What if

we designed for the brain, not against it?

Designing with science reduced errors by 88%* in San Francisco hospitals. Imagine this, at scale.

I’m Inga Cassidy, a PhD researcher in Neurodesign, with 27+ years in design & story – strategy & craft. I work with radical empathy & ethics, as well as Finnish Sisu* to co-build connection and trust with leaders.

Sources: *Kliger et al., 2009; 2012;

design with neuroscience for brands. A woman in a lab cap with EEG electrodes and wires, smiling at the camera, in front of computer screens in a medical or research setting.
human-driven ai art for storytelling and ai art. A woman with light skin wearing a blue and gold headscarf, pearl earring, and a gold satin jacket holding a smartphone.
neuroscience-informed brand design and team creative innovation. Three people underwater wearing snorkeling gear and striped shirts, smiling and giving thumbs up.

Designing with neuroscience & empathy can save time, resources, and – yes, lives.

Redesigning workflows cut medication errors 88%* in six San Francisco hospitals over a 36-month study. A view to nature shortens hospital stay 9%***. Imagine the saved resources, costs and lives.

I have an incurable curiosity on how our brain responds to design – and how we can support our wellbeing and sustainability with neurodesign.

My “why”? With neuroscience of design, empathy, attention, space & decision making we can rewire our societies, systems and brands to support wellbeing, sustainability and efficiency.

Call me crazy, but we can do it. I come with Finnish Sisu*, insane, stoic determination, and am ready to start.

Areas

Next Gen HCD
Neurodesign (PhD)
Design
Design Thinking
Human-centered Design
Story
Radical Empathy
Strategy
Branding
Science of Decision-making

Services

Co-thinking
Creative Design
Strategy
Brand audits
Research & experiments
Narrative & brand systems
Design for trust and belonging
Workshops
Talks
Advisory

Worked with

Neurodesign is designing with science.

Biology is our interface to the world. The smartest design begins there.

  • Neurodesign is a novel scientific field at the intersection of

    -neuroscience (cognitive, social, affective)
    -HCD (human-centered design)
    -radical creativity & empathy, innovation
    -biology
    -psychology
    -phenomenology
    -architecture & spatial designing
    -engineering

  • Some of them:
    EEG
    EEG-hyperscanning
    fMRI
    fNIRS
    HRV (Heart Rate Variability)
    Eye-tracking
    EDA (Electrodermal Activity)
    GSR (Galvanic Skin Response)

    Often supported by
    Think-aloud protocol
    Questionnaires
    Interviews
    Black box method

  • Portable neuro tech is emerging.

    (Also, unfortunately, Big Tech uses neuroscience.)

  • Solid data.

    Other methods are beautiful, but neuro tech – used right – offers us data what other methods can not provide.

    (Note. Preferably mixed with ethics.)

  • 1.Firstly, I bring radical empathy.

    2.Neurodesign PhD on the way. (I feel super fortunate to found to my field.)

    3.Design! (MA in Design Thinking with a Neurodesign focus.)

    4.Strategy.

    5.Story. (BA in scriptwriting. Published Novelist).

    6.Branding.

    7.Human-to-human work. (Bots should do the vacuuming, we should keep the fun stuff.)

    8.Finnish Sisu*.

Why Neurodesign matters. (And it matters, more than you think.)

    • Saves time and errors in daily interactions

    • Lowers cognitive load and stress

    • Fosters a greater sense of safety

    • Creates more intuitive and trustworthy experiences

    • Strengthens sense of belonging and worthiness

    • More effective public services (for example healthcare, education, public safety)

    • Greater accessibility and equity

    • Evidence-based innovation for collective well-being

    • Saves time, resources, and public funds

    • Advances long-term sustainability

    • Workflows aligned with how the brain processes information

    • Faster and more reliable decisions across organizations

    • Lower costs from fewer errors and redesigns

    • Increased efficiency and productivity at scale

    • More resilient operations under stress and uncertainty

    • Better integration of technology and human capabilities

    • Stronger customer trust and loyalty

    • Evidence-based understanding of customer needs

    • Smarter investments with fewer failed launches

    • Differentiation through ethical, human-centered design

    • Validates design choices with measurable data

    • Supports clients with clear evidence for decision-making

    • Provides guidance to deliver quality and responsibility in design work

    • Improves the innovation process with hard data

    • Radical Empathy — neuroscience of empathy and how unconscious signals shape trust and connection

    • Radical Creativity — neuroscience of the creative process, idea generation, and problem-solving

    • Team Dynamics — neuroscience of collaboration, motivation, and collective intelligence

    • Decision-Making — neuroscience of perception, cognition, and choice under uncertainty

    • Innovation — building outcomes that are more effective, inclusive, and sustainable

Sources: **Folstein et al. 2008; Sato 2023; Lufityanton et al. 2023.
***Ulrich 1984.

Brain is the interface that builds our perceptions.

Science shows it happens before (or without) our awareness. In milliseconds**.

We are a messy, weird species trying to survive in our chaotic lives with 10,000 year-old wiring.

Understanding our brain and its responses to our lives helps to design better, while saving time, energy, decision fatigue and frustration – making room for sustainability, efficiency, meaning and yes, actual wellbeing.

Also, designing with this understanding can help solve our deepest societal issues. To me, our systems, societies and brands are just constellations of touchpoints. The best ones feel like home.

We need to design more of those.

I plug into design as a neuroscience storyteller strategist

For me, design is science told as story — and story built as strategy. You’ll see what I mean.

  • NEUROSCIENCE + DESING
    = Neurodesign
    Cognitive neuroscience
    Social "
    Affective "
    Contemplative "
    – PhD-to-be IN NEURODESIGN

    RELATED SCIENCES
    Psychology
    Cognitive
    Engineering
    Phenomenology
    Architecture

  • Human-Centered Design
    Design Thinking
    Service Design
    Concept Design
    Visual & Brand
    –MA IN NEURODESIGN

  • Neuroscience of
    empathy
    creativity
    innovation

    Neuroscience of effective teams.

  • Scriptwriting (short + long form)
    Multichannel storytelling for brands and organisations

    (BA in Scriptwriting, nationally aired scriptwriter)

  • Vision
    Positioning
    Behavior
    Systems
    Futures

I’ll bring design and science, and an incurable curiosity for asking more what if’s.. You can bring… you. (Human, that is.)

Project Snapshot: Team I’m working with right now:

I’ve been invited to work with the team behind Oulu 2026 – European Capital of Culture / Cultural Kaleidoscopes Street Festival. I’m super excited to work with this team. Full story in 2026.

Curious? Open the case.