
Overview
Background
Dr Cara Wrigley is currently Professor of Design within the Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology at The University of Queensland. Prior to this appointment she was the Jericho Chair of Design Innovation at The University of Sydney, leading an interdisciplinary research group sponsored by the Royal Australian Air Force. This multi-million-dollar engagement brought together the Australian Defence Force and world-leading researchers to investigate the role that design plays in the creation of disruptive technologies for military capability.
During her time at the University of Sydney Professor Wrigley established the Defence by Design Group, where she ran applied research projects in the military domain. This collaboration contributed to the theoretical development of ‘military design thinking’ that has been taught and applied widely throughout the Australian Defence Force. In 2018, she also established and directed the Design Innovation Research Group, leading a research team that focused on design-led exploratory research, conducting applied and theoretical research into people, emotions, strategy and business.
Professor Wrigley holds extensive experience in curriculum development and delivery, during her time at the University of Sydney she developed and delivered a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Design Innovation (2018), rolled out a university wide Design Major (2018) and launched the Master of Design Innovation and Strategic Design (2019) program. This new degree has been reported on in the Book ‘Design Thinking Pedagogy: Facilitating Innovation and Impact in Tertiary Education’ by Routledge published in 2022.
Professor Wrigley has secured over $60M in competitive industry and government grants and is currently Chief Investigator on ARC Discovery and Linkage projects as well as a Medical Research Future Fund. Her research projects have received funding from industry partners such as the Brisbane Airport Corporation, Suncorp Insurance Australia, TAFE NSW, WaterCo Ltd, Bank of Queensland, BiVACOR and the Royal Australian Airforce. She is a reviewer for the Australian Research Council (ARC) and provides advice to organisations and their executives from diverse industries. For this work she has received Australian Good Design Awards.
Professor Wrigley has published extensively on the application and adoption of design disseminated through seven (7) books. Including the Research Handbook on Design Thinking (2023), Design Innovation and Integration (2021), Design Innovation for Health and Medicine (2020) and Affected: Emotionally Engaging Customers in the Digital Age (2018). She has more than 100 refereed research papers in outlets such Design Issues, Journal of Cleaner Production, Energy Policy, California Management Review, ASAIO Journal, and Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing. She is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the leading design research journal Design Studies published by Elsevier.
Professor Wrigley has delivered invited keynotes at prestigious global academic conferences in the medical field including the European Mechanical Circulatory Support Summit (EUMS) Conference (2019, Vienna), the American Society of Artificial Internal Organs (ASAIO) 65th Annual Conference (San Francisco (2019) and the Asia-Pacific Extracorporeal Life Support Organisation (APELSO) Conference (2018). Furthermore, she is a regular invited speaker at the Australian Defence College and the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra for her work in Defence.
She is passionate about providing positive student and supervisor experiences and has presented at a number of universities on the topic of academic development and PhD supervision. She has advised a number of colleagues and high degree students on how to develop efficient and successful ways of collaboration, building professional networks and working with industry partners.
Availability
- Professor Cara Wrigley is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, Queensland University of Technology
Research interests
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Design Innovation
Design innovation is a field of research that explores the intersection of design and innovation processes. It encompasses the study of methodologies, frameworks, and approaches to facilitate the generation and implementation of novel and transformative design solutions. This interdisciplinary field draws upon principles from design thinking, human-centered design, and innovation management. Researchers in this field investigate various aspects, including user-centered needs assessment, ideation techniques, prototyping methods, and user testing strategies. The overarching goal is to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of design processes, ultimately leading to the creation of innovative products, services, and systems that address societal, economic, and environmental challenges. Design innovation research serves as a catalyst for advancing knowledge, fostering creativity, and promoting sustainable and inclusive design practices.
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Design Thinking
Design thinking focuses on the systematic and human-centred approach to problem-solving and innovation. It explores the cognitive processes, methodologies, and strategies employed by designers to address complex problems and create user-centred solutions. Through interdisciplinary investigations, researchers in this field examine the stages of design thinking, including empathising with users, defining problem statements, ideating alternative solutions, prototyping, and testing. They explore the application of design thinking in diverse contexts, such as product design, service design, and organisational innovation. By analysing the cognitive and behavioural aspects of design thinking, we can aim to advance theoretical understanding, refine methodologies, and identify best practices for fostering creativity, collaboration, and user-centric innovation.
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Emotional Design
Emotional design delves into the study of the profound relationship between design and human emotions. It explores how design elements, aesthetics, and functionality can evoke and influence emotional responses in users. Researchers in this field investigate the cognitive and affective processes involved in emotional design, examining how emotions shape user experiences and product perceptions. They explore the application of emotional design across various domains, such as product design, interactive interfaces, and environmental design. The goal of this research is to understand and leverage the impact of emotions on design outcomes, enabling the creation of more meaningful, engaging, and user-centric designs that resonate with individuals on an emotional level.
