Assist. Prof. Dr Güzin Şen
Güzin Şen graduated from METU Department of Industrial Design as the top-ranked student of the department and faculty in 2012 and got her MSc degree from the same department in 2014. During her master's studies, she worked as a research assistant and spent one semester at TU Delft-Design for Interaction program as an Erasmus exchange student. She received her Ph.D. degree from the University of Liverpool in 2019. Her Ph.D. research focused on the design and experience prototyping of passenger-oriented luxury automotive infotainment solutions using virtual reality (VR). It was conducted in collaboration with Bentley Motors and Virtual Engineering Centre and funded by Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). Dr. Şen contributes to the undergraduate and postgraduate courses Basic Design, Design Communication, Aesthetics in Product Design and User Experience. Her research areas cover product and interaction aesthetics, visual communication and experience prototyping techniques, tangible interfaces, extended reality (XR) technologies, and artificial intelligence (AI) in design. She published in journals including International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction and Design Journal.
Research Interests
User Experience (UX): Aesthetics of Interaction, Automotive UI & UX
Design with/for Emerging Technologies: Embodied Interaction, Human-Centred Artificial Intelligence (AI), Immersive Experiences & Prototyping through Extended Reality (XR)
Visual Communication: Basic Design Education, Visual Thinking, Product Sketching
Degrees
PhD, 2019, University of Liverpool (UK), Division of Industrial Design, School of Engineering.
MSc, 2014, Middle East Technical University, Industrial Design
BID, 2012, Middle East Technical University, Industrial Design
Employment
2025 February-present, Assistant Professor, METU Department of Industrial Design
2018 October-2021 February, Adjunct Instructor, METU Department of Industrial Design
February 2020- May 2020, Adjunct Instructor, TED University, Department of Industrial Design
September 2015-January 2017, Design Tutor, University of Liverpool, Division of Industrial Design
December 2012-February 2015, Research & Teaching Assistant, METU Department of Industrial Design
Courses
Fall Semesters
ID101 Basic Design I
ID111 Design Communication I
Spring Semesters
ID102 Basic Design II
ID523/735 Aesthetics in Product Design and User Experience
Academic and Administrative Positions
November 2023-present, Editorial Board Member, METU Journal of the Faculty of Architecture
August 2023-present, Board Member, METU Faculty of Architecture Executive Board
July 2023-present, Co-director, METU BILTIR-UTEST (Product Usability Unit)
Dec 2022-present, Committee Member, Transfer and Minor Program Applications Evaluation Committee of METU Faculty of Architecture and Department of Industrial Design
Selected Publications
Articles
Şen, G. (2025). Scoping Aesthetic Experience in HCI and Product Design: A Framing of the Literature Through the Dimensions of Contrast, International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2025.2543557
Süner Pla Cerda, S., Şen, G., Kumbasar, E., Şahin, B. & Ünlü, C.E. (2025). Designer Experiences and Perspectives on the Role of Generative AI in Industrial Design. AI & Society. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-025-02504-6
Şen, G. & Şener, B. (2022). Experience prototyping through virtual reality head-mounted displays: Design appraisals of automotive user interfaces. The Design Journal, 25(5), 807-827. https://doi.org/10.1080/14606925.2022.2082128
Sen, G. & Sener, B. (2020). Design for luxury front-seat passenger infotainment systems with experience prototyping through VR. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 36(18), 1714-1733. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2020.1785150
Sen, G. & Sener, B. (2019). Enriching the aesthetics of mobile music player interactions through the use of personal clothing and accessories as interfaces. METU Journal of Faculty of Architecture, 36(2), 141-164. https://doi.org/10.4305/METU.JFA.2019.2.3
Sener, B. & Sen, G. (2015). Transitioning from physical to digital sketchbooks for industrial design education. Design Principles and Practices, 8, 31-41. https://doi.org/10.18848/1833-1874/CGP/v08/38305
Book Chapters
Sen, G. & Sener, B. (2021). The aspects of aesthetics of interaction: Deconstructing the ‘how’ level of user-product interactions. In M. Çelik, & Ö. Yaren (Eds.) Disiplinlerarası Estetik Tartışmalar/ Multidisciplinary Debates on Aesthetics, (pp. 283-300). SANART Estetik ve Görsel Kültür Derneği / SANART Association of Aesthetics and Visual Culture. ISBN: 978-605-06096-2-2 http://www.sanart.org.tr/books/EstetikTartismalar.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0QaFRxCMNiY33Up6DfiaXt9nIO7UpJ2qzny4sc2g28Dx5ywibQlTUMzl0
Conference Proceedings
Dursun Ugras, M., Sen, G., & Gunay, A. (2025). Rethinking self-diagnosis: Bridging doctor and patient perspectives. In Brandt, E., Markussen, T., Berglund, E., Julier, G., Linde, P. (eds.), Nordes 2025: Relational Design, 6-8 August, Oslo, Norway (pp. 1-14). https://doi.org/10.21606/nordes.2025.36
Kumbasar, E. & Sen, G. (2024). Sosyal medya iş birlikleri ve estetik: Instagram fenomenlerinin lüks moda ürünleri tanıtımındaki görsel stratejiler. In UTAK 2024-6. Ulusal Tasarım Araştırmaları Konferansı Bildiri Kitabı, Ankara, Turkey, 10-13 September 2024.
