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ASHKAN VISHKAEI / PROJECT EVIDENCE
EVIDENCE INDEX / ORIGINAL WORK AND SELECTED EXTRACTS

Design decisions,
made inspectable.

An inspectable layer of the interactive CV. Follow a claim from professional experience to a project decision, then to the exact image, document excerpt or build photograph that supports it. This index is designed to remain reusable across applications.

Research → requirementsProduct & service systemsPrototypingDesign delivery

Source-first evidence: selected figures and pages are drawn from the MSc thesis, BA thesis, historical BA portfolio, independent museum service maps and the Chevrolet project report. Authentic workshop photographs show the realised conversion. Editorial captions distinguish built work, concept visualisations and proposals.

01 / Sapienza University of Rome · MSc 2025

Designing a continuity
of experience.

Link to section ↗

A multi-actor product–service proposition for children aged 6–8 learning English: one story world experienced through material play, teacher-led learning, family participation and a return to class.

The challenge

One learner, disconnected contexts

School and home use different activities, artefacts, adult roles and emotional cues. The design question was how to make learning recognisable and reusable across that divide.

Jump to RESEARCH TARGET ↗
Inquiry

Evidence shaped the requirements

Contextual observations in classroom and home settings, conversations with teachers and parents, literature and benchmarking of more than 90 learning tools and services informed the account.

01

Five discontinuities

Cognitive, emotional, material, mediational and narrative patterns structured the problem.

02

From insights to criteria

Portable, replicable, embodied, emotionally considerate and low-screen materials, with manageable adult support.

03

One connected system

Narrative tiles + interactive extensions + bilingual mediation, coordinated through short episodes.

Original MSc thesis, PDF p. 122. Component studies for the proposed story-tile, puppet and continuity-kit system.
Original MSc thesis, PDF p. 122. Component studies for the proposed story-tile, puppet and continuity-kit system.
Original MSc thesis, PDF p. 145. Concept visualisation of the kit and its proposed elements.
Original MSc thesis, PDF p. 145. Concept visualisation of the kit and its proposed elements.
The strength of the case is not an educational product claim alone: it is the reasoning from stakeholder settings and conflicting constraints to a connected material-and-service design.
Source · MSc thesis · 2025
research booklet pp. 45–76; design booklet pp. 113–123
Source-based design account; gallery images are rendered directly from the original MSc thesis pages
Link to this section ↗ · ↶ Return to the CV claim
Jump to REQUIREMENTS ↗Jump to PRODUCT SYSTEM ↗
02 / User journey · service ecosystem

A piece leaves.
A story returns.

Link to section ↗

A school–home–return journey makes the service legible: it coordinates what the child encounters, what adults do, which artefacts travel, and how a contribution can re-enter the shared narrative.

01 / CLASSEstablish a shared episode

Teacher introduces characters, gestures and the language target.

02 / TRANSFERTake a fragment

A reproducible tile, drawing or silhouette and a brief bilingual cue travel home.

03 / HOMEAdapt the activity

Child demonstrates, plays, traces or invents a variation with a caregiver.

04 / RETURNRecognise the contribution

Object, drawing, gesture or story account becomes material for the next scene.

Service design

Different actors, coherent purpose

Child-facing interactions, teacher facilitation, caregiver support, handoff resources and preparation are mapped together. The original thesis contains journey diagrams on PDF pages 136–137.

Interaction logic

Fallbacks matter

The design booklet describes portable tiles and multiple modes of participation, including adult guidance and embodied activity. Inspect the original scenario diagram and storyboard below.

Original MSc thesis, PDF p. 136. User journey and touchpoint structure connecting school, home and classroom return.Original MSc thesis, PDF p. 137. Scenario storyboard illustrating intended interactions and transitions.
Original MSc thesis, PDF p. 137. Scenario storyboard illustrating intended interactions and transitions.
Source · MSc thesis · 2025
PDF pp. 130–138 (user journey and diagrams on pp. 136–137)
Designed experience scenarios
Link to this section ↗ · ↶ Return to the CV claim
Jump to SERVICE TOUCHPOINTS ↗
03 / Testing and iteration

Designing how to learn from use.

