Ms Danielah Martinez

Danielah's PhD research is supported by an Australian Research Training Program scholarship. It is a self-initiated, practice-led investigation into dominant productivity narratives of ageing within industrial design. Under the supervision of Associate Professor Katherine Moline and Professor Reside Oya Demirbilek, Danielah leads all aspects of the research, including ethics approvals, method design, participant recruitment, data collection, and analysis. The study introduces a caring design methodology that repositions designers, users, and designed objects in interdependent relationships, offering a contemporary and inclusive approach to participatory design. This work challenges normative models of ageing and proposes inclusive principles for commercial design practice.

As an education-focussed academic, Danielah's pedagogical research contributes original insights to design education by critically examining how competency-based education (CBE) can be integrated into creative practice contexts. Working collaboratively with Bronwen Williams and Dr Haider Akmal, Danielah contributed to the development of an ethics-approved study focussed on FADA1010, a foundational interdisciplinary design course. This research explores how CBE frameworks can support creativity, motivation, and student wellbeing, and has directly informed curriculum and assessment practices aligned with the pedagogical values of design education.