Denise Heckman

Denise Heckman is an Associate Professor in the School of Design at Syracuse University, where she teaches industrial and interaction design with a focus on user experience, design research, and communicating complex ideas.

Before teaching, she spent over a decade as a designer and researcher in industries ranging from greeting cards and consumer tech to biotech and outdoor gear. She co-founded a design consultancy during Seattle’s early tech boom and worked with clients like Adobe and Hewlett-Packard.

Her current work explores how AI can support creative practice. Like many others, she’s still new to it—and encourages artists and makers to experiment with these tools while staying rooted in their craft and values.