Nina Serpiello, PhD — Design Research Portfolio

Research for Product Design & Strategy

Transforming human needs
into design strategy

Primary research with customers and end users in many experience categories, including AI and data systems, virtual reality, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, patient care, everyday tools, and education.


Oracle title card: ‘We know AI is changing the future of work.’

Customer Experience

Oracle Corporation

Outreach to enterprise customers — expanding research value with customer input and education for AI development.

Lead Principal Design Researcher · 2022–Present

HTC Vive Focus 3 headset

Immersive Experience

HTC Creative Labs

New virtual reality headset and system software for business — design research to move HTC from a consumer to an enterprise VR strategy.

Principal Researcher · 2019–2022

VR aircraft interior mockup

Ergonomic Design

Teague & Boeing

Research in VR for aircraft architecture and interiors, testing spatial perception in a human-scale mockup.

Design Research Manager · 2016–2018

Patient emotional journey chart: emotional stress rises from discovery through diagnosis, peaks in treatment, and fluctuates during monitoring

Healthcare Experience

Artefact Design

Artefact & Dr. Reddy’s — product differentiation and growth strategy for a biosimilar oncology drug.

Design Director · 2015–2016

Taltz automatic injector

Patient Experience

IDEO & Eli Lilly

Device design for injected medicines — a paradigm-changing injector platform trusted in 50+ countries.

Design Researcher · 2001–2012

Zyliss kitchen tool collection

Utilitarian Design

IDEO & Zyliss

Reinventing kitchen tools — 24 purposefully designed products launched in one year.

Design Researcher · 2001–2002

Samsung hospital tablet UX concept

Future User Experience

IDEO & Samsung

Creating a UX strategy for tablets in hospitals and a long-term plan for product adoption.

Design Researcher · 2012

Patient artwork from art therapy sessions

Transformative Design

Packard Children’s Hospital

Using visual-narrative art therapy to help patients change self-destructive beliefs and actions.

Art Therapist · 1998–1999

The NeXT computer with monitor, keyboard, and mouse

Visionary Design

NeXT Computer

Communicating design aesthetics to the core through award-winning technical documentation.

Art & Production Manager · 1989–1994