Profes­sors

Appointed professor in the Digital Product Design and Development – Design of Networked Systems program in 2018. Ulrich Barnhöfer received his doctorate from Stanford University in the USA, studied at the Stanford d.school and in the Learning, Design and Technology program at Stanford University. Previously, he graduated in Engineering Physics at the Technical University of Munich and studied Spanish culture and language at the University of Seville.

Seven and a half year industry experience at Apple Inc. in California in product design and innovation management. He registered 38 patents and implemented them in products that have been sold in over 900 million devices to date. He has also worked at Siemens, Infineon and Kodak in the areas of product innovation, product design and technology transfer. He developed strategy concepts for start-ups and medium-sized companies. During his time in California, he led the Design Thinking Team in the Systems Engineering Transformation Chapter of Incose.

He has taught at three universities and two adult education institutions in various roles (Istanbul Institute of Design, Stanford University, TU Munich; VHS, Deutsches Museum München). Most recently, he held a professorship for industrial design at an English-speaking, international university (OzU University – Istanbul Institute of Design, ranked 4th in the country) in the Faculty of Architecture and Design. At the same time, he was one of three founders of a combined design studio and co-working space.

Appointed in 2009 as professor for Media Design, Media Informatics and Media Technology. Studied visual communication at the HfG Schwäbisch Gmünd. Since 2002 lecturer for interactive media and freelance graphic designer for clients such as Siemens AG, Daimler Chrysler, EnBW, E.ON, Porsche AG, Robert Bosch GmbH and Fraunhofer Institute.

Appointed Professor for Interaction Design in 2012. Studied media informatics at the Stuttgart Media University (2001 – 2006). Then freelance designer with his own agency – 2av – in Ulm. There he worked on projects in the field of media spatial design, design of classic and new media, projects for and with FC Bayern, Marbach Literature Archive, HfG Ulm Foundation. Since 2008 teaching assignments at Ulm University of Applied Sciences and HfG Schwäbisch Gmünd. Since 1996 projects as a media artist and musician.

Rahel’s professional fascination lies in the tension between the physical and digital worlds. As an industrial and interaction designer, she focuses on new concepts of human-machine collaboration, tangible interactions, and on co-creating assistive technologies. She has worked for different design studios and research institutions, such as Phoenix Design in Stuttgart, the Design Research Lab in Berlin, and the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI). In October 2022, together with Aeneas Stankowski she joined the HfG Schwäbisch Gmünd as a guest professor for creative AI, building the new AI+D Lab, where they are researching how AI will impact human-computer interaction and design and how the technology can be implemented in design education.

Appointed to the Department of Fundamentals of Design and Media Design in March 1997. Studied communication design at the University of Design, Schwäbisch Gmünd and visual design at the State Academy of Fine Arts, Stuttgart.

1990 – 1997 Academic assistant in the basic principles and the rectorate at the Schwäbisch Gmünd University of Art and Design. 1990 – 1997 Lecturer in the fundamentals of design in the communication and product design programmes at the Schwäbisch Gmünd University of Art and Design. 1992 and 1993 Lecturer for the basics of design in the design department at the Dresden University of Applied Sciences. 2002 – 2006 various teaching assignments at the University of Applied Sciences Vorarlberg, Austria in the "Intermedia" department. Since 1999 basic principles speaker at the Schwäbisch Gmünd University of Art and Design. 2000 – 2006 Head of the German university participation in the development aid project "Lincos" with project developments in the co-operation between the MIT MediaLab Boston, Havard University Boston, the Instituto Técnologico de Costa Rica and the Hochschule für Gestaltung Schwäbisch Gmünd.

