CV, Sharon Lindberg

• Doctor of Philosophy, Information Society

  Stockholm University, Sweden (2024).

  📘 My PhD Thesis Design Ethics at Work advocates for a recognition of ethics in design as both a critical and urgent matter that requires proactive attention, and presents concepts and toolkits co-designed with practitioners for cultivating design ethics at work. The thesis proposes that by approaching ethics as a collective effort, ethical knowledge and practice can be effectively developed through joint inquiry. This community-focused framing can support collective sense-making as well as meaningful change-making of ethical practice in the design industry.

• B.A. in Philosophy

  Umeå University, Sweden (2017)

• MSc in Business

  Stockholm University, Sweden (2008)

• Assistant professor, Ethics and Interaction Design, Stockholm University (2025-)

  Researching and teaching ethics in practice with my project Collective Matters

• Teaching assistant, research assistant, Stockholm University (2024-2025)

  Supporting teaching and research in interaction design and related areas, including course development, teaching, assisting with grant applications, and organizing research workshops.

• PhD Student, Department of Computer and Systems Sciences, Stockholm University (2018-2023)

  Researched ethics in interaction design practice. Developed and taught courses on ethics, prototyping, and visual design.

• Senior service designer and UX designer, itch (2017-2018)

  Led service design and UX projects from strategy to delivery. Managed project planning and client relationships.

• Service designer and UX designer, Daytona (2013-2017)

  Worked on strategy, user research, testing, service design, and UX for clients.

• Interaction designer, inUse/Ziggy Creative Colony (2012-2013)

  Conducted user research, interaction and visual design, frontend coding, and user testing for digital experiences.

• Usability and marketing, Stockholm University (2011)

  Improved IT system usability and led communication eff orts, including user research, testing, and designing support materials. Led marketing eff orts and was part of the IT department's leadership team.

• Project manager, Fröjd (2008)

  Led strategy, client relations, budgeting, and team coordination for digital design projects.

• Designer, Stockholm University (1996-2004)

  Started off as frontend developer, then worked as a UX designer and project manager.

I do qualitative and participatory research, focusing on ethics in digital design practice, co-designing design ethics with practitioners. I am inspired by participatory action research as well as communities of practice and inquiry.

🔗 List of publications

My teaching in higher education began in 2007, when I developed and taught a course in web development, web design, and project management while completing my first bachelor’s degree at the Department of Applied Communication, now part of Stockholm Business School. Since 2018, when I started my PhD studies at DSV, I have taught at both bachelor’s and master’s levels across topics such as ethics, visual design, prototyping, and qualitative methods, typically working with classes of 30–200 students. I work closely with colleagues and students to support a collaborative learning environment, engaging in ongoing discussions about course design, assessment practices, and continuous improvement throughout each course.

Selected teaching experience

• Ethics in Interaction Design 7,5 ECTS
• Current perspectives on Interaction Design 7,5 ECTS
• Prototypes in Interaction Design 7,5 ECTS
• Visual Design 7,5 ECTS
• Introduction to Creative and Immersive Technologies 15 ECTS
• Behavioral and Social Sciences 7,5 ECTS
• Scientific Methodology and Communication in Computer and Systems Sciences 7,5 ECTS
• Introduction to HCI 7,5 ECTS

Supervision

I have had the opportunity to supervise numerous bachelor’s thesis projects during my time at Stockholm University, working with ambitious students on a diverse range of topics, such as ethics, female leadership, and interactive installations. So far, I have served as the main supervisor for four theses and co-supervised an additional three. For the spring semester of 2026, I have two more thesis supervisions ongoing.

Course development & teaching materials

I have contributed to course development through refining materials, shaping course structures, and introducing industry perspectives via design briefs, project kickoffs, and workshops used across several courses. I have participated in course planning for all courses I teach on, and serve as course director for the Visual Design course. I have developed a range of reusable teaching materials, including flipped-classroom videos, Figma prototypes, compendiums, design briefs, Miro boards, shared slide decks, and a guide for supervising bachelor thesis first meetings. Across all courses, I prioritize materials that are easy to adapt and reuse, supporting both student learning and future teaching.

🇸🇪 Swedish – Native proficiency
🇬🇧 English – Fluent
🇩🇪 German – Basic proficiency
🇫🇷 French – Basic proficiency

My experience spans both academic and industry settings. In academia, I have served on boards, led a student union, and taken part in departmental leadership groups. In industry, as a project manager and design lead, I have managed budgets, timelines, and teams. Combined, these experiences give me a strong foundation of leadership, collaboration, and strategic planning to contribute to academic administration, curriculum development, and research.