Approaches
All of my work is grounded in a human-centered, iterative design practice. I design with—not just for—stakeholders, so that projects are impactful and sustainable. Every project is social and interactive, whether it takes place in a memory care unit, a gallery, or a public square. Here are approaches I use to move from ideas to working experiences.
Multisensory Design
My projects integrate sound, touch, scent, and visual cues to create experiences that invite people to engage on multiple levels. This approach grew out of my museum work—where interactive, sensory environments helped diverse audiences connect with ideas—and now shapes how I design for memory care. In over 190 sessions with residents, staff, and families, multisensory modules have sparked joy, recalled personal memories, and supported staff in fostering positive engagement. By layering haptics, music, props, and media, the work offers many points of entry, ensuring that people at different stages of dementia can participate meaningfully.
Participatory Practice
Every project I develop is shaped with the people who will use it—whether museum visitors and staff, or residents, families, and care teams in memory care–and used by the people who shape it. Drawing on my background in interaction and exhibition design, I bring methods for co-design, prototyping, and iteration into cultural and care settings alike. This participatory approach ensures the experiences are not only engaging, but also practical and sustainable for staff, while giving participants—visitors, families, and residents—a sense of agency and delight. By involving people at every stage, the work remains grounded in real needs and lived experience.
Equity & Access
A throughline in my work is ensuring that experiences are accessible across abilities, settings, and resources. In museums, this meant designing exhibitions that engaged visitors of different ages, backgrounds, and learning styles. In memory care, it means creating multisensory platforms that can adapt to residents at varying stages of dementia, while also being feasible for staff to deliver in both public-pay and private-pay settings. Equity here is not only about who can participate, but also about closing the gap between high-tech interventions often reserved for early stages and the tangible, social experiences needed in later stages. My goal is to make the cutting-edge accessible to all.
Interactive Environments
I design environments and installations that are active and social, fostering participation rather than serving as passive backdrops. In cultural and educational contexts, this has meant creating spaces where people can explore phenomena together; in care settings, it means shaping rooms where residents, families, and staff connect through social and multisensory engagement. My process begins by listening to the ecosystem of stakeholders and observing how people already use a space, then shaping environments that bring interaction and connection into everyday care and cultural settings.
Narrative & Storytelling
Stories and sequences give shape to experience. In my work, narrative can take the form of songs, films, or guided activities that unfold over time, offering people an anchor for memory and connection. In museums, storytelling helps visitors link ideas to their own lives; in memory care, it invites residents and families to share laughter, recall personal histories, and create new moments together. By weaving narrative into multisensory design, I create experiences that are both familiar and open to discovery.
