Ghazaleh Sepahpour

Dr Ghazaleh Sepahpour

Lecturer, Product and Industrial Design

School of Art and Design

College of Creative Arts, Design and Humanities


Ghazaleh is a Lecturer in Product and Industrial Design at the University of South Australia, with expertise as a designer, researcher, and educator in industrial and interdisciplinary design. She holds a PhD from Queensland University of Technology, Australia, and specialises in Human-Centred Design.
Her research focuses on 'Design for Connection To & Through Everyday Objects,' exploring not only user-product relationships but also how objects can act as facilitators of social interaction. Ghazaleh investigates how emotional bonds with everyday objects can enhance individuals' wellbeing, making products meaningful and supportive in users' lives. She positions objects as mediators of social connections, fostering engagement and interaction between people. Her approach redefines the role of everyday objects, enhancing both social and emotional experiences for users
Beyond research, Ghazaleh has experience as a practicing designer. She earned her Master of Industrial Design from Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran) and a Bachelor of Industrial Design from the University of Tehran, and has worked in the field of Industrial Design, with a focus on Design for Manufacturing, Design for Maintenance and Interface Design.

Year Citation
2025 Sepahpour, G., & Blackler, A. (2025). A necessary evil: people's attitudes to auxiliary activities associated with owning and using smart devices. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 18(100690), 1-13.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1
2025 Sepahpour, G., Blackler, A., & Chamorro Koc, M. (2025). My Helpful Laptop and its Bossy Calendar: Ego State-Based Personalities of Objects in Product-Person Interactions. International Journal of Design, 19(2), 13-28.
DOI Scopus1
2017 Sepahpour, G. (2017). Applying Transactional Analysis to the Understanding of Human–Product Interaction in Cellphone Design. Design Journal, 20(6), 847-865.
DOI Scopus1
2017 Sepahpour, G., Shahabi Haghighi, H., & Sepahpour, G. (2017). Children’s social interaction and play environment: an approach to user-centered design. European Online Journal of Natural and Social Sciences: Proceedings.

Year Citation
2022 Sepahpour, G., Blackler, A., & Chamorro-Koc, M. (2022). The connection between perceived product performance and evoked emotions. In Springer Nature. Hong Kong.
2022 Sepahpour, G., & Sepahpour, G. (2022). Love for inanimate objects: a model to understand relationships between people and products. In A. Blackler (Ed.), Springer Nature Singapore. Hong Kong..
2015 Sepahpour, G. (2015). The role of the inner child in process of decision making for product selection. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Engineering Design Iced Vol. 9 (pp. 301-310).
Scopus2
2015 Sepahpour, G., Shahabi Haghighi, H. R., & Choopankareh, V. (2015). Designing for children's play ground, a social skills improvement approach. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Engineering Design Iced Vol. 9 (pp. 331-340).

Year Citation
2022 Sepahpour, G., & Sepahpour, G. (2022). Everyday objects as living things: The application of Transactional Analysis to understand and design product-person relationships. (PhD Thesis).

Courses I teach

  • GRAP 1025 Low Volume Manufacturing for Product Design (2025)
  • GRAP 1026 Introduction to Computer Modelling for Product Design (2025)
  • GRAP 2029 Advanced Computer Modelling for Product Design (2025)
  • GRAP 1025 Low Volume Manufacturing for Product Design (2024)
  • GRAP 1026 Introduction to Computer Modelling for Product Design (2024)
  • GRAP 2032 Product Design Studio 3 (Human Factors) (2024)

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