In Conversation with Isabel Bo-Linn
Design Educator Profiles
We are excited to share profile conversations highlighting members of the DEC Community, focusing on featuring the many roles we hold as educators in various institutional settings and job titles. In this month’s edition, we spotlight design educator Ashley L. Anderson.
Can you describe your current practice and/or scholarly research?
I’m interested in how designers can shape the theories and processes behind intervention-based experiences and how emerging tools like AI influence sensemaking. My current research focuses on a picture-based stereotype threat intervention for Black STEM students and examines how design methods can strengthen its impact. I’ve also worked on projects exploring how AI-enabled interfaces might support intelligence analysts as they interpret complex information.
What is your favorite course to teach (or have taught) and why?
I taught a course called Designing Memory during the Spring 2025 semester. We talked about ephemera and designing to preserve memory. It was a fun opportunity to think about archives and social media in a different way, specifically how we might imagine them differently.
What have you read recently that really resonated with you?
I recently read a technology article in The Atlantic, The People Outsourcing Their Thinking to AI: Rise of the LLeMmings by Lila Shroff.
Do you have any advice for other educators?
Don’t be afraid to let your own curiosities influence what and how you teach. Keep learning!
Ashley Anderson is an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at Virginia Tech whose work sits at the intersection of human-centered design, visual communication, and intervention. Originally from North Carolina, Ashley earned her MGD from NC State University and a BA in Journalism and Mass Communication (Editing & Graphic Design) from UNC-Chapel Hill. She is currently completing her Doctorate in Design at NC State.
This conversation was led by AIGA DEC Steering Committee member Isabel Bo-Linn, Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at Portland State University.
