My Story

I’ve always admired the great thinkers that tiptoe the line between the worlds of art and science.

Humans have always had an innate drive to continue learning, exploring boundaries, and inventing for the sake of helping others to feel better and ease the stressors in life. Industrial designers creatively put their ideas, aesthetics, and concepts into tangible objects and devices that make incredible impacts on our everyday lives. In May of 2020, I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Saint Joseph’s University, majoring in communications and minoring in both philosophy and computer science. During my undergraduate studies, philosophy fulfilled my curiosity of pushing the boundaries, and computer science prepared me to tackle projects from a careful and logical perspective. I learned rhetorical design techniques, took part in a startup organization that virtually mapped the campus for accessibility, and won a design award for magazine illustrations.

Most importantly, an accessible design project my last semester was the catalyst that led me to the field of inclusive industrial design. My professor wanted us to create a musical instrument for his son to play, as he has limited physical and cognitive functions due to his disability. After learning about his equipment and behaviors, I designed his instrument, an interactive musical element to his wheelchair's activity tray that he could play in a way that works harmoniously with how he moves. This was the moment my passions suddenly aligned in a way that was indisputable to follow. I discovered industrial design, and I was left hungry for more.

Currently, I am pursuing my MS in Industrial Design at Jefferson University; I’m further developing my desire to meet access needs and will soon be focusing on biomedical applications. As I think about future designs, I realize that what is better for someone with limitations will inadvertently benefit everyone. No two bodies are created the same, and we all move differently. My mission is to create a world that reflects this. My future will be contributing to people’s health and happiness by working with medical devices and healthcare products. My designs will seek to achieve the duality of being tough and adapting, as well as equally sensitive and gentle. When I was in middle school, my father was in a construction accident, and his leg, unfortunately, had to be amputated. I’ve been able to grow up witnessing him live a relatively normal life, all thanks to a team of medical professionals and the designers who forged the amazing technology of his prosthetic. The complex structures of the physical human body, as well as our emotional relationship with design, fascinate and inspire me. I'm ambitious to follow in their footsteps and contribute designs of my own.

One of my favorite aspects of industrial design, especially with a communications background, is the collaborative nature between designers and other professions, such as engineers, marketers, and manufacturers. I marvel at the integrative process and learning from each other in order to come together and create something amazing.

I am ecstatic to be a part of it.

- Jennifer Hegelein