Sen, G. & Umulu, S. (2021). Passenger’s State of Mind: Future Narratives for Semi-Autonomous Cars. In AutomotiveUI '21 Adjunct: 13th International Conference on Automotive User Interfaces and Interactive Vehicular Applications, Leeds, United Kingdom, 9-14 September 2021 (pp. 182–185). New York: ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/3473682.3478679
Sen, G. & Sener, B. (2020). Otomobil yolcularına yönelik bilgi-eğlence sistemlerinde kullanıcı beklentileri ve tasarım öngörüleri. In UTAK 2020-4. Ulusal Tasarım Araştırmaları Konferansı Bildiri Kitabı, Ankara, Turkey, 8-10 September 2020 (pp.151-165). https://hdl.handle.net/11511/82383
Sen, G., Sener, B. & Jump, M. (2018). Contemporary automotive infotainment solutions to empower front-seat passengers. In Proceedings of DRS (Design Research Society) 2018 International Conference, Vol 6, Limerick, Ireland, 25-28 June 2018 (pp. 2246-2264). https://doi.org/10.21606/dma.2018.444
Yardım Sener, S., Sen, G., Pedgley, O., Sener, B. & Murray G. (2016). Product experience and luxury values. Proceedings - D and E 2016: 10th International Conference on Design and Emotion - Celebration and Contemplation, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 27-30 September 2016 (pp. 107-113). https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.2629043
Sen, G. & Sener, B. (2015). Towards improvement of interaction aesthetics of mobile music listening journeys. Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Engineering Design (ICED15), Vol 9: User-Centred Design, Design of Socio-Technical systems, Milan, Italy, 27-30 July 2015, (pp. 159-168). (ISBN: 978-1-904670-72-8) https://www.designsociety.org/publication/38124/
Proceedings (as Editor)
Tönük, D., Şen, G., & Bakırlıoğlu, Y. (Eds). (2022). UTAK 2022 ‘Tasarım ve Çoğulculuk’ Bildiri Kitabı, Ankara: ODTÜ Mimarlık Fakültesi Yayınları. ISBN: 978-975-429-415-6 https://hdl.handle.net/11511/98685
Thesis Supervision
MS Theses
Selin Ayvalı. Designing for Enhanced Trust through Feedback Mechanisms for Takeover Scenarios in Semi-Autonomous Vehicles
Ecem Kumbasar. Meta-Shopping: Design for Immersive and Engaging Online Apparel Shopping Experiences through VR
İzel Çelik.Enhancing Teamwork During Mobile Game Development: Potentials for The Design of Collaboration Tools
Demet Doğanay. Micro-Mobility in Ankara: The Considerations for A Potential Citizen Science Application. Co-advisor: Senior Lecturer Dr Yekta Bakırlıoğlu
Conference, Workshop, and Panel Organization
METU Faculty of Architecture Online Seminar Series “The Earthquake and the Aftermath”, co-organizer (with Duygu Cihanger Riberio, Olgu Çalışkan, Burak Büyükcivelek, Cana Bilsel, Hasan Okan Çetin), February-June 2023
UTAK 2022- 5. Ulusal Tasarım Araştırmaları Konferansı [5th National Design Research Conference]
“Tasarım ve Çoğulculuk” [“Design and Plurality”], Head of Conference Organization Committee,
(with Damla Tönük and Yekta Bakırlıoğlu),14-16 September 2022, online
Auto-UI ‘21 Workshop: “Passenger's state of mind: Future narratives for semi-autonomous cars",
13th International ACM Conference on Automotive User Interfaces and Interactive Vehicular Applications, organizer (with Sıla Umulu), 9-10 September 2021, online
Çalıştay: Kilden “Prompt” Olur Mu? Yapay Zeka Destekli Form Geliştirme Sürecine Hibrit bir Yaklaşım [Would clay make a prompt? A Hybrid Approach to AI-supported Form Development Process], UTAK 2024 - 6. Ulusal Tasarım Araştırmaları Konferansı 6th National Design Research Conference), 11 September 2024
Awards Received
2015, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), UK –Doctoral Training Partnership Scholarship, Grant no: 1615184
2014, TÜBİTAK BİDEB 2210-A- National Scholarship Grant for Master's Students
2011, Ambalaj Sanayicileri Derneği-ASD [Packaging Manufacturers Association of Turkey] Packaging Design National Student Competition – Mention Prize with ‘AOÇ Cam Süt Ambalajı’