Works
Search Professor Cara Wrigley’s works on UQ eSpace
2023
Journal Article
Review of Design Leadership Ignited: Elevating Design at Scale
de Bont, Cees and Wrigley, Cara (2023). Review of Design Leadership Ignited: Elevating Design at Scale. She Ji: The Journal of Design, Economics, and Innovation, 9 (1), 86-90. doi: 10.1016/j.sheji.2022.10.005
2022
Journal Article
Design education: Interdisciplinary perspectives
Markauskaite, Lina and Wrigley, Cara (2022). Design education: Interdisciplinary perspectives. Journal of Design, Business & Society, 8 (2), 139-143. doi: 10.1386/dbs_00036_2
2022
Journal Article
Corrigendum to “The rapid product design and development of a viable nanotechnology energy storage product” [J. Clean. Prod. 244 (2020) 118725] (Journal of Cleaner Production (2020) 244, (S0959652619335954), (10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.118725))
Bryant, Scott T., Straker, Karla and Wrigley, Cara (2022). Corrigendum to “The rapid product design and development of a viable nanotechnology energy storage product” [J. Clean. Prod. 244 (2020) 118725] (Journal of Cleaner Production (2020) 244, (S0959652619335954), (10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.118725)). Journal of Cleaner Production, 350 131509, 131509. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.131509
2022
Journal Article
How can we co-design for interdisciplinarity? Three entwinements of design and interdisciplinarity
Markauskaite, Lina and Wrigley, Cara (2022). How can we co-design for interdisciplinarity? Three entwinements of design and interdisciplinarity. Journal of Design, Business & Society, 9 (1), 3-8. doi: 10.1386/dbs_00043_2
2021
Journal Article
Design facilitation: A critical review of conceptualisations and constructs
Mosely, Genevieve, Markauskaite, Lina and Wrigley, Cara (2021). Design facilitation: A critical review of conceptualisations and constructs. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 42 100962, 100962. doi: 10.1016/j.tsc.2021.100962
2021
Journal Article
Patient names for mechanical circulatory support devices: Developing emotional insights
Wrigley, Cara, Peel, Sean, Ko, Kimmi Keum Hee and Straker, Karla (2021). Patient names for mechanical circulatory support devices: Developing emotional insights. Heart & Lung, 50 (6), 953-967. doi: 10.1016/j.hrtlng.2021.08.003
2021
Journal Article
The defence by design framework: conceptual foundations and potential applications
Wrigley, Cara, Rana, Harjit, Hinton, Peta and Mosely, Genevieve (2021). The defence by design framework: conceptual foundations and potential applications. Journal of Design, Business and Society, 7 (2), 211-232. doi: 10.1386/dbs_00028_1
2021
Journal Article
Designing a dangerous unicorn: lessons from the Theranos case
Straker, Karla, Peel, Sean, Nusem, Erez and Wrigley, Cara (2021). Designing a dangerous unicorn: lessons from the Theranos case. Business Horizons, 64 (4), 525-536. doi: 10.1016/j.bushor.2021.02.016
2021
Journal Article
A systematic review of psychosocial design considerations for the next generation of mechanical circulatory support
Peel, Sean, Ko, Kimmi Keum Hee, Nusem, Erez, Straker, Karla and Wrigley, Cara (2021). A systematic review of psychosocial design considerations for the next generation of mechanical circulatory support. Heart and Lung, 50 (3), 397-406. doi: 10.1016/j.hrtlng.2021.01.021
2021
Journal Article
White spaces for innovation in tertiary education: Australian public provider perspectives
Mosely, Genevieve, Wrigley, Cara and Key, Tom (2021). White spaces for innovation in tertiary education: Australian public provider perspectives. International Journal of Training Research, 18 (3), 191-210. doi: 10.1080/14480220.2020.1860303
2021
Journal Article
Defining military design thinking: an extensive, critical literature review
Wrigley, Cara, Mosely, Genevieve and Mosely, Michael (2021). Defining military design thinking: an extensive, critical literature review. She Ji, 7 (1), 104-143. doi: 10.1016/j.sheji.2020.12.002
2021
Book
Design. Think. Make. Break. Repeat.: Revised edition
Tomitsch, M, Borthwick, M, Ahmadpour, N, Cooper, C., Frawley, J., Hepburn, L.A, Kocaballi, A.B, Loke, L., Núñez-Pacheco, C., Straker, K. and Wrigley, C. (2021). Design. Think. Make. Break. Repeat.: Revised edition. The Netherlands : BIS Publishers.
2021
Book
Design innovation and integration
Straker, Karla, Nusem, Erez and Wrigley, Cara (2021). Design innovation and integration. Amsterdam, Netherlands: BIS Publishers.