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Evaluation is part of the design proposition: formative comparison and walkthroughs informed development, while the thesis defines a later, more complete classroom–home pilot and criteria for meaningful validation.

Formative

Concept exploration

Iterative comparison of early proposals, walkthroughs, prototype exercises and reflective evaluation against field insights.

Material questions

Interaction mechanics

Legibility, handling, detachable interfaces, pencil mounting, stencil use, safety and tolerances for group activities.

Future pilot

Across real settings

Track if meanings travel between class and home, how families respond and which elements require revision.

Formative exploration and a fully implemented longitudinal pilot are not interchangeable. This case presents the former alongside a designed pathway for the latter.
Source · MSc thesis · 2025
PDF pp. 16–17 (formative validation), 139–145 (testing strategy)
Exploratory walkthroughs and planned multi-context pilot are different stages
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04 / SERVICE DESIGN · AR / Institutional proposal

Designing a museum journey.

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Independent research and design proposal for an AR-assisted museum visit, intended first for Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art and adaptable to other Iranian museums. The visitor journey and service blueprint map a proposed, not deployed, service across digital, physical, frontstage and backstage touchpoints.

Problem & design response

Make exhibitions easier to navigate and interpret

The concept coordinates before-visit discovery, mobile orientation, AR-supported wayfinding, exhibit information, accessible support from museum staff, and post-visit feedback through one journey.

Institutional reception / outcome

Approved proposal; deployment paused

The concept was presented and developed through recurring working meetings at the museum. According to my experience, it was supported and approved internally; it subsequently fell out of the implementation process. No written approval was given to me, and the exact organisational reason for its discontinuation is unknown.

01

Map user touchpoints

Before arrival, at the museum, in the gallery, after departure.

02

Connect front- and backstage

Staff assistance, content and device interfaces, service recovery.

03

Offer an adaptable service

Designed for different museum configurations and visitor needs.

Original service-design artefacts

Journey and blueprint, side by side.

Original project maps—not reconstructed visuals. The visitor persona belongs to the design scenario and is not presented as a participant in a deployed service.

Source · Museum service-design source archive, original Service_Blueprint and User_Journey_Map_SH source graphics. Project background and reception clarified directly by the designer.Link to this section ↗ · ↶ Return to the CV claim
05 / PROFESSIONAL INDUSTRIAL DESIGN · 2019–2020

Designed, evaluated and built.

Link to section ↗

Led the design work of a five-person team for a real Chevrolet Suburban camper conversion. I coordinated research, task allocation, vehicle measurement, 3D modelling, ergonomic analysis and decisions with the workshop. The client and the workshop were consulted directly; fabrication was carried out by the workshop rather than by the design team.

Customer and context

Design for real usage and constraints

Interviews with the workshop alone did not fully explain the desired experience. I initiated an additional direct interview with the vehicle owner and uncovered a decisive use case: as the only person equipped for extended outdoor stops, the owner frequently hosted a larger circle of friends travelling in separate cars. Seating, shared facilities, cooking and access priorities were reassessed around this discovery.

Jump to Direct link ↗
Decisions rather than just renders

Alternatives and criteria

I led the criteria review, dimensional and ergonomic decisions, and evaluation of mechanisms with the five-person team. For example, our team developed the front-seat rotation solution and I selected the preferred direction; table, bed, water, electricity and gas systems were assessed with the workshop. The project report contains alternatives and a weighted decision matrix; the images of the finished conversion document the workshop’s build.

Inspect evaluation page ↗

Workshop documentation / actual fabrication

From concept drawings to the built interior.

Original photographs from the 2019–2020 construction process alongside original report pages. These photographs document manufacturing and functional modules, not a digital rendering.

