Resume

Education

Design, Technology and Society, Integrated Ph.D., Koç University, 2018-2024

Received PhD Excellence Award

Koç University, Media and Visual Arts, BA, Koç University, 2013-2018

Koç University, Business Administration, BA, Koç University, 2013-2018

Graduated with Magna Cum Laude

Koç University, Design, Certificate

Academic Experience

2023-2024, Koç University, Media and Visual Arts, Instructor

2019-2023, Koç University, Media and Visual Arts, Teaching Assistant

Courses Taught and Assisted

Creative Thinking for Design, 11 Semesters

I taught the course since the beginning of my Ph.D. program, nine semesters as a TA and two semesters as the primary instructor, although my role did not change much. This course combines the methodolologies of world building, design fiction and design thinking to initiate students to create valuable design ideas and is studio-based. I’ve been guiding discussions, lecturing, evaluating and grading students through the course. I also collaborated with the other TAs and the primary instructor to improve the course structure every semester.

Proficient in Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, and Framer.
Strong understanding of user-centered design principles.
Ability to conduct comprehensive user research and usability testing.
Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail.

Design Thinking, 3 Semesters

I’ve participated as a TA for a studio-based Design Thinking course for freshmen & sophomores from all majors at Koç University. The course structure needed me to guide a group of 5-7 students throughout the semester, initiate and moderate discussions, and evaluate and grade homework and projects.

Proficient in Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, and Framer.
Strong understanding of user-centered design principles.
Ability to conduct comprehensive user research and usability testing.
Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail.

Designing for Extended Reality, 10+ Seminar Courses

I regularly attend seminar courses for master-level students (CEMS and Global Network) as a TA on designing for extended reality. This 3-day course is structured with lectures and in-class exercises where I guide the students through design thinking tasks such as persona and user need creation and come up with creative ideas based on their research.

Proficient in Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, and Framer.
Strong understanding of user-centered design principles.
Ability to conduct comprehensive user research and usability testing.
Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail.

Worldbuilding Seminar, 2 Seminar Courses

I regularly attend seminar courses for Beko employees as a TA on worldbuilding for creative thinking. This 1-day course is structured with lectures and in-class exercises where I guide the participants through developing outputs such as mandalas, personas, and user journey maps.

Proficient in Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, and Framer.
Strong understanding of user-centered design principles.
Ability to conduct comprehensive user research and usability testing.
Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail.

Industry Experience

PREV, Part-time Design Manager, 2023-Ongoing

Prev is a Turkish textile and fashion brand that specializes in producing shoes and accessories with plant-based, vegan leather and other vegan and sustainable materials such as Cupro. I work there as a part-time design manager to oversee the digital design team as well as develop Prev's presence online. My work description covers building and sustaining productive workflows with integrated tools such as Asana, Slack and Miro. I also work on developing the overall business flows with the systemic thinking approach I’ve developed as a part of my Ph.D. education.

Humanart, Co-founder, UX/UI Designer, 2019-2022

Humanart was an online marketplace for wellness events. I worked there for three years, first as a designer and then also in the co-founder role while we went through an accelerator program. My flexible roles helped me gain valuable experience in project and team management.

Pelin Karaturhan

Pelin Karaturhan

Pelin Karaturhan