Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Dr Hilary Kenna is a lecturer in visual communication & user experience design (UX) design at IADT. She teaches strategic design, speculative design futures, interaction design, graphic design and typography.
Dr Kenna is currently the Joint Programme Chair of the BA (hons) in Graphic Design, the Posgraduate Certificate in Speculative Design Futures and the Posgraduate Certificate in Design Thinking. She currently teaches on the Masters in User Experience Design and the MA in Design for Change.
Dr Kenna is a co-founder of the Public Design Lab at IADT, and a member of IADT’s XR research group. In 2023-24, she was an NTUTTOR Academic Champion for Sustainability and Digital Transformation where she developed the Good Guide to Creative Practice with IADT student researchers.
Dr Kenna has a PhD in Design Principles for Screen Typography from the University of Arts London. She designed the awarding-winning app The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot, which was the subject of her TedX talk, Words Made Usable. Hilary has led research projects in data visualization and her work was granted two US design patents and commercially developed into a product. She has lectured about and published her work internationally.
Education/Academic qualification
Postgraduate - Masters, MA in Visual Communication Design, National College of Art and Design
2021 → 2022
Postgraduate - Other, Postgraduate Diploma in New Business Development, Technological University Dublin
2012 → 2013
Doctorate, Typographic Design Principles for Screen Typography – with refernce to the teachings of Emil Ruder, University of the Arts London
2006 → 2012
Undergraduate - Other, Certificate in Data Visualisation, Institute of Art, Design and Technology
Undergraduate - Other, BDes(Hons) Visual Communication
External positions
Academic Champion, NTUTTOR
1 Sept 2023 → 31 Dec 2024
Principal Investigator, Public Design Lab
1 Dec 2022 → …
Member, XR Research Group
1 Jan 2022 → …
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 4 Quality Education -
SDG 13 Climate Action
Fingerprint
Dive into the research topics where Hilary Kenna is active. These topic labels come from the works of this person. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
- 1 Similar Profiles
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Public Design Lab
Meagher, B. (Project Lead), Doyle, C. (Researcher), Evers, P. (Researcher), Casey, S. (Researcher), Kenna, H. (Researcher) & Foley, J. (Researcher)
4/03/19 → …
Project: Research
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The Good Guide to Creative Practice for Sustainable Futures
Kenna, H. (Project Lead)
2/06/25 → 31/05/26
Project: Research
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N-TUTORR Fellowship: The Good Guide to Creative Practice
Kenna, H. (Academic Lead)
1/05/24 → 31/12/25
Project: Research
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N-TUTORR- Fellowship: Playing for Inclusion: Peer Support and Network Building thought Gameplay
Casey, S. (Academic Lead) & Kenna, H. (Academic Lead)
1/03/23 → 30/06/24
Project: Other
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National Technological University Transformation for Resilience and Recovery (N-TUTORR)
Meagher, B. (Institutional Lead), Curran, P. (Project Team Member), McGing, C. (Project Team Member), Smith, D. (Project Champion), Snow, F. (Academic Champion), Glynn, L. (Academic Champion), Kenna, H. (Academic Champion), Doyle, C. (Academic Champion) & Paz Berrios, S. (Academic Champion)
22/04/22 → 22/12/24
Project: Other
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Design Guidelines to Improve the Reading Experience in VR
Kenna, H., 22 Nov 2023, IEEE GEM23 Conference: CTSoc Gaming, Entertainment and Media conference. IEEEResearch output: Book chapters and conference proceedings › Conference proceedings › peer-review
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Transformations in Typography through the Medium of the Screen
Kenna, H., 20 May 2021, Warsaw : University of Applied Science Mainz, Polish Japanese Academy of Information Technology, IADT .Research output: Book/Report › Book
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Digital Technology—Design Thinking for Primary Education: Research Paper in Support of Technology in the Draft Primary Curriculum 2020
Kenna, H., 2020, In: Research Paper in Support of Technology in the Draft Primary Curriculum 2020.Research output: Journal article › Article
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Touching the text of T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land: A critical discussion of interactive design and screen typography for an iPad ebook
Kenna, H., 30 Mar 2011, In: Book 2.0. 1, 2, p. 207 238 p.Research output: Journal article › Article › peer-review
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Emil Ruder: A Future for Design Principles in Screen Typography
Kenna, H., 21 Feb 2019, The Graphic Design Reader. London: Bloomsbury, 7.2Research output: Book chapters and conference proceedings › Book chapter › peer-review
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The Good Guide to Creative Practice for Sustainable Futures Open Educational Resource (OER) (SATLE Teaching and Learning Fellowship 2025)
Kenna, H. (Speaker) & Murray, H. (Speaker)
25 Nov 2025Activity: Talk or presentation at conference or event › Oral presentation
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IADT Industry Day 2025
Gallagher, R. (Chair), Glennon, M. (Organiser), Clarke, R. (Organiser), King, L. (Participant), Kenna, H. (Participant) & Cox, A. (Organiser)
29 May 2025Activity: Curation and Events › Organising a conference, workshop, ...
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Climate Modules
Doyle, C. (Speaker) & Kenna, H. (Speaker)
30 Jun 2024Activity: Talk or presentation at conference or event › Oral presentation
File