This November, Rebeccah Pailes-Friedman, a leading expert in softgoods design and medical wearable design, delivered an inspiring lecture at Ohio State University titled “Unified Vision: Designing with Engineering from the Start”. In her lecture, Pailes-Friedman highlighted the profound impact that integrating design and engineering teams from the earliest stages can have on the success of medical wearable design projects. She explained that when these disciplines collaborate from the outset, the resulting synergy not only fuels creative breakthroughs but also ensures that products meet the highest standards of user experience, visual appeal, and technical performance. Pailes-Friedman emphasized that this approach streamlines development, reduces costly revisions, and accelerates time-to-market, all while fostering a culture of innovation. Drawing from her decades of experience in the industry, she provided students with actionable strategies to promote cross-functional teamwork, including techniques for encouraging open communication, sharing diverse perspectives, and cultivating mutual respect between designers and engineers. Throughout the lecture, she shared compelling real-world examples where this unified approach led to exceptional results—demonstrating how creative synergy between design and engineering drives the evolution of medical wearable design and sets new benchmarks for what these products can achieve.

Following the lecture, Pailes-Friedman conducted a workshop titled “How to Design a Softgoods Prototype”, where students gained valuable experience in rapid prototyping, material selection, and iterative design. The event empowered attendees to approach wearable product development with a holistic mindset, equipping the next generation of designers and engineers to create solutions that are both innovative and practical.

If you are an educator, part of an academic institution, or represent a corporation interested in collaborating with Interwoven Design Group or inviting Professor Rebeccah for lectures, workshops, or educational programs, please contact us to explore opportunities for partnership and engagement. We welcome inquiries about custom training, guest speaking, industry-academic collaborations, and consulting. Click here.