2003 – 2009 Vice-Rector at the Schwäbisch Gmünd University of Art and Design. 1992 – 2002 Co-founder and managing director of "thema gestaltung münchen", together with Birgit Binner. Project focus in the field of didactic communication with the conception and design of various exhibitions and publications for the German Museum, the National Museum of American History (Smithonian Institution) Washington D.C, the German Historical Museum Berlin, the Lenbachhaus Munich, the German Research Foundation (DFG), the Hermann von Helmholtz Association, the University of Bonn, the Society for Human Genetics Munich, Bayer Leverkusen as well as for book and music publishers such as Siemens AG/Medienservice Wissenschaft, Av-Edition Ludwigsburg, ECM Munich and ConBrio Regensburg. In the cultural sector, CI, publication and event design for Bayerischer Rundfunk, the City of Munich, the German Music Council, the Federal Youth Orchestra, the Richard Strauss Conservatory Munich, Ludwig Musical Munich, eikon film Munich and BMW AG Munich. Exhibition stand design for companies such as Texas Instruments Munich, Caterpillar Dallas, Bayern Zement Munich, Bosch Reutlingen and Bosch Karlsruhe.

Since 2004 concept, consulting and design activities in the field of exhibition design for tg2b, San Francisco, for institutions and companies such as "The Tec Museum", San José California, the Nevada Discovery Museum and Chopard, Genève, Switzerland.

Publications:
2007 "The world of signs", av edition
2009 "beobachten und formulieren", basic course with exercises, based on a film script by Josef Albers, Edition ZKM, Hatje Canz.

Benedikt Groß was appointed as a professor in 2017 in the Interaction Design study program. He is an interdisciplinary designer specializing in Computational Design and Design Futuring. Currently, he is as a professor for Strategy and Interaction Design at HfG Schwäbisch Gmünd.

Benedikt is captivated by the interplay between people, data, technology, and the environment. He views design as a medium to speculate on this dynamic and visualize potential implications in the near future.

Having studied Information and Media Design at the Hochschule für Gestaltung Schwäbisch Gmünd, Design Interactions under Dunne & Raby at the Royal College of Arts, and conducted research at the MIT Senseable City Lab, Benedikt gained diverse educational experiences.

Subsequently, he spent several years in the industry and creative sector, working as a freelancer, Research Associate, and Design Director. His internationally successful works have been widely published and showcased. Benedikt is also a co-author of the internationally acclaimed book "Generative Design" and an alumnus of the CMU Studio for Creative Inquiry.

Since 2021, he has been leading the BMBF research project "KITeGG - Making AI tangible and understandable: Connecting technology and society through design" at HfG Schwäbisch Gmünd.

Appointed professor for exhibition design in 2012. 2003 – 2007 Lectureships at the State Academy of Fine Arts Stuttgart (Department of Architecture) and 2007 – 2010 at the HfG Schwäbisch Gmünd (Department of Interaction Design). 2006 Co-founder and managing partner of Büro Achter April digitale Form, Stuttgart, where he conceived, developed and realised exhibition projects, media installations and film productions. From 2001 – 2006 project work for hgmerz architekten und museumsgestalter, Stuttgart, including project work on the Mercedes-Benz Museum Stuttgart and the Ruhrmuseum Essen. Member of the Baden-Württemberg Chamber of Architects since 2004, 1995 – 2001 studied architecture in Stuttgart and Stockholm.

Appointed Professor of Communication Design in 2024. 1995 – 1999 Studied visual design at the HfG Schwäbisch Gmünd. Then art director at Nofrontiere Design, Vienna. Freelance designer in Vienna since 2001. Projects in various industries, banking, for NGOs and in the cultural sector. 2006 – 2009 Senior Researcher for Interaction Design at Research Studios Austria FG. Since 2003 lecturer at the FH Joanneum Graz.

Appointed professor in the Interaction Design programme for Design Management and Methodology in 2019. Studied Integrated Design at the Anhalt University of Applied Sciences in Dessau and Industrial Design at the Cleveland Institute of Arts. Afterwards research project "Design Planning and Management" at the Institute for Integrated Design (:i/i/d) at the University of the Arts Bremen. 2004 Founded design|menzel.Industriedesign for companies such as Analytic Jena AG, Silit-Werke GmbH & Co. KG/WMF Group. Since 2009 active in the product development of digital systems and applications at rocket-media GmbH & Co KG for companies such as Sparda-Banken, Roto Frank DST Vertriebs-GmbH, Knauf Gips KG, häwa GmbH and SEMIKRON International GmbH. Also advising on the development of (digital) business models. Active in adult education according to the standards of the International Usability and User Experience Qualification Board (UXQB).