Sources · original Chevrolet Suburban project report: 45-page project report, selected1 and selected2 dated workshop photographs. Professional team-lead responsibilities described in earlier CVs.Link to this section ↗ · ↶ Return to the CV claim
06 / ORIGINAL BA THESIS · USER RESEARCH + INDUSTRIAL DESIGN · 2020

Research as a design foundation.

Link to section ↗

Language note: historical BA research pages are in Persian. English project narratives and captions explain the design decisions; the original pages are retained as source evidence. These English explanations are editorial interpretations, not certified document translations.

The 2020 BA thesis is the first documented research, study and design effort in the camper field in Iran and in Persian, according to its author’s contemporaneous survey. The 92-page work connects interviews, travel habits, local constraints, human dimensions, criteria and product development. The Sarr camper concept emerged from this same work; I later encountered references to its research and findings in subsequent theses, industry studies and videos, though direct citations are not currently available for linking.

This BA research is the foundation of the same Sarr design project. Continue to Sarr product development ↗

Original research

Real travel practices, not a generic RV brief

The thesis brings together a historical and competitive review, Iranian anthropometric sources, local travel and environmental conditions, user interviews and first-hand field observations. These findings frame explicit criteria for a light, adaptive and usable caravan.

Read fieldwork excerpt ↗
Development and evaluation

Documented revisions to interaction and access

Design decisions include bed clearance and dimensions, rearrangement of storage and cooking access, water-tank placement, refrigerator/table conflict, shower location, shade length and body proportions. The project documents the reason for each change.

Inspect revision record ↗
01

Investigate

Landscape, users, interviews, actual travel environments.

02

Specify and imagine

Human dimensions, needs, alternative forms and modular uses.

03

Review and refine

Iterative adjustment of equipment, access, placement and form.

Thesis evidence / original excerpts

Showing what changed, and why.

Original scanned/design pages and text from the 2020 thesis (PDF page numbers). The selected visuals are direct page renders; nothing was re-illustrated with AI.

Source · BA research thesis · 2020, 92 PDF pages. First documented camper-field research and design and later-citation significance provided by the designer; publication references may be attached as they become available. The archive shows the work itself, not a recreated claim illustration.Link to this section ↗ · ↶ Return to the CV claim
07 / BA PROJECT · SELECTED CONCEPT PRESENTATION · 2020

Sarr. From research to form.

Link to section ↗

Sarr is the product-design development of the same pioneering BA research, not a separate research project. The original 27-page portfolio presents form and 3D development, while the 92-page thesis traces local users, spatial needs, comparative research and documented corrections.

One project: research, criteria, development and revisions. Inspect the original research and revisions ↗

Follow the full study: 92-page BA research and development evidence ↗ · Design corrections ↗ · Prior built Chevrolet project ↗

Problem & context

Travel, uses and constraints

  • Local travel, climate, environment and accommodation conditions
  • Competing domestic needs in a compact mobile volume
  • Target users, safety, flexibility, long-term maintenance
Jump to BRIEF ↗
Design development

From alternatives to configuration

  • Concept variants and exterior form studies
  • Spatial allocation, access and integrated equipment
  • 3D models and contextual visualisations
Jump to SKETCHES & MODELS ↗
Source-grounded editorial diagram · not the original portfolio drawings
Travel contextIranian terrain, environment, user group, use cases
→
Product criteriaAdaptability, safety, compact domestic function
→
Spatial solutionExterior concept, internal arrangement and access
Original industrial-design drawings and renderings are on pages 9–11 of BA industrial design portfolio · 2020–21; they have deliberately not been replaced with AI-generated lookalikes in this edition.

Original working files / independent images

Development beyond the portfolio spread.

Selected design assets supplied separately from the printed BA portfolio. Browse the original sketches and product views without the page layout surrounding them.

