Ella Dagan

Ella Dagan is a PhD researcher and designer at the intersection of technology, design, and social psychology. She currently explores inclusive UX research at Google and earned her doctorate from the University of California Santa Cruz in the Computational Media Department, where she studied wearable technology for social connection in Katherine Isbister’s Social Emotional Technology Lab. Her graduate work at NYU Tisch’s Interactive Telecommunications Program focused on computational art and future-oriented design.

• Education: PhD in Computational Media (UC Santa Cruz), MFA from NYU ITP

Her research spans playful wearables, haptic feedback systems for health (e.g., Still Vibration pants for paraplegic women), and mixed reality tools for child empowerment (AniBuddy). Projects like The Cloakroom and Lågom wearable flowers demonstrate her focus on embodied storytelling and social interaction design. Collaborations with artists like Tamar Ettun and interdisciplinary teams at NYU/Google highlight her cross-domain approach.

Key methodologies include Research-through-Design, user studies, and generative coding (e.g., In Skinz skin-tone textiles using Rune.js). Exhibitions span TEI Arts Track, ITP Thesis Week, and CHI conferences. She emphasizes human-centered design principles, blending fashion, technology, and psychology to create meaningful, inclusive experiences.