# Design Interactive
Design Interactive is not a scientist but an [Orlando, Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/orlando-florida) human-systems engineering firm founded in 1998 by [Kay M. Stanney](https://www.edgepedia.org/kay-m-stanney), whose 2019 election to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is the reason the name appears on the Academy's Manufacturing, Services, and Human Systems roster.[1](https://engineering.buffalo.edu/home/alumni/recognizing-our-alumni-and-friends.host.html/content/shared/engineering/home/articles/news-articles/2019/ub-alumna-kay-stanney-elected-to-national-academy-of-engineering.detail.html) The entity behind the roster entry is a woman-owned company of more than 60 employees that develops augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) training systems for transportation, medical, aerospace, manufacturing, energy, and military customers.[2](https://www.prweb.com/releases/design-interactive-ceo-and-founder-elected-to-national-academy-of-engineering-822625435.html)
| Fact | Detail |
| --- | --- |
| Entity named on the 2019 NAE roster | Design Interactive Inc., the company founded by Kay M. Stanney, listed in a member column for a person[1](https://engineering.buffalo.edu/home/alumni/recognizing-our-alumni-and-friends.host.html/content/shared/engineering/home/articles/news-articles/2019/ub-alumna-kay-stanney-elected-to-national-academy-of-engineering.detail.html) |
| NAE election citation | "human factors engineering through virtual reality technology and strategic leadership"[1](https://engineering.buffalo.edu/home/alumni/recognizing-our-alumni-and-friends.host.html/content/shared/engineering/home/articles/news-articles/2019/ub-alumna-kay-stanney-elected-to-national-academy-of-engineering.detail.html) |
| Class and induction | 86 U.S. and 14 foreign members newly inducted to the 2019 class of the NAE[2](https://www.prweb.com/releases/design-interactive-ceo-and-founder-elected-to-national-academy-of-engineering-822625435.html) |
| Firm founded | 1998, Orlando, Florida; 60+ employees, woman-owned[2](https://www.prweb.com/releases/design-interactive-ceo-and-founder-elected-to-national-academy-of-engineering-822625435.html) |
| Founder's training | BS industrial engineering, SUNY Buffalo; MS 1990 and PhD 1992, Purdue University[3](https://engineering.purdue.edu/IE/people/AlumniAwards/ptProfile?resource_id=253060) |
| Academic career | Professor, University of Central Florida, 1992 to 2008; UCF Trustee Chair 2003 to 2008[1](https://engineering.buffalo.edu/home/alumni/recognizing-our-alumni-and-friends.host.html/content/shared/engineering/home/articles/news-articles/2019/ub-alumna-kay-stanney-elected-to-national-academy-of-engineering.detail.html) • [3](https://engineering.purdue.edu/IE/people/AlumniAwards/ptProfile?resource_id=253060) |
| Signature award for the firm | 2018 U.S. Department of Homeland Security Small Business Achievement Award for the Pat-Down Accuracy Training Tool (PATT)[1](https://engineering.buffalo.edu/home/alumni/recognizing-our-alumni-and-friends.host.html/content/shared/engineering/home/articles/news-articles/2019/ub-alumna-kay-stanney-elected-to-national-academy-of-engineering.detail.html) |
## Identity: person, company, or data error
The 2019 NAE membership list for the [Manufacturing](https://www.edgepedia.org/manufacturing), Services, and Human Systems section carries the entry "Design Interactive" where a member's name would normally appear. University and company records resolve the ambiguity: the Academy elected Kay Stanney, chief executive officer and founder of Design Interactive Inc.[1](https://engineering.buffalo.edu/home/alumni/recognizing-our-alumni-and-friends.host.html/content/shared/engineering/home/articles/news-articles/2019/ub-alumna-kay-stanney-elected-to-national-academy-of-engineering.detail.html) • [2](https://www.prweb.com/releases/design-interactive-ceo-and-founder-elected-to-national-academy-of-engineering-822625435.html)
The useful framing for readers is therefore twofold: the article subject is a company, and the scientific standing behind the NAE honor belongs to its founder, a human-factors engineer who works in virtual reality and training systems rather than in the biomedical fields.[2](https://www.prweb.com/releases/design-interactive-ceo-and-founder-elected-to-national-academy-of-engineering-822625435.html)
## The firm and its founder
Stanney founded Design Interactive in 1998 with the aim of combining emerging technology, human factors engineering, and design to advance human performance and operational readiness.[4](https://designinteractive.net/2026/05/21/design-interactive-founder-cro-awe-hall-of-fame/) The firm has grown to more than 60 employees and builds AR/VR training solutions for the transportation, medical, aerospace, manufacturing, energy, and military markets.[2](https://www.prweb.com/releases/design-interactive-ceo-and-founder-elected-to-national-academy-of-engineering-822625435.html)
In 2018 the company received the Department of Homeland Security Small Business Achievement Award for the Pat-Down Accuracy Training Tool (PATT).[1](https://engineering.buffalo.edu/home/alumni/recognizing-our-alumni-and-friends.host.html/content/shared/engineering/home/articles/news-articles/2019/ub-alumna-kay-stanney-elected-to-national-academy-of-engineering.detail.html)
