Hello!

My name is Toby Whelan. I’m an interaction designer with a fascination for human behaviour and a love of problem-solving. I like to create things with social purpose.

Human first, always.

Good design should help people become better versions of themselves. It should enable greater exploration of the self, the world and the people in it.

I strive to immerse myself in the world of the user; learning together and collaborating to create empathetic solutions that solve genuine problems.

Currently exploring human behaviour and delving into the possibilities of design and technology at Umeå Institute of Design. Welcome!

Education

–   Interaction Design MFA, Umeå Institute of Design, 2017 – current
–   Product Design BSc, University of Sussex, 2013 – 2016

Experience

–   Design & Communications, University of Sussex Students’ Union, 2016 – 2017
–   Web Design, freelance, 2014 – current

Awards

–   LEGO Award for Playful Creativity
–   Startup Sussex finalist
–   Social Impact Prize finalist

Press

–   MOJO Nation
–   Toy News
–   ARTS THREAD
–   Toy Tales

Fidget for Good

Thesis project turned social enterprise. Meet MAKA, a DIY fidget toy for children with autism.

View Project

Tomorrow’s Anaesthesia Machine

Sandbox, Patient Prediction in the OR.

View Project

Sound Memories

Audio at your fingertips.

Coming Soon

Small Projects

SensoBooth

Disruptive Design

Journal

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Exploration
February 20, 2018

An Exploration of Eroding Forms

Changing States: Eroding Form Experiments Sanding Wood https://vimeo.com/256658532 To begin my exploration of form over time, I gradually sanded down…
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Reflection
September 28, 2017

What is Interaction Design?

A quick video reflecting on the first few weeks of the Interaction Design MFA at Umeå Institute of Design.  
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These and more like them are published over at my little blog.

Let’s talk

Get in touch at hi@tobywhelan.com, view my CV or hit me up @toby_whelan.