Afure Adah joined the Department of Design in 2022 in the Design Research and Development track. Her design interests include user experience design, emerging technologies and co-design research methods. Prior to joining the MFA program at Ohio State, Afure worked as a graphic designer on a marketing team, blending her skills in visual communication, branding and UX/UI design. As a former collegiate and international sprinter, Afure’s unique background fuels her passion for designing innovative tools that bridge the gap between emerging technology and athletic performance. She aims to continue leveraging her diverse experiences to create impactful designs that inspire and empower others.
Committee Members:
Peter Chan, Advisor
Liz Sanders
Shadrick Addy
Thesis Paper Title: Sprinters Aren’t Robots: Optimizing Athletic Performance by Exploring Emerging Technology, Co-design, and User Experience Design
Thesis Project Title: SprintSense: An AR and AI Enhanced Training App for Sprinters
Project Description:
This project aims to unite experts of the lived experience—sprinters—to envision and create innovative solutions through co-design activities. Key insights from the co-design workshops highlight the value of AI enhanced coaching and AR personalized race planning in addressing the sprinters' unmet needs, and delivering expert feedback in an accessible format for sprinters at all experience levels.
By designing SprintSense, a mobile application prototype, this project investigates the integration of emerging technologies into sprint training, offering tailored training guidance. This work contributes to the broader discussion on the intersection of emerging technology and athletic performance by exploring avenues for future designs and concepts that include ideas from athletes themselves. The findings demonstrate the power of co-design and user-centered design in shaping practical, inventive training tools that serve the diverse needs of sprinters and athletes alike