2020
Journal Article
Designing our sustainable energy future: a shock doctrine for energy
Bryant, Scott T., Straker, Karla and Wrigley, Cara (2020). Designing our sustainable energy future: a shock doctrine for energy. Energy Policy, 147 111914, 1-15. doi: 10.1016/j.enpol.2020.111914
2020
Journal Article
Content analysis of child user and carer perspectives of ankle-foot orthoses
Lahoud, David, Teng, Christine H. E., Nusem, Erez, Burns, Joshua, Wrigley, Cara and Cheng, Tegan L. (2020). Content analysis of child user and carer perspectives of ankle-foot orthoses. Prosthetics and Orthotics International, 45 (1), 12-19. doi: 10.1177/0309364620952906
2020
Journal Article
Supervising cohorts of higher degree research students: design catalysts for industry and innovation
Wrigley, Cara, Wolifson, Peta and Matthews, Judy (2020). Supervising cohorts of higher degree research students: design catalysts for industry and innovation. Higher Education, 81 (6), 1177-1196. doi: 10.1007/s10734-020-00605-3
2020
Conference Publication
Defence innovation: the role of design-led innovation in disrupting the conservative paradigm
Langham, Jo'Anne and Wrigley, Cara (2020). Defence innovation: the role of design-led innovation in disrupting the conservative paradigm. Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Online, 7 - 11 August 2020. Briarcliff Manor, NY United States: Academy of Management. doi: 10.5465/ambpp.2020.21494abstract
2020
Journal Article
An approach to integrating market research with customer insights through the development of IoT products
Straker, Karla, Mosely, Genevieve and Wrigley, Cara (2020). An approach to integrating market research with customer insights through the development of IoT products. Journal of International Consumer Marketing, 33 (3), 1-17. doi: 10.1080/08961530.2020.1792387
2020
Journal Article
What really matters? Understanding quality of life determinants impacting ventricular assist device stakeholders
Ko, Keum Hee Kimmi, Straker, Karla, Dunn, Jessica Lea and Wrigley, Cara (2020). What really matters? Understanding quality of life determinants impacting ventricular assist device stakeholders. ASAIO Journal, 66 (6), 626-636. doi: 10.1097/mat.0000000000001175
2020
Journal Article
Beyond 'chalk and talk': educator perspectives on design immersion programs for rural and regional schools
Wright, Natalie, Miller, Evonne, Dawes, Les and Wrigley, Cara (2020). Beyond 'chalk and talk': educator perspectives on design immersion programs for rural and regional schools. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 30 (1), 35-65. doi: 10.1007/s10798-018-9487-7
Funding
Current funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Professor Cara Wrigley is:
- Available for supervision
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Available projects
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Design Methodologies for Burdened Users
This Earmarked Scholarship project is aligned with a recently awarded Category 1 research grant. It offers you the opportunity to work with leading researchers and contribute to large projects of national significance.
We are seeking an enthusiastic PhD student to conduct a research project about incorporating emotional affect into safety-critical products. The work will characterise existing user-centred design and interaction design methodologies, identify key barriers to reconciling often diverging requirements, and propose new processes for overcoming these obstacles.
Some users across healthcare, transport, manufacturing, logistics, and emergency service environments, are compelled to use safety-critical controller products, over which they have little or no choice, to perform high-risk tasks. These users are burdened with significant responsibilities, and increased stress.
The design of safety-critical controllers is usually driven by risk-mitigation and usability principles as demanded by regulatory requirements and quality standards. However, product development often overlooks the day-to-day experience of the human tasked with critical duties, including their emotions, attitudes, and motivations. Your project will develop evidence to support new ways of accommodating these ill-defined factors into a robust design process.
This is an exciting opportunity to work with industry partner BiVACOR Pty. Ltd., researchers across several institutes, and to contextualise your research in the development of Total Artificial Heart (TAH) devices. Patients who use TAH products are faced with critical product interactions every day. The scholarship is part of ARC LP LP200100336 “Design Guidelines for Safety-critical Controllers in High-risk Environments”.
This position is located at our picturesque St Lucia campus, renowned as one of Australia’s most attractive university campuses, and located just 7km from Brisbane’s city centre. Bounded by the Brisbane River on three sides, and with outstanding public transport connections, our 114-hectare site provides a perfect work environment – you can enjoy the best of both worlds: a vibrant campus with the tradition of an established university.
Research Experience and expectations
Research experience and expectations include, but are not limited to:
Scholarship value
As a scholarship recipient, you'll receive:
- Conducting qualitative data collection and analysis
- Conducting content analysis on secondary data sets
- Conducting interviews with patients, caregivers and medical practitioners.
- living stipend of $28,854 per annum tax free (2022 rate), indexed annually
- tuition fees covered
- single Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC)
Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Cognitive affordance of epistemic devices
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Tim Kastelle
Completed supervision
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2024
Doctor Philosophy
The shifting and evolving practice of design: (Re)conceptualising design facilitation
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Jason Lodge
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2022
Doctor Philosophy
The Five Classes of Support: Designing Digital Engagement to Address the Needs of Ventricular Assist Device Stakeholders
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Karla Straker
Media
Enquiries
Contact Professor Cara Wrigley directly for media enquiries about:
- Design
- Industrial Design
- Innovation
- Military Design
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