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PUBLICATIONS

Faculty and student members of the Humans in Design Lab have contributed to a growing body of research focused on human-centered systems, cognitive workload, and design-driven innovation. Their work spans journal publications, conference papers, and applied research projects that bridge theory and real-world impact. The lab actively engages in national and international academic platforms, sharing insights and advancing discussions in human factors and design. Below is a curated collection of publications and research outputs developed by members of the lab.

Journal Articles

—     2021    —

Alsager Alzayed, M., & Miller, S. (2021). Factors Influencing Undergraduates’ Selection of an Engineering Discipline: A Case Study. International Journal of Engineering Education, 37(2).

Alsager Alzayed, M., & Hendal, B. (2021). Kuwait University’s First Online Learning Experience Imposed by COVID-19: An Assessment of Faculty Members’ Usability of the E-Learning Platforms. The Educational Journal of Kuwait, 35(138).

—     2022    —

Prabhu, R., Alsager Alzayed, M., & Starkey, E. M. (2022). Feeling The Heat! Investigating the Influence of Trait Empathy and Attitudes Towards Sustainability on Student Designers’ Identification of Problem Requirements. Research in Engineering Design, 1–16.

Alsager Alzayed, M., & Alzamel, D. (2022). Assertion Evidence versus Traditional PowerPoint: An Investigation of the Impact of Slide Structure on Engineering Students’ Cognitive Load, Motivation, and Performance. Journal of Engineering Research, 11(1A).

Alsager Alzayed, M., Aljame, M., & Ahmad, I. (2022). Investigating the Impact of COVID-19 Lockdowns on Environmental Health in Kuwait. Journal of Engineering Research, 11(1A).

Alsager Alzayed, M., Miller, S. R., & McComb, C. (2022). Empathic Creativity: Can Trait Empathy Predict Creative Concept Generation and Selection? Artificial Intelligence for Engineering Design, Analysis and Manufacturing, 35(4), 369–383.

Prabhu, R., Starkey, E., & Alsager Alzayed, M. (2022). Exploring the Relationship between Students’ Trait Empathy, Their Attitudes Towards Sustainability, and Their Reflections on a Workshop on Sustainable Design. International Journal of Engineering Education, 38(3), 695–708.

—     2023    —

Alsager Alzayed, M., Miller, S., Menold, J., Huff, J., & McComb, C. (2023). Does Empathy Lead to Creativity? A Simulation-Based Investigation on the Role of Team Trait Empathy on Nominal Group Concept Generation and Early Concept Screening. AI EDAM, 37, e23.

Alsager Alzayed, M., Starkey, E., & Prabhu, R. (2023). Exploring the Effects of Variations in the Timing of a Sustainable Design Educational Intervention. International Journal of Engineering Education, 39(2), 519–534.

Prabhu, R., Alsager Alzayed, M., & Starkey, E. M. (2023). Not Good Enough? Exploring Relationships Between Novice Designers’ Trait Empathy, Their Beliefs, Attitudes, and Intentions Toward Sustainability, and the Self-Evaluated Sustainability of Their Solutions. Journal of Mechanical Design, 145(4), 042301.

Alsager Alzayed, M., Starkey, E. M., & Prabhu, R. (2023). Am I Right? Investigating the Influence of Trait Empathy and Attitudes Towards Sustainability on the Accuracy of Concept Evaluations in Sustainable Design. Design Science. (In review)

—     2025   —

Greeley, J., Mastroly, E., Alsager Alzayed, M., Starkey, E. M., Ritter, S. C., & Prabhu, R. (2025). Are Creative Ideas Also Environmentally Sustainable? Investigating the Correlations Between the Creativity and Environmental Sustainability of Student Designers’ Ideas. Research in Engineering Design, 36(4), 14.

Alsager Alzayed, M., Starkey, E. M., Ritter, S. C., & Prabhu, R. (2025). Can Creative Evaluation Encourage Sustainable Design? Investigating the Effects of Creativity and Sustainability-Focused Design Goals on Engineering Design Outcomes. International Journal of Design Creativity and Innovation, 1–25.

Alsager Alzayed, M., & Alsardi, N. (2025). Dispatch Under Pressure: An Investigation into the Cognitive Load of Kuwait’s Emergency Responders. Journal of Engineering Research.

Alsager Alzayed, M., Starkey, E., Ritter, S. C., & Prabhu, R. (2025). Am I Right? Investigating the Moderating Effects of Trait Empathy and Attitudes Toward Sustainability on the Accuracy of Novice Designers’ Concept Evaluations in Sustainable Design. Design Science, 11, e29.

Aljouhar, L., & Alsager Alzayed, M. (2025). Musculoskeletal Disorders Amongst Undergraduate Engineering Students at Kuwait University. Journal of Engineering Research.

Prabhu, R., Herzog, J., Fodale, R., Alsager Alzayed, M., & Starkey, E. M. (2025). Feeling the Distance: Exploring Novice Student Designers’ Perceptions of the Psychological Distance and Empathic Response Toward Variations of a Sustainable Design Problem. Journal of Mechanical Design, 147(1).
Conference Proceedings

—     2021    —

Prabhu, R., Alsager Alzayed, M., & Starkey, E. M. (2021). Student Reflections on Sustainability and Empathy: The Outcomes of a Sustainability Workshop in First-Year Design Courses. ASEE 2021 Annual Conference – Design in Engineering Education Division.

Prabhu, R., Alsager Alzayed, M., & Starkey, E. M. (2021). Not Good Enough? Exploring Relationships Between Students’ Empathy, Their Attitudes Towards Sustainability, and the Self-Perceived Sustainability of Their Solutions. ASME 2021 Design Education Conference at the International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference.

Prabhu, R., Alsager Alzayed, M., & Starkey, E. M. (2021). Feeling the Heat! Exploring the Influence of Students’ Empathy and Attitudes Towards Sustainability on Their Identification of Problem Requirements. ASME 2021 Design Automation Conference at the International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference.

—     2022    —

Alsager Alzayed, M., Starkey, E. M., & Prabhu, R. (2022). Now Is the Time! Exploring the Effects of the Timing of a Sustainable Design Educational Intervention. ASME 2022 Design Education Conference at the International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference.

Alsager Alzayed, M., Starkey, E. M., Ritter, S. C., & Prabhu, R. (2022). Accuracy of Self-Evaluations of Sustainability. ASME 2022 Design Automation Conference at the International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference.

—     2023    —

Herzog, J., Fodale, R., Alsager Alzayed, M., Starkey, E. M., & Prabhu, R. (2023). Feeling the Distance: Exploring Novice Designers’ Perceptions of the Psychological Distance Towards and Empathy Induced by Problem Variations. In International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference (Vol. 87318, p. V03BT03A019). American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

Alzamel, D., & Alsager Alzayed, M. A. (2023). Work in Progress: Teaching in Engineering Education: Investigating Instructors’ Technology Acceptance and Teaching Style at Kuwait University. In 2023 IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference (EDUCON) (pp. 1–3). IEEE.

—     2024   —

Alsager Alzayed, M., Starkey, E. M., Ritter, S. C., & Prabhu, R. (2024). Sustaining Creatively? Investigating the Effects of Creativity and Sustainability-Focused Evaluation Criteria in Design Tasks. In International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference (Vol. 88384, p. V004T04A002). American Society of Mechanical Engineers.