about

“I’ve spent the better part of three decades figuring out how to turn what-if scenarios into hey-look-at-this realities. Along the way, I’ve had my fair share of ‘oh-shit’ moments, but that’s all part of the process, right? You’ve got to trust the process.”

Me, 2024

About Dan…

Dr Dan Cook is a patented innovator and 25-year veteran of the entertainment industry with extensive international experience. His expertise spans lighting design, interactive art installations, custom electronic design, and technical system design and management of state-of-the-art, multi-million-dollar venues, of which he’s built a couple.

Dan created the very first lighting-video convergence product for the entertainment industry as video was first entering the event space, which he manufactured under the brand D-Tek Industries. After selling his international manufacturing business and associated patents to a major video manufacturer, Dan went back to technical management, got bored, and decided to get a “proper job”.

He retrained as an Industrial Designer, earning a Bachelor’s degree with first-class Honours, all the while supporting his young family by starting two new businesses: school “maker” workshops for teachers professional development and students, and as an interaction technology designer for art installations.

Fearing the loss of access to the big 3D printers, laser cutters and good coffee machine at university, Dan embarked on a transdisciplinary research PhD. His PhD focused on Industrial Design, migratory beekeeping practices, hive design, and sensor technology, aiming to benefit both beekeepers and honey bees by treating bees as users, coining the term “Bee-centric design” in his thesis.

Currently, Dan lectures in Industrial Design at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), where he teaches user-centred design and interaction and experience among other things. His research portfolio includes:

  • Accessible Autonomous Vehicles (AAVs)
  • Tangible Embedded Interactives (TEIs)
  • Industrial Interaction Design Theory
  • AI (LLMs and GenAI)
  • Design Futurism
  • Design for Health

Dan’s publications can be found at QUTs ePrints website and various academic metrics can be found through the following links:
QUT ePrints
Orcid ID: 0000-0002-2682-2008

“That was so good, it was underwhelming… I mean that in a good way!”

Toni Glynn, Production Manager “Emerald City”, Queensland Theatre Company
(For context: she said this after watching a full sized sofa spin and stop on its position mark, within a degree, while itself moving on a giant rotating theatre stage. I should say something here about “good design should be invisible”, but I think “do you know how terrifying the forces required to spin that couch are?” is more appropriate.)

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