Interview with Rana Nur Ozdeslik, PhD

I think there is room for innovative solutions in assistive technologies and I would like to design a brace for children with cerebral palsy. In fact, I and a fellow orthopedic surgeon from University Orthopedics, Rhode Island had started to discuss possible ideas, but my other responsibilities swayed me away from this beautiful project of mine.

I quite like the work of Markos Kay, in which he presents complex molecular pathways in such a way that it is not just scientifically accurate, but also pleasant to look at. As I was recently preparing a cover image for my research article, I know for a fact that visual communication of science is not an easy task and I believe we need more designers like him to reach out to the public and explain the research findings in a simple and elegant way.

This is an interesting question for me since I am already a researcher working in life sciences.

I was lucky enough to be surrounded by great people who helped me to overcome obstacles. I thank my dear friend Lauren Olinski; my parents, Dr. Ayfer and Dr. Bulent Ozdeslik; my brother Furkan Ozdeslik and my husband Ali Can Sahillioglu for their care, understanding, and support.

I start by looking at what is already done in the field, where there is room for improvement, and if there is more than one place to improve upon, which one is the most impactful and/or urgent.

Elegance + Uniqueness = Design; Elegance + Uniqueness + Functionality + Simplicity = Great Design

If I, or people I know, feel a need for a particular design, I engage in the project at a deeper level and get more motivated to see it cross the finish line.

In terms of material, glass and porcelain have a special place in my heart. On top of their intrinsic grace and beauty, when they are shaped with an elegant design, it becomes so beautiful that I can hardly take my eyes off them.

America designer Charles Eames once said, “Recognizing the need is the primary condition for design.” I also believe that design grows in a crib made out of desperation and need. My own desperation with the commercially available coffee cups is the source of my “WithDelight” design and I would not think about it if I did need a better-designed coffee cup.

Among the elegance, uniqueness, functionality and simplicity features that I consider as musts of great design, I focus on the simplicity aspect more than others. In my personal design process, I find myself battling an involuntary urge to add more features. So, the design could easily get very complex and branches out to tangent topics. I constantly prune down those undesired branches to keep it true to its original purpose.

I first judge whether it is appealing to look at or not. In other words, is it elegant? I do not think I do this judgment deliberately since in the psychology it is well known that in a matter of seconds our subconscious mind makes a snap-decision about objects and people we interact with. Surely, I continue my judgment with other equally important aspects.

I think a designer needs to be aware of the current condition of the people and the planet they live in and the planet they might be living in; and, work on the betterment of these conditions.

In the last ten years, I checked Best of Behance and Vimeo Staff Pick pages every night after work. I believe following good design for a long time sharpened my sense of what is good and what is not. Was my design and illustration abilities at the level of these works? Absolutely not, but I knew what to work on to produce better results.

I follow the steps of scientific thinking: (1) I do a background reach on the field, (2) come up with a design solution addressing a specific problem, (3) test the product and analyze the results, (4) if the design solves the problem I work on it further to optimize it, if not I go back to the second step.

I work in a research laboratory during the day and work on design at night.

Try as much as you can and leave yourself room for mistakes.

As cliché as it is, still it is very true: Less is more.

I believe that critical thinking skills are very important for a designer. If I could be selected as a winner for a prestigious design competition with a limited art and design education, it is only because I relied on my problem solving and critical thinking abilities. Other design tools, such as 3D modeling or branding, could be covered later with enough level of determination and perseverance.

Every project starts with a pen and paper for me. I use Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop if it is a 2D image I am working on. If I need to produce a 3D model, I use Maxon Cinema4D and Rhinoceros. For the 3D printing of protein models, I heavily use PyMOL.

I try to use time realistically. We all have limited time and energy, so there is no point to put an unrealistic amount of task in your schedule and then beat yourself for those that have not been done. I try, as much as I can, not to put too much on my plate and to be kind to myself.

From 1 month to a year.

I 3D printed hands for children born with upper limb abnormalities. Experience Remarks: I met a 12-year old boy at a conference conducted by Helping Hands Foundation, which is a community connecting families of children with upper limb loss. I mentioned my 3D printed hand project to him and his mother, and he wanted a super-hero themed arm with Wolverine claws. That was a challenge I undertook happily and designed a glow-in-the-dark custom-made claw which completed his hand with a proper super-hero theme. In the end, seeing him pleased with the result was pure joy. Later that week, I got this message from his mother: “I cannot thank you enough for you and your colleague's hard work. As you could probably tell, he was very happy AND excited! I honestly wasn't sure how he would react but to see him trying to contain his excitement made me so happy and know that he LOVES it.” I could not wish for a better outcome than this.

I will continue to work on my design and science projects.

Please contact me via email: rana.ozdeslik@gmail.com.