Source · BA industrial design portfolio · 2020–21
PDF pp. 5–11
Original portfolio text and pictured design work
Link to this section ↗ · ↶ Return to the CV claim
Jump to ORIGINAL PORTFOLIO LOCATOR ↗
08 / Product concept & platform ecosystem · 2020–2021

Podbox. Hardware meets platform logic.

Link to section ↗

A portable podcast-production device imagined in the context of Castbox, linking the needs of emerging audio creators to a product concept and a possible platform business rationale.

User problem

Lower the threshold to making audio

New creators can face equipment cost, limited technical know-how, recording location constraints and the complexity of getting started.

Design & market

One proposition across two systems

Explore device interaction and portable recording alongside user segments, channels, key activities and potential value to a content platform.

Jump to BUSINESS MODEL ↗
Editorial synthesis of the original portfolio content
Creator needPortable, accessible audio production
→
Product responseRecording hardware + physical controls + sketches
↔
Platform ecosystemCreators, content, listeners, possible commercial value
This is an independent design concept in relation to Castbox, not a claim of employment, commissioning or product launch by Castbox.

Original working files / independent images

Development beyond the portfolio spread.

Selected design assets supplied separately from the printed BA portfolio. Browse the original sketches and product views without the page layout surrounding them.

Source · BA industrial design portfolio · 2020–21
PDF pp. 22–26
Independent conceptual project; not an official Castbox commission
Link to this section ↗ · ↶ Return to the CV claim
Jump to FORM STUDIES ↗
09 / Industrial design · interaction and ergonomics

PinLight. Fit light to the activity.

Link to section ↗

A personal lighting concept driven by a recurring ergonomic mismatch: fixed luminaires cannot adequately follow changes in body position, task and environment.

Use scenario

Reading

Light must remain useful across different postures, including reclining.

Use scenario

Sketching

The task shifts between locations and angles; the lighting relationship must adapt.

Use scenario

Travel

Portability and flexibility matter more than a single fixed desk arrangement.

Original source includes the brief and alternative sketching/modelling on portfolio PDF pages 12–16.

Original working files / independent images

Development beyond the portfolio spread.

Selected design assets supplied separately from the printed BA portfolio. Browse the original sketches and product views without the page layout surrounding them.

Source · BA industrial design portfolio · 2020–21
PDF pp. 12–16
Concept study
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10 / Industrial design · everyday behavior

Prog. Design for the moment of disposal.

Link to section ↗

A portable receptacle for small waste, developed by examining where disposal decisions happen and why a person may be unwilling or unable to carry waste to the next bin.

01

Observe use

Walking, transit, outdoor leisure, work, reading and daily movement.

02

Translate constraints

Portability, space, convenience, ease of use and product appearance.

03

Explore form

User-context work, persona, criteria and multiple physical configurations.

The original portfolio’s source project is named Prog, not a generic unnamed waste-management study. See PDF pages 17–21, especially page 19 brief and page 20 sketches.

Original working files / independent images

Development beyond the portfolio spread.

Selected design assets supplied separately from the printed BA portfolio. Browse the original sketches and product views without the page layout surrounding them.

Source · BA industrial design portfolio · 2020–21
PDF pp. 17–21
Concept study
Link to this section ↗ · ↶ Return to the CV claim
11 / Implemented design education · Rome 2024–2026

Teaching as design and delivery.

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From July 2024 I redesigned a four-year-group Design & Technology curriculum for Istituto Massimo, under a teaching contract with New English Teaching (NET). I taught it in English from September 2024 to June 2026, designing assignments, lesson-by-lesson resources, evaluation criteria, grading and updates informed by classroom practice. The four year groups represent the curriculum’s progression—not four years of employment.

Design content

From foundations to independent work

  • Year 1: principles, ideation, sketching and technical drawing
  • Year 2: packaging redesign
  • Year 3: group lamp concept and design development
  • Year 4: individual product concept and portfolio development
Implemented learning

Designing the conditions of learning

Project briefs, presentations, visual resources, assessment and feedback make design work learnable and assessable across different levels.

