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Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Intentional Design Key to Promoting Empathy in Virtual Reality

Researchers at the Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business challenge the belief that Virtual Reality (VR) inherently fosters perspective-taking in their article, “Seeing Is Not Thinking: Testing capabilities of VR to Promote Perspective-Taking.” They argue that VR's potential as an "empathy machine" relies on intentional design that promotes active cognitive engagement. Through experiments, they found that perspective-taking is enhanced when users are prompted with specific tasks, encouraging them to consider the character's viewpoint. This study, which received the Best Paper Award at IEEE VR, underscores the importance of purposeful VR design to effectively harness its empathetic capabilities.

Friday, April 4, 2025 2:30 pm - 5:00 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)

2025 Capstone Showcase and Grad Send off

Students will showcase their work and discuss their approach to the 2025 Service Design Challenge, an international competition focused on service design for global issues. This year, they collaborated with IBM mentors to create innovative products and services that support sustainable development and equitable progress. Join us on April 4 to see firsthand the skills and knowledge our students have developed.

Saturday, March 1, 2025 9:00 am - 6:00 pm EST (GMT -05:00)

BLEND: Hope Health & Humanity

BLEND: What to expect

At Blend, you'll connect with like-minded professionals, hear stories of designers and leaders facing the future and redefining realities, and participate in workshops that will help you in your industry.

This year features keynotes and workshops from industry leaders and the BLEND after-party. And the best part? You'll be surrounded by people who are just as passionate about breaking boundaries as you are. We're talking about entrepreneurs, creatives, and boundary-pushing thinkers who will inspire you to think bigger and bolder than ever before.

Over the day, you'll be inspired as we hear inspiring stories of people in our community of designers breaking boundaries and overcoming obstacles to redefine our world.

We'd love for you to be part of the conversation. We promise it'll be worth the investment.

When is it?

Join us on March 1, 2025 at the Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business. This event includes refreshments, lunch, and light appetizers at our networking social evening.


For more information including schedule and speaker line up please check out the Blend website. 

Tuesday, December 17, 2024

Lights On at the Stratford School

Three student projects from the University of Waterloo Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business will be showcased at the Lights On Stratford festival, running until January 19, 2025. These projects, part of the GBDA 412 – Special Topics in Media Architecture course, highlight the students' ability to merge technology and the arts.

Under the guidance of David Han, students created interactive installations reflecting on local, non-human activity. The top three projects selected are:

  1. A Living Entity: Animates the Avon River, emphasizing its future significance.
  2. Nocturnal Visions: Highlights the roles and behaviors of nocturnal animals.
  3. Fungi: Beyond the Eye: Explores the hidden world of local fungi roots (mycelium).

The course emphasizes thorough research and iterative feedback, culminating in a final presentation to a panel of community representatives.

Friday, December 20, 2024 (all day) Saturday, December 21, 2024 (all day) Sunday, December 22, 2024 (all day) Thursday, December 26, 2024 (all day) Friday, December 27, 2024 (all day) Saturday, December 28, 2024 (all day) Sunday, December 29, 2024 (all day) Thursday, January 2, 2025 (all day) Friday, January 3, 2025 (all day) Saturday, January 4, 2025 (all day) Sunday, January 5, 2025 (all day) Thursday, January 9, 2025 (all day) Friday, January 10, 2025 (all day) Saturday, January 11, 2025 (all day) Sunday, January 12, 2025 (all day) Thursday, January 16, 2025 (all day) Friday, January 17, 2025 (all day) Saturday, January 18, 2025 (all day) Sunday, January 19, 2025 (all day)

Lights On at the Stratford School

Three student projects from GBDA 412 – Special Topics in Media Architecture will be featured in Lights On Stratford, an annual city-wide festival, starting December 13. The course, designed and taught by David Han, a media artist and PhD candidate in Cinema & Media Arts at York University, reflects the students’ ability to bring technology and the arts together. 

Earlier this term, student teams presented their installations to a panel consisting of representatives from Lights On, the City of Stratford, and the Stratford School. The selections are: 

  • A Living Entity is an interactive installation that brings to life the Avon River, showcasing its role in Stratford's future. 
  • Nocturnal Visions brings awareness to the essential roles of nocturnal animals, showcasing their unique behaviours and contributions to our environment. 
  • Fungi: Beyond the Eye invites viewers to explore the non-human, present world of fungi roots, called mycelium, local to the city of Stratford.
Presentation kickoff
Friday, November 8, 2024

uXperience Design Jam with Sun Life

In November, over 100 students from UWaterloo, University of Toronto, and Wilfrid Laurier participated in a Financial Fluency design event. The goal was to empower young Canadians with financial tools and education. Students worked through the weekend to develop solutions and pitch them to judges from Sun Life and UWaterloo.

Winning Team: Fund Forward - Visualized financial goals and life milestones. Runner-Up: Mula - Created a community of financial advisors. Honourable Mention: Sprout - Used gamification to engage users with financial goals.

Accessible gaming controller with adaptive switches prototype
Monday, November 4, 2024

Creating a More Inclusive Gaming Experience using Generative Artificial Intelligence

Professors Karen Cochrane and Daniel Harley from Stratford are using Generative AI (GenAI) to create customizable gaming controllers for individuals with complex disabilities. Dr. Cochrane's collaboration with caregivers plays a crucial role in designing these accessible solutions, ensuring they meet the unique needs of users. Their project, awarded by the Google Academic Research Awards (GARA), aims to enhance accessibility and social inclusion through low-cost, user-friendly technology. By leveraging their combined expertise in physical computing and gaming interaction, Dr. Harley and Dr. Cochrane are developing innovative solutions that improve the quality of life for people with disabilities. The project will receive up to $150,000 USD in funding and support from Google, highlighting a future where technology fosters a more inclusive gaming experience.

Bright Ideas - An Interactive Media Expo
Wednesday, November 6, 2024 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm EST (GMT -05:00)

Bright Ideas

This winter, University of Waterloo’s Stratford School students present captivating interactive media projects at the Lights on Stratford Winter Festival. Join us for Bright Ideas: An Interactive Media Expo to meet the creators, give feedback, and witness the future of interactive media. Three projects will be showcased on our campus facade. Be part of the magic and share your thoughts with our talented students!

Preparing for a Career in UX with Sun Life
Wednesday, October 23, 2024 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)

Preparing for a Career in UX - a Lunch and Learn presented by Sun Life

Students: Join us as we welcome Samanthi Jayetileke and Scott Paquette, from Sun Life Financial, as they present a Lunch and Learn on preparing for a career in UX!

This interactive Lunch and Learn will present tips and tricks to help better prepare YOU for the UX job market. Not only will you have the chance to meet with industry leaders in the field, but you'll also have the chance to win some great prizes. All attendees will also be able to enjoy a free catered lunch during the session.


There are limited seats at this event so make sure to sign up ASAP before tickets sell out!