Aura Escobar makes an impact in the world of industrial design

Escobar facilitating a design research workshop for her senior thesis while at CCAD.

Aura Escobar is making strides in the industrial design world since graduating from Columbus College of Art & Design in May 2017. After spending six months post-graduation working in artificial intelligence for a Kansas City-based startup specializing in open source voice assistance, the recent grad is back in Columbus putting her experience to good use as junior design researcher at Stratos Innovation Group, a company that provides research and design strategy to organizations in the healthcare, retail, and finance industries.

Noting the influence of rigorous course study at CCAD and strong mentorship from professors, Escobar said her academic background prepared her with the in-practice knowledge necessary to be in a field she loves.

With a particular interest in design research — a revelation she came to while taking both Design Methodologies and Human Factors courses at CCAD, Escobar’s current work involves being in the field to understand user behaviors, emotions, and requirements. That knowledge allows her to then provide strategic insight for the design process, including for product development, services, and go-to-market strategy.

She said industrial design’s importance to society is a sign of the times, playing a significant role in understanding people and how they interact with the world around them.

“I feel there was a point at which everything was designed, like the first wheel and the first car. And all these things were very innovative, but now we’re designing to make them better. Everything can always be better.”

Photos by CCAD Student Agency

Beyond a focus on products, the concept of design research has the potential to extend to other areas of society at a service level, like politics and social change, areas where understanding human behavior can help design laws and address important needs, Escobar added.

Thinking about her own role in the future of industrial design, she eventually sees herself focusing on the social stream.

“I feel a lot of organizations that have those capabilities don’t necessarily have the time or budget to spend really understanding the needs to design for a better society,” she said. “In the long term, I do see myself going into the social innovation stream — designing for social change and using my skills to do so.”

AURA's WORK AT MYCROFT AI

Escobar’s work with Mycroft AI started during an internship program she completed with students from around the country.

Research participant used an out of box experience, or OOBE, for Escobar’s research at Mycroft.

Mycroft designed voice user interface, or VUI, by creating scripts and testing the experience through role-playing. Escobar performed those tests in English and helped establish the Spanish interface as well. 

In addition to helping with her team’s research work, Escobar worked on developing the user experience for Mark2’s face design. Here’s a look at some of her initial concept work for his character.

And here’s the final face of Mark2. As a part of Mycroft’s team, Escobar helped bring Mark2 to life as UX Designer II alongside Chief Industrial Designer Derick Schweppe and UX Designer I David Smehlik.

Learn more about CCAD's Industrial Design program or apply here.