Teaching at Keimyung University Daegu/South Korea, University of Kassel, Anhalt Dessau University of Applied Sciences (International Master in Integrated Design "MAID"), IADE Lisbon and in Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes at HfG Schwäbisch Gmünd and Aalen University in the "User Experience" course.

Appointed Professor of Product Design specialising in ergonomics in 2008. Founder and head of the ergonomics laboratory at the HfG Schwäbisch Gmünd. Studied mechanical engineering at the TH Darmstadt. Moved to ETH Zurich, where he completed his doctorate in the field of ergonomic product and process design in 1998 and his habilitation on innovation processes in 2007. Private lecturer at ETH Zurich for system ergonomics/human-machine systems. Holds several internationally licenced patents. Holder of the European professional certificate "European Ergonomist". He describes his field of research as "Innovative Ergonomics". He investigates participative methods of ergonomics and their contribution to promoting innovation. To this end, co-operation and third-party funded projects in the field of medical technology and universal design have been acquired. Head of the Product Design degree programme.

Appointed professor for design foundation in 2006, Held was involved in setting up the Institute for Applied Research at the HfG and carried out research projects in the fields of sustainability, regenerative energy technology, medical technology and haptic interaction. He currently is Prorector for Research. He is member of the German Society for Design Theory and Research (DGTF), of the Design Research Society UK, member of the AG Gestaltung of the German Rectors’ Conference, jury member of the Federal Award Bundespreis Ecodesign and expert for the Swiss National Science Foundation.

Matthias Held graduated with a diploma in product design from the HfG Schwäbisch Gmünd. He then worked for the German development aid agency GIZ as a design consultant on projects in Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Tunisia. After post-graduate studies as a Fulbright Scholar at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY, graduation as Master of Industrial Design (MID). 1996 return to Germany and foundation of the design studio quintessence in Stuttgart. Works in the field of product design, interior design, exhibitions and transmedia design, among others for Blanco, Badger Meter, Caritas, Daimler, Hymer IDC, Le Creuset, Rotwerk, SWR and municipal clients.

Publications:
Material Trajectories: Designing with Care?, Perraudin, Winkler, Mareis, Held (Hrsg.), Meson Press, Lüneburg 2023

Nachhaltigkeit in der Designausbildung – Potenziale für transdisziplinäre Forschung, in: Nachhaltigkeit in der Lehre – eine Herausforderung für Hochschulen, Leal Filho, Springer Spektrum, Berlin 2018

Transdisciplinary Research through Design – Shifting Paradigms as an Opportunity, in: Design as Research, Joost, Bredies, Christensen, Conradi, Unteidig (Hrsg.), Birkhäuser, Basel 2016

Wer gestaltet die Gestaltung? – Praxis, Theorie und Geschichte des partizipatorischen Designs, Mareis, Held, Joost (Hrsg.), Transcript, Bielefeld 2013

Leif Huff was appointed Professor of Product Design with a focus on sustainability in October 2024. He studied product design at the HfG für Gestaltung Schwäbisch Gmünd and holds a Master's degree (3D Design) from the Cranbrook Academy of Art in the USA.

As a product designer, design and innovation strategist, he has 30 years of international experience, including 24 years at IDEO, where he worked as a Partner in Europe and the USA for more than a decade. Prior to his professorship, Leif most recently led the Strategy and Industrial Design teams at FLUID in Munich. Prior to that, he was responsible for product design and brand building at Wirelane, an electric mobility startup. During his career at IDEO, he started working as Industrial Designer at the Boston and Palo Alto studios and then, as a Partner, was responsible for managing the Munich office. Most recently he headed the IDEO NY office. Before joining IDEO, he was Design Manager at Siemens Design & Messe in Munich. In addition to his work in the industry, Leif Huff has been a regular lecturer and visiting professor at universities in Germany (HfG Offenbach), the USA (Parsons School of Design, Cornell University) and Sweden (at the HfG partner university Lund University School of Industrial Design).

Leif is convinced that the challenges and opportunities of an increasingly globalized and technologized world can be reconciled with sustainability. Technology and business that go beyond efficiency and productivity are opening up new possibilities for design. He sees integrated approaches in the collaboration of design with science, business and engineering as crucial for product design committed to sustainability.

