John Wanberg

John Wanberg, M.A., is a professor and chair of the Industrial Design Department at Metropolitan State University of Denver. He has been teaching university-level coursework in industrial design for over 18 years. Wanberg has a knack for training prospective industrial designers and believes constant professional skill development is critical to prepare students for their design careers.

Among the many ventures he has been involved in as a professional designer, Wanberg has designed many products for the medical field and transportation. He has a strong interest in ergonomic and human factors research and has assisted in the development of several products that other aesthetics-based designers have avoided. Wanberg has collaborated in the design of robotic prosthetics (for stroke victims and amputees) as well as dynamic, alternative vehicle architectures that have been serviceable and comfortable over a wide range of user sizes. Additionally, while working as a contract research assistant, he developed a prototype footbed for a training device that is adjustability to fit the length and width of multiple users’ feet. His expertise includes technology-based conceptualization, “mechano-aesthetic” design, prototype fabrication as well as composites manufacturing and applications.

Wanberg received a master’s in industrial design from Arizona State University in 2005 and a bachelor’s in industrial design with a minor in Japanese from Brigham Young University in 2000.