Ashley Deal

Ashley’s Deal’s 20-year career as a designer includes considerable experience in education, healthcare, and design research for new product development. Through her work, she aims to create compelling stories from complex information and abstract data, and transform confusing or frustrating processes into smooth, seamless interactions. Ashley has extensive background designing reports and interactive experiences that communicate information effectively, inspire action, and drive positive behaviors. As a researcher, she finds creative ways to capture the lived experiences of participants, gathers feedback grounded in prototyped experiences, and distills complex qualitative data into authentic and actionable insights. 

Ashley has been working as a Partner at Dezudio, a Pittsburgh-based design consultancy, since 2014. Dezudio clients range from small startups and local nonprofit agencies to Fortune 500 companies. Prior to joining Dezudio, Ashley was a contract designer for clients like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, College Board, and Intel Corporation. 

Ashley is Special Faculty in the School of Design, where she teaches Interaction Design Studio and Lab courses to graduate students. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Vanderbilt University, and a Masters in Design from CMU. As an educator, Ashley focuses on the fundamentals of working intentionally, establishing a strong narrative, and clean, precise execution of concepts. She is energized and heartened by her connections and interactions with the next generation of designers and design leaders.