Appointed Professor for Scientific Foundations in 2001. Doctorate 1994, habilitation 2004, research associate at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster and at the Environmental Research Centre Leipzig-Halle. Main areas of work: sociological theory, social theory, cultural analysis, communication and media theory, science studies.

Selection of recent publications:
Georg Kneer, Markus Schroer (eds.): Soziologische Theorien, 2009. Georg Kneer: Jenseits von Realismus und Antirealismus. A defence of social constructivism against its post-constructivist critics, in: Zeitschrift für Soziologie, Heft 1, Jg. 38, 2009.

Georg Kneer, Markus Schroer, Erhard Schüttpelz (eds.): Bruno Latour's Collectives. Contributions to the Dissolution of Social Boundaries, 2008.

Rainer Greshoff, Georg Kneer, Wolfgang Ludwig Schneider (eds.): Verstehen und Erklären. Social and cultural science perspectives, 2008.

Georg Kneer: Institution/Organisation. Über die Paradoxie des Organisierens, in: Stephan Moebius, Andreas Reckwitz (eds.): Poststrukturalistische Sozialwissenschaften, 2008.

Georg Kneer: Zur Integration des Systembegriffs in Hartmut Esser's explanatory sociology, in: Rainer Greshoff, Uwe Schimank (eds.): Integrative Sozialtheorie? Esser, Luhmann, Weber, 2006.

Georg Kneer: Jean Baudrillard, in: Dirk Kaesler (ed.): Aktuelle Theorien der Soziologie, 2005.

Georg Kneer: Differentiation in Luhmann and Bourdieu. A comparison of theories, in: Armin Nassehi, Gerd Nollmann (eds.): Bourdieu and Luhmann, 2004.

Appointed professor at the Department of Communication Design in 2002, specialising in digital media. From 1998 – 2002 teaching assignments at the University of Design Schwäbisch Gmünd and until summer 2012 head of the Interaction Design programme. 1996 – 1998 Project work at "Produktentwicklung Roericht/Design Research Ulm". Research and development projects for and with Madaus AG, University of Ulm. 1996 Foundation of the office neustart corporate medialab: various communication, research and development projects for Siemens, Daimler AG, Texas Instruments, Süddeutscher Verlag, Miele, E.ON.

Appointed Professor of Interaction Design in 2014. Studied in the Cologne Model Design Programme (now KISD), then worked in research and teaching with Gui Bonsiepe. 1993 – 2004 Conception, design and development of interactive media in his own office. 1999 – 2001 frogdesign Düsseldorf and Berlin, most recently head of the team for user interface design. Lectureships at the UdK Berlin, HfK Bremen, University of Essen, KISD. Professor of Digital Media at Bremen University of Applied Sciences (2004 – 2011) and HTW Berlin (2011 – 2014).

Publications on interface semiotics, auditory interfaces, the relationship between interface and product design, persuasive media and the information department of the HfG Ulm. Head of the Interaction Design programme since 2018.

Appointed Professor of Digital Media Communication Design in 2018. Andreas Pollok studied MultiMediaArt at the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences, completed the Information Experience Design master's programme at the Royal College of Art London and conducted research at the Copenhagen Institute for Interaction Design.

In 2007, he co-founded the design studio Strukt in Vienna. There he conceived and realised projects in the fields of graphic design, interface design and animation, as well as interactive installations for exhibitions, museums and public spaces. From 2014, he worked as an interaction designer at Skype and Microsoft in London and Copenhagen, and from 2016 – 2018 he was Principal Visual UX Designer at Logitech in Lausanne. Since 2005, he has held various teaching positions at the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences, the University of Art and Design Linz and the EPFL+ECAL Lab in Lausanne.

As a designer, his focus is on the conception of fair and useful digital applications and on how the potential of digital media can be utilised and expanded.

Interim Professor for Digital Product Design and Development since 2023. Studied "Digital Media" at Ulm University of Applied Sciences and Strategic Design at HfG Schwäbisch Gmünd. Since 2012 freelance work with a focus on interactive media stations for fairs and museums, at the same time teaching assignments at HfG Schwäbisch Gmünd and ZfG Ulm.

