When to Hire Me
With 20+ years of design experience, I lead projects that combine research and strategy with digital product/service design for clients seeking digital transformation and innovation. My experience spans Fortune 100s and start ups for corporate, government/NGO, and non-profit clients.
Key Skills
Design Leadership & Management
Project Leadership
HCD Research & UX Strategy
Digital Product and Service Design
Workshop Facilitation
Design Mentorship
Project Fit
I prefer complex, ecosystem oriented projects with a strong digital component. My ideal role involves running research and product design vision work, alongside a delivery team, for a mission-driven organization that uses technology to create a better world.
While I have the ability to lead a team of cross-functional designers, I'm still hands on and can lead strategy/research efforts as well as design delivery. My portfolio encompasses HCD research, digital product and service design, responsive web and apps, e-commerce, social media, web-based film production and content strategy.
I'm just as interested in an organization's ability to launch and sustain a service as I am in delivering something beautiful and easy to use. I’ve consulted in-house teams on how to establish and scale design within their organizations and I’ve been hired to support capacity building efforts. For design mentorship, it’s best to pair me with an early career designer (or team of designers) on a project for several weeks, or to schedule regular mentoring sessions with early design managers. For those with ad hoc needs or limited budgets, I can serve as a general sounding board to provide design advice/critique or I can host short (1-3 day) design workshops.
Logistical Notes
I'm based in Brooklyn, NY and have previously lived in Europe and Africa. I’m experienced working on-site/in-person, remotely, or in a hybrid team and I’m comfortable with occasional business travel. I accept short- and long-term contracts.
Professional Experience
I spent the first five years of my career as an individual contributor focused on interaction design, and the next five years as a hybrid IC & early-stage design manager. I spent the next several years growing as a design manager, remaining hands on in the work as it pertained to product strategy and research. I then founded a design studio, extending the reach of an existing design consultancy into NYC, where I served as Head of Creative. In that role, I led the studio, managed all design staff, and served as the client relationship manager for a Fotunue 100 client in which I regularly communicated with C-suite executives.
My job hasn’t been focused on making UI screens for a long time, but I can still design. I use Figma. I regularly lead research, synthesis, and attend UX/UI crit sessions with the team. In a pinch, I’ll wireframe