Jillian L. Warren
Qualitative + Mixed Methods Researcher | Designer | Teacher
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Art (Design Program) at Chapman University, working at the intersection of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Child-Computer Interaction (CCI), and design education.
My collaborative, community-engaged research explores how design can support more sustainable, civic-minded, and well-being–focused futures. I develop tools and hands-on approaches that help students, educators, and youth engage with ethics, material futures, and emerging technologies in tangible and meaningful ways.
My teaching focuses on research methods, prototyping, and alternative approaches to design and material practices. Across my courses, I emphasize hands-on making, critical reflection, and experimentation to help students engage with complex, future-facing challenges.
Projects
M.A.D.E
Samueli
Principal Investigator
This project explores how toolkits—such as Critical Footwear Futures Cards, biomaterial workshops, and guided activities—can support youth in navigating design and imagining alternative futures. Developed through a collaboration with Samueli Academy and Vans, these tools are embedded within a wearable design project and examined for how they influence students’ perspectives, approaches, and sense of agency as designers.
Principal Investigator
This project explores how toolkits—such as Critical Footwear Futures Cards, biomaterial workshops, and guided activities—can support youth in navigating design and imagining alternative futures. Developed through a collaboration with Samueli Academy and Vans, these tools are embedded within a wearable design project and examined for how they influence students’ perspectives, approaches, and sense of agency as designers.
Principal Investigator,
Course Designer, and Instructor
This research examines how Child-Computer Interaction (CCI) can be meaningfully introduced within undergraduate design education. Using the IDC Design Competition as an accessible entry point, and a scaffolded, research-driven project structure, students engage with authentic child-generated ideas, iterative design, and instructor-facilitated feedback from children. The project responds to ongoing calls within the CCI community to share teaching practices and supports more accessible, ethical pathways for engaging the next generation of designers in this space.
Project Manager, Research + Asset Designer, Study Facilitator, Data Collector, Data Analyzer
Understanding unmet social and emotional needs of children and families in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Exploring design opportunities for how a healthcare app could support these unmet needs through co-design with children, families, teachers and industry stakeholders.
Project Manager + Study Designer
*Post-poned due to COVID-19 pandemic*
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Understanding unmet social and emotional needs of pediatric cancer patients throughout their cancer journey. Exploring design opportunities S/E needs and contextual requirements for home and hospital deployment environments.
Equal contributor to wearable idea and original concept design with Alissa Antle and Brendan Matkin. Created wording for idea of "happenstance interaction"
*1 of 3 Design Contest Winners*
Inspired by a purely conceptual Design Competition call at the IDC (Interaction Design for Children) conference, the Story of Things (SoT) system enables children to learn the story behind every object they touch in a typical day.
Creator of wearable concept and original proof of concept design. Further refinement of physical prototype by Brendan Matkin. "Expert review" interviews with real riders to understand their "embodied riding experience" and EquiPressure pant prototype.
EquiPressure Pants are a proof of concept prototype for horseback riders aimed at helping riders better understand the ​connection between their 'perception' of self and their actual physical body positioning/application of pressure, as well as communicate more clearly during training through objective metrics for pressure application.
Usability + Bug Tester, Study Facilitator, Data Collector, Data Analyzer
Youtopia is a hybrid tangible and multi-touch land use planning activity for elementary school aged children implemented on a Pixelsense Surface tabletop. Youtopia was developed to investigate issues surrounding how to design and evaluate children’s collaborative learning applications using digital tabletops and physical interaction devices.