Appointed Professor of Product Design at the HfG Schwäbisch Gmünd in 2007. Head of the PG degree programme from 2008 – 2013, member of the Senate from 2008 – 2014 and since 2018. Teaching on the Product Design course with a focus on design engineering and, from 2008 – 2015, topology optimisation in the Master's in Strategic Design. After studying mechanical engineering at the Ravensburg-Weingarten University of Applied Sciences, specialising in energy and vehicle technology, studied capital goods design at the Stuttgart State Academy of Art and Design. 1993 in the development team "assembly-orientated design of motor vehicles" at the Fraunhofer Institute Stuttgart IPA. From 1993 – 1997 project manager at MH Design Engineering in Germany and Switzerland. 1997 – 2004 project manager at Studio De Lucchi, Milan. During this time he founded his own studio, where he developed office furniture, medical technology, luminaires and lighting technology, among other things. Partly associated with the supervision of the entire process from concept to realisation. The products developed for Artemide, Armani, Brunner, iGuzzini, Interstuhl, Leifheit, Molteni and others are distributed worldwide, and many have been honoured with design awards. From 2016 to 2018, he worked with the Airbus development team to create the design and, together with Ralf Christe, the interface for CIMON 1 + 2 (Crew Interactive MObile companioN). CIMON 1 was on the ISS with astronaut Alexander Gerst at the end of 2018. CIMON 2 was on the ISS in 2019.

Professor at the FH Aachen Faculty of Design from 2004 – 2007. From 2007 – 2017, he was a member of the management team of the Istanbul Design Campus and organised annual German-Turkish design workshops. In 2013, he taught as a visiting professor at San Jose State University in California.

2009 – 2016 on the advisory board of the Electric Vehicle Institute. In 2014 he was appointed as a member of the VDI guideline committee 2424 "Industrial Design". He was a jury member for design and innovation awards, including the IF Award. He has carried out numerous industry-university collaborations, e.g. with Aesculab, Audi, BASF, Hartmann, Hohenloher, Hama, Leifheit. In the winter semester 2017/2018 and 2022 he taught and researched at the Tecnológico de Costa Rica (TEC). He founded goHfG in 2020.

Appointed in 1992 for the interdisciplinary foundation course. 1993 – 1999 Vice-Rector of the HfG, 1992 – 2006 and currently a member of the Senate, 2006 – 2015 on the University Council. Teaching in the fundamentals, in the Product Design Program and in the Master's Program in Strategic Design.

Studied Visual Design at the HfG and Visual Communication at the HdK Berlin. During her studies she founded “konzeption + gestaltung” berlin (CD, CI) and k+g systeme gmbh (mixed media, UI) in 1989. Founding member of VDGD, editor of “standpunkte” 1999 – 2005. International awards such as Certificate of Typographic Excellence 2008, TDC New York. Consultant, reviewer, jury member. Co-curator of the exhibition Transhuman – From Prosthetics to Cyborg, a co-operation of the HfG and the Museum Ulm 2020. Publications, research areas: Theory of visual signs, programmatics of design, hierarchy of interfaces, UX, design strategies, cyborg/transhuman design, construction of identity in virtual space. Development of various specializations such as the future of work and transhuman design in the Master's program.

Publications:

Proportion, foreword by H.W. Kapitzki, Verlag der Hochschule der Künste Berlin, 1987

Operating and using – interface design and feedback functions, Standpunkte 5, 1996

Gestaltung im Projekt der Moderne/Design in the project of modernity, av-edition, 1997/99

Vision Energy – Design for responsible energy utilisation, horizonte – Forschung in Baden-Württemberg, 2006/2007

Experiment Waste Product – Design research on the relationship between discarding and designing, horizonte, 2008/2011

Transhumanism – Third eye, second nose? The WELT Iconist, 2019

Under the skin – Transhuman is what we make of it, Museum Ulm, publication Transhuman, 2020

Appointed Professor of Design History, Design Research and Exhibition Theory in the Communication Design degree programme in 2012. The art historian has headed the archive of the former Hochschule Gestaltung (HfG) Ulm since 1997 and curated numerous exhibitions on various aspects of the HfG Ulm and the internationally renowned designer Otl Aicher. After her studies at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and her doctorate at the Technical University of Munich, she worked for several years for the "Neue Sammlung, The International Design Museum Munich" and for the Architecture Museum of the Technical University of Munich. Vice Rector of the HfG Schwäbisch Gmünd until 2021.

