Published foundation
Published scholarship, with article types, contributions and original sources.
Evidence & publications
Scholarship with
its context intact.
Explore research in human-centered design, aging and well-being through selected publications, original sources and related scholarship.
Understanding the research status
Active conceptual development
Current theoretical and manuscript work, developed through critical inquiry and scholarly dialogue.
Prospective investigation
Research questions and possible methods proposed for future investigation.
Documented prior scholarship
Founder’s published work
Selected publications by Mahdi Fakhimi and colleagues. Author names, publication details and historical affiliations are preserved as they appear in the original records.
Frontiers in Digital Health / 2025
Human-centered design for smart home technologies: a framework for aging and mental health
May 29, 2025 · Volume 7
DOI: 10.3389/fdgth.2025.1555569
Contribution
Proposes a human-centered framework for affordable, accessible smart-home technologies, with attention to cognitive and physical differences and data governance.
Article approach
Opinion article developing a human-centered design framework and identifying priorities for further empirical evaluation.
Original author affiliations
- Mohammad Mahdi Fakhimi
- Department of Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Interior Design, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
- Adriana Hughes
- Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Faculty, Rehabilitation Science Graduate Program, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
- Allison M. Gustavson
- Veterans Affairs Health Systems Research Center for Care Delivery and Outcomes Research, Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN, United States; Veterans Affairs Rehabilitation Research and Development Center for Rehabilitation & Engineering Center for Optimizing Veteran Engagement & Reintegration, Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN, United States; Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
Affiliations as published in the original article.
Journal of Ageing and Longevity / 2025
Evaluating Smart Home Usability and Accessibility in Early Detection and Intervention of Mental Health Challenges Among Older Adults: A Narrative Review and Framework
January 24, 2025 · Volume 5(1), 3
DOI: 10.3390/jal5010003
Contribution
Synthesizes literature on smart-home usability, accessibility and older adults’ mental-health needs, and proposes an integrative design framework.
Article approach
Narrative synthesis of existing literature, leading to an integrative design framework. Its conclusions draw on the scope and methods of the reviewed work.
Original author affiliations
- Mohammad Mahdi Fakhimi
- College of Design, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
- Adriana Hughes
- Medical School, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
- Allison M. Gustavson
- Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
Affiliations as published in the original article.
Preventing Chronic Disease / 2025
Smart-Home Innovation for Older Adults’ Mental Health: Reimagining Usability and Accessibility
July 17, 2025 · Volume 22
DOI: 10.5888/pcd22.250113
Contribution
A peer-reviewed essay arguing for usability and accessibility to play a central role in smart-home approaches to older adults’ mental well-being.
Article approach
Peer-reviewed essay examining usability and accessibility as priorities for smart-home approaches to older adults’ mental well-being.
Original author affiliations
- Mohammad Mahdi Fakhimi
- College of Design, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Affiliations as published in the original article.
Architecture, design & intellectual inquiry
Three authored books
Books by Mahdi Fakhimi, presented alongside his selected academic articles.
Recognition of Iranian Architecture, Concepts and Examples
ISBN 978-600-04-9684-5
Book catalogue ↗Interior Design from Architecture to Interior Decoration
ISBN 978-600-91453-6-2
Book catalogue ↗Tele-Democratic Architecture and Urban Design
ISBN 978-600-91453-8-6
Book catalogue ↗Selected contextual literature
Reference points for a developing inquiry.
Selected works by other scholars that inform critical comparison and interdisciplinary dialogue.
Contextual literature · 2010
Mental models and human reasoning
Philip N. Johnson-Laird. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(43), 18243–18250.
A reference point for distinguishing mental-model accounts of reasoning from the broader use of ‘mental models’ in this developing project.
Contextual literature · 2013
Whatever next? Predictive brains, situated agents, and the future of cognitive science
Andy Clark. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 36(3), 181–204.
DOI: 10.1017/S0140525X12000477
A theoretical reference point for questions about prediction, perception and action.
Work in development
Human in the Realm of Mind is a developing theoretical framework and book project. It explores the relationships between mental models, interpretation and lived experience.
Read the working proposition and research agenda