## Education and career of Kay M. Stanney
Stanney earned a [Bachelor of Science](https://www.edgepedia.org/bachelor-of-science) in industrial engineering from the [State University of New York](https://www.edgepedia.org/state-university-of-new-york) at Buffalo, then spent three years working as a manufacturing and quality engineer for Intel Corporation in [Santa Clara, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/santa-clara-california).[3](https://engineering.purdue.edu/IE/people/AlumniAwards/ptProfile?resource_id=253060) • [5](https://www.asemfl.org/deactivated-members/kay-m-stanney/) She completed her master's degree in 1990 and her doctorate in 1992 at Purdue University, both in industrial engineering with a focus on human factors engineering.[3](https://engineering.purdue.edu/IE/people/AlumniAwards/ptProfile?resource_id=253060)
From 1992 to 2008 she was a professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering at the [University of Central Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-central-florida), where she won a National Science Foundation CAREER Award and an Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award.[1](https://engineering.buffalo.edu/home/alumni/recognizing-our-alumni-and-friends.host.html/content/shared/engineering/home/articles/news-articles/2019/ub-alumna-kay-stanney-elected-to-national-academy-of-engineering.detail.html) Purdue's records describe her as holding one of the first UCF Trustee Chairs, a position she held from 2003 to 2008, and she is a Certified Human Factors Professional.[3](https://engineering.purdue.edu/IE/people/AlumniAwards/ptProfile?resource_id=253060)
## Research and contributions
Stanney is recognized as a leader in eXtended Reality (XR) systems, spanning virtual, augmented, and mixed reality, with particular emphasis on training, human performance, and cybersickness.[5](https://www.asemfl.org/deactivated-members/kay-m-stanney/) According to her professional and alumni biographies, her research has influenced the design of current-generation VR and XR headsets, military training solutions, amusement park rides, and enterprise solutions for Fortune 100 companies; specific credits include Universal Studios and Disney immersive experiences, Chevron immersive environments, and [Procter & Gamble](https://www.edgepedia.org/procter-and-gamble) training solutions.[3](https://engineering.purdue.edu/IE/people/AlumniAwards/ptProfile?resource_id=253060) • [6](https://www.ntsa.org/events/2022/4/27/ntsa-april-webinar/speakers/stanney)
She served as editor of the *Handbook of Virtual Environments: Design, Implementation, and Applications*, published in a first edition in 2002 by LEA and a second edition in 2014 by CRC Press.[6](https://www.ntsa.org/events/2022/4/27/ntsa-april-webinar/speakers/stanney)
## Honours and recognition
The NAE cited Stanney's contributions to human factors engineering through virtual reality technology and strategic leadership when electing her in 2019, and she was part of a class of 86 U.S. members and 14 foreign members.[1](https://engineering.buffalo.edu/home/alumni/recognizing-our-alumni-and-friends.host.html/content/shared/engineering/home/articles/news-articles/2019/ub-alumna-kay-stanney-elected-to-national-academy-of-engineering.detail.html) • [2](https://www.prweb.com/releases/design-interactive-ceo-and-founder-elected-to-national-academy-of-engineering-822625435.html) Earlier recognition includes the 2006 IEEE Virtual Reality Technical Achievement Award from the [IEEE Computer Society](https://www.edgepedia.org/ieee-computer-society), an award honoring seminal technical achievement in virtual and augmented reality.[6](https://www.ntsa.org/events/2022/4/27/ntsa-april-webinar/speakers/stanney) Outside engineering, she helped found the AutoNation Cure Bowl, which has raised more than $5 million for breast cancer research.[2](https://www.prweb.com/releases/design-interactive-ceo-and-founder-elected-to-national-academy-of-engineering-822625435.html)
## References
1. [UB alumna Kay Stanney elected to National Academy of Engineering](https://engineering.buffalo.edu/home/alumni/recognizing-our-alumni-and-friends.host.html/content/shared/engineering/home/articles/news-articles/2019/ub-alumna-kay-stanney-elected-to-national-academy-of-engineering.detail.html)
2. [Design Interactive CEO and Founder Elected to National Academy of Engineering](https://www.prweb.com/releases/design-interactive-ceo-and-founder-elected-to-national-academy-of-engineering-822625435.html)
3. [Kay M. Stanney - Purdue Edwardson School of Industrial Engineering](https://engineering.purdue.edu/IE/people/AlumniAwards/ptProfile?resource_id=253060)
4. [Design Interactive Founder and Chief Research Officer, Dr. Kay Stanney, to be Inducted into AWE XR Hall of Fame](https://designinteractive.net/2026/05/21/design-interactive-founder-cro-awe-hall-of-fame/)
5. [Kay M. Stanney - ASEM Florida](https://www.asemfl.org/deactivated-members/kay-m-stanney/)
6. [Kay Stanney, Ph.D. - NTSA speaker bio](https://www.ntsa.org/events/2022/4/27/ntsa-april-webinar/speakers/stanney)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Life and health › Human health and medicine › Public health and healthcare › Public health and epidemiology people*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license