Appointed in 2011 for the field of product design. After graduating in Industrial Design at the University of Duisburg-Essen, she has been working as a designer at the Neu-Ulm-based agency uli schade industriedesign since 1994. At the same time, she took on various teaching assignments at the university there and at Ulm University of Applied Sciences, where she worked as a professor of industrial design from 2009 after completing her doctorate in 2007 on the effects of global value creation on German industrial and product design. From 2014 to 2019, she was head of the Master's programme in Strategic Design. Vice Rector of the HfG Schwäbisch Gmünd until 2021.

Appointed professor in the Digital Product Design and Development department in 2017. Studied product design at the HfG Schwäbisch Gmünd. 2003 Co-founder and creative director of Schusterjungen und Hurenkinder GmbH, where he looked after clients such as Opel, adidas, BMW, Deutsche Bahn, Epson Europe Electronics, Hypo Real Estate and Munich Re. At the same time, he worked with his office on initiative development projects, from which Goodster GmbH emerged in 2013, where he has been responsible for process development, technology and product development ever since. Since 2015, he has lectured at the HfG Schwäbisch Gmünd in the fields of Digital Product Design and Development and Interaction Design.

Aeneas Stankowski is a designer, researcher and educator working on the contextualization of new technologies, and recently, the boundary between artificial intelligence and interaction design. He has worked for Braun, Design Research Lab and co-founded the interaction design studio Same. In October 2022, together Rahel Flechtner, he joined the HfG Schwäbisch Gmünd as a guest professor for creative AI, building the new AI+D Lab, where they are researching how AI will impact human-computer interaction and design and how the technology can be implemented in design education.

Jordi Tost is a design researcher at the intersection of interaction design, critical design practice, and AI. His research explores methods and practices for fostering critical reflection, combining prototyping and speculative approaches to understand and redefine human-technology relations. He has worked for various design studios and has researched and lectured at institutions such as the Interaction Design Lab at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam and the Digital Bauhaus Lab at Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. In October 2024 he joined the HfG Schwäbisch Gmünd as a visiting professor for creative AI, sharing this position with Rahel Flechtner. Together with the AI+D Lab team, he investigates the possibilities and challenges of AI in design, including how to integrate it into design processes and design education.

Appointed professor in the Communication Design programme in 2012. Studied "Visual Design" at the HfG Schwäbisch Gmünd. Since 2006 own office in Stuttgart with clients such as Ernst-Klett-Verlag, BMW, Ministry of Finance Baden-Württemberg. One focus of his work is the design of sign systems: Pictograms and icons, but also letters and typefaces, such as the font "FF Netto" (with Fontshop International). Previously a graphic designer at HG Merz Architekten Museumsgestalter, Stuttgart. Exhibition graphics for the Porsche Museum and the Dresden Military History Museum, orientation system for the Mercedes-Benz Museum, among others. Head of the Communication Design degree programme.

Dodo Vögler has held a deputy professorship in the Master's degree programme in Strategic Design since the summer semester 2023. Her teaching and professional activities focus on researching and designing possible and desirable futures. She works with students to test how methods from design and futurology can be used to anticipate and visualise future developments and scenarios, thereby supporting social change.

She is co-founder of the strategy and innovation agency Ellery Studio in Berlin. There she advises German and international companies and organisations on integrated and user-centred innovation projects and communication approaches (including design thinking, scenario techniques, visioning and roadmapping, qualitative research approaches, storytelling, infographics and campaign creation). Her work has been honoured internationally, including Netzwerk Zukunftsforschung (scientific young talent award), Fast Company's World Changing Ideas Awards and Spiegel Social Design Award (finalist), Malofiej Award, dpa-infographic award, European Design Award, ADC Award (winner).

She is also co-founder of "Speculative Futures Berlin" and "Zukunftsforscherin.de".