Ahlam Abumughli

Profile

Ahlam is a design researcher and practitioner whose work explores the intersection between emotion, design practice, and design education. Building on many years of professional experience in the design industry, her doctoral research investigates how emotional design is understood, interpreted, and operationalised across academic and industry contexts throughout the design process.

A central motivation in her work centres on engaging with projects that reflect and respond to culture and community. She participated in various projects, including the Creative Learn Lab, a design-led research group that delivers creative and transdisciplinary projects, bringing together community partners with academic expertise from across multiple disciplines. In addition to being part of the organising team of the Scenarios Forum 2025, an influential multi-disciplinary conference organised by the Priestley Centre for Climate Futures and the University of Leeds. She also participated in various workshops involving local communities, such as Be Curious, LEEDS 2023, Otley Science Festival, and Bradford Science Festival. Whether addressing social challenges, celebrating cultural heritage, or fostering inclusion, she sees design as a powerful medium for building empathy and understanding across diverse groups.

Research interests

• Emotional design
• Product design and cultural value
• Community-Based design
• Co-design
• User experience design
• Graphic and product design

Qualifications

• MA Design, University of Leeds
• BA Graphic Design