problem and demonstrates how service and interaction design can create infrastructure that supports more ethical, inclusive, and effective participation in healthcare design.