Design meets neuroscience
I design & co-think with the leaders — with neuroscience & empathy — to build for the brain, not against it. (See it.)
Or, the Promise, in 10 sec.
Imagine designing worlds your brain actually wants to live in.
That’s the New Radical, reshaping societies, spaces, cultures and brands – grounded in neuroscience, for good.
If you thought empathy was soft, I’ll show you it’s the sharpest tool we have.
Neuroscience isn’t just the future of design. It’s the long lost half.
But we have to use it right, with empathy & ethics, for actual better worlds.
That’s my “why”. I’ve worked in design 25+ years — in all possible roles — and I love it. (Fiercely.)
I’m mapping a PhD on how the brain responds to design, to help build future societies.
(To keep Earth as our Plan A. Mars can wait.)
Radical Empathy, Starters
European Capital of Culture | Oulu 2026 | The Irish Festival of Oulu | Concept designing
Human-Driven Art | Series: Behind the Scenes | Digital Pearl | Exhibition in Rome 2025
PhD Project Bridging Neuroscience and Design | Mapping Better Lives & Societies
“95% of our decision-making happens on a subconscious level.”
– Prof. Gerald Zaltman,
Harvard University
– Again, design must begin with empathy.
Always.
We are a messy, weird species, trying to survive in our chaotic lives with 10,000-year-old wiring.
Designing isn’t “pretty colors”. It can help solve our most profound societal issues.
Our systems, societies and brands are just million touch points stacked together.
The best ones make us want to stay. Full stop.
That’s why I design with radical empathy, ethics and human-centered neuroscience, to co-build connection. Not to win trust, but to deserve it.
With a world full of noise,
the most powerful voice
isn’t loud — it’s human.
Real, vetted, sweated work, from actual, human life. I’m wildly grateful to have been part of these.
↓ Click image to the case.
Curated Work.
01. European Capital of Culture | Oulu 2026 | Concept Design | Branding | Audience Engagement | Digital Ecosystem
02. Digital Art | Series: Wasted Chances | Necklace | Human-Driven Visual Storytelling | Photography, Video & AI | 2024
03. Series: Within Reach | Title: I see you | | Human-Driven Visual Storytelling | Photography, Video & AI | 2024
04. PhD Project | Design & Neuroscience | MA, Lapland University | Mapping Better Lives & Societies
05. Human-Centered Design Thinking | Service Design | Co-Creation | MA Thesis on Audience Experience
06. Digital Art Series: Behind the Scenes | Digital Pearl | Human-Driven Visual Storytelling | Photography, Video & AI | 2024
07. Designing with Ethics | Bridging Neuroscience & Values in Human-Centered Design | Digital Art 2024
08. Finnish Broadcasting Company | National TV1 | Brand Film & Scriptwriting
09. Published Novelist | Tammi Publishers | 2005–2025 | Four Published Novels
10. Friends: The One Where Structure Matters | Subtitle: BA thesis on sitcom narrative architecture
Design happens in our nervous system.
We are wired for nature. Just a view of nature can reduce hospital stays by 9% (Ulrich, 1984.)
Guess, which environment we are wired to?
*Source: Evolutionary mismatch hypothesis (Williams 1966; Li et al. 2017; Hoogland & Ploeger 2022).
Our brain hasn’t changed much in 10,000 years.
We’re not designed for 100,000-person stadium concerts with 110 dB bass in our ribcage — or for driving 100 mph while 10 taps, buzzes, and pings scream in our pockets.
That’s why we bring neuroscience into design. By understanding our brain, we can design to support our wellbeing.
Inga Cassidy
ingacassidy@outlook.com
Radical Creative 25+ years of experience. MA. Neuroscience-informed designer. Novelist. Scriptwriter. Independent Artist.
PhD-to-be. Foodie. Beginner surfer (bad). Mother. Works with crazy Finnish sisu*. Science geek.
I design for the absolute love for it, but only for humans, not against them. (Us.)
I’m the human here. I do radical listening.
Everything is storytelling. Without stories we would just be baboons in suits, as Harvard sociologist Martha Beck, PhD has said. (I love her.)
Fun is serious neurochemistry.
Shared laughter = shared trust. (That’s not a metaphor. That’s oxytocin.)
it's the real stuff
our weird cracks and crumbs & stories that connect us.
→ Learn what is neurodesign
→ See curated work
→ See published novels & films
→ See my ethics & values