Design meets neuroscience
Empathy
is the New
Radical.
Design happens in our nervous system. (Often before we know it.)
I design & co-think with leaders — with neuroscience & empathy — to build for the brain, not against it.
27+ yrs in design.
PhD-to-be in neurodesign. Novelist. Strategist.
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 missing half.
But we have to use it right, with empathy & ethics, for actual better worlds.
That’s my “why”. I’ve worked in design & story 27+ years — in strategy and craft – and I love it. (Fiercely.) Also, a novelist.
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 → Open
Human-Driven Art | Series: Behind the Scenes | Digital Pearl | Exhibition in Rome 2025 → Open
PhD Project Bridging Neuroscience and Design | Mapping Better Lives & Societies → Open
Understanding our neuroresponses can save lives. Literally.
We are a messy, weird species, trying to survive in our chaotic lives with 10,000-year-old wiring.
Design isn't confetti. It can help solve our deepest societal issues.
Our systems, societies and brands are constellations of touchpoints. The best ones feel like home.
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.
We are designed for connection. We read faces in 100 ms (Willis & Todorov 2006).
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
11. A Vision Case: Redesigning Societies & Cities and Systems | Design isn’t bling-bling. It’s a tool to reimagine how we live together.
The best design begins with empathy.
Always.
I’m the human here.
Inga Cassidy
ingacassidy@outlook.com
Radical Creative, Strategist.
27+ years of experience. MA. Neuroscience-informed designer. Novelist. Scriptwriter. Independent Artist. Graphic designer.
PhD-to-be. Foodie. Beginner surfer (bad). Mother. Works with Finnish sisu*. Science geek.