Jump to TEACHING EXAMPLES ↗
All selected teaching resources were authored, curated or researched by me, then prepared for presentation—often with ChatGPT or NotebookLM—and used in lessons and shared with students, as I report from my own teaching practice. AI-assisted visual preparation does not transfer authorship of the curriculum to a tool. These sources are evidence of work undertaken, not an independently measured study of learning outcomes.

Selected instructional resources / differing origins

Plans, explanations and learning sequences.

The selected planning documents and slides come from a much larger body of materials created and used across four year groups. The programme moved from fundamentals and visualising abstract ideas (Year 1), to individual packaging redesign (Year 2), group luminaire design (Year 3), and independent product work, portfolio development and examination preparation (Year 4). I personally reviewed materials before class, refined the curriculum after the first term and updated it again for the following school year.

Four year-group curriculum architecture
Consolidated programme architecture
Four year-group curriculum architecture
D&T curriculum plan / consolidated four-year master plan, PDF p. 1
Year 1 — Form, materials and assembly
AI-assisted teaching slide · used in class
Year 1 — Form, materials and assembly
D&T Year 1 / Flat to Form, PDF p. 1
Year 1 — Fasteners, folds and fit
AI-assisted teaching slide · used in class
Year 1 — Fasteners, folds and fit
D&T Year 1 / Flat to Form, PDF p. 7
Year 2 — Technical visual communication
AI-assisted teaching slide · used in class
Year 2 — Technical visual communication
D&T Year 2 / Blueprint to Canvas, PDF p. 8
Year 3 — Engineering a luminaire
AI-assisted teaching slide · used in class
Year 3 — Engineering a luminaire
D&T Year 3 / The Luminaire Blueprint, PDF p. 7
Year 3 — Pivot types and mechanism logic
AI-assisted teaching slide · used in class
Year 3 — Pivot types and mechanism logic
D&T Year 3 / Mechanisms Lab, PDF p. 8
Year 4 — Production and sequence design
AI-assisted teaching slide · used in class
Year 4 — Production and sequence design
D&T Year 4 / The Production Blueprint, PDF p. 6
English-medium Geography — Earth systems
AI-assisted teaching slide · used in class
English-medium Geography — Earth systems
Geography teaching archive / Earth Systems Logic Review, PDF p. 1
English teaching — B2 six-week lesson planning
Supplementary English teaching resource
English teaching — B2 six-week lesson planning
English teaching archive / B2 Lesson Plan, PDF p. 1
Source · Design & Technology CV; Teaching experience presentation
Teaching experience, selected learning-design deck pp. 12–22
Teaching experience and resources; derivative presentation mixes original and reconstructed materials · Primary teaching materials: Curriculum planning archive; Year 1 teaching archive; Year 2 teaching archive; Year 3 teaching archive; Year 4 teaching archive; Geography teaching archive; English teaching archive
Link to this section ↗ · ↶ Return to the CV claim

From the work to the application

Use the linked CV and project evidence to follow each design claim to its source. The exact section links remain stable between versions.
VIEW LINKED CV ↗

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Preview edition · Not an application submission.

Ashkan Vishkaei

Product & service designer · researcher · design educator

I work where a design decision has to survive contact with the people, materials and institutions around it.

My work spans industrial products, product–service systems, contextual research and design education. What connects these settings is the passage from a situated question to alternatives that can be explained, challenged and put into use.

The Chevrolet conversion brought user requirements into a workshop and a built interior; the museum proposal connected the visitor’s path to staff and backstage processes; the learning project addressed what must pass between school and home. Each demanded a different scale of evidence and a different kind of delivery.

My approach: Start with the actual context; expose assumptions; compare alternatives; make the decision legible; keep the evidence close enough to inspect. This interactive CV is one application of that working approach.

Current focus: Product and service design roles where research, interaction and implementation inform one another. Based in Italy and open to relocation.