Boeun Bethany Hong

Boeun holds an MRes (Master of Research) in Design Innovation from Loughborough University London, graduated with distinction. Her master's dissertation was critically investigating design politics in reproducing the social hegemonies and existing global power relations. Boeun previously studied a double major in BSc Design (Clothing & Textile) and BA Sociology at Ewha Womans University, Seoul, South Korea.

Boeun's PhD study investigates the design innovation that deconstructs the stigma of disability based on the concept of ontological designing. For this, her PhD seeks to identify the ontological designing relations regarding disability in different social contexts and conceive ways to redesign the experiences and discourses of disability. In recent decades, the "relationality of design" has drawn much attention from many practitioners and scholars of design. The concept of "ontological designing", in particular, sees that "the designed thing" does not exist in neutral or still (stopped) but actively engages and interacts with things, people and the world around it in chaotic ways and directions. Through the interactions, "the designed thing" is being (re)shaped, and vice versa it is (re)shaping environments, experiences, lifestyles, behaviours, thoughts, minds and discourses of people and societies. The ontological understanding of design teaches us important design implications: design should be aware of its social and political consequences, and design can be innovative for social change.

Boeun's PhD is part of the action-based collaborative research project, Para Sport Against Stigma (PSAS) funded by UK Aid and led by the Global Disability Innovation Hub (GDIH). The project aims to provide research insights for the social innovation to break down barriers of disability stigma through parasport to support access and adoption of assistive technology in Ghana, Malawi and Zambia. Boeun's study will contribute to the project by providing insights from the design perspective.

Professor Mikko Koria, Dr Sharon Prendeville and Dr Jessica Noske-Turner.

The Institute for Design Innovation has half-funded Boeun's study. "Para Sport Against Stigma (PSAS)" has half-funded her PhD including the three years of monthly stipends. She received the Loughborough University London Excellence Scholarship in 2017.

• Hong, B. & Prendeville, S. (2019). Understanding Development Discourse through Ontological Design: The Case of South Korea. The 2019 Academy for Design Innovation Management Conference, London.
• Hong, B., Bohemia, E., Neubauer, R. & Santamaria, L. (2018). Designing for Users: The Global Studio. The 20th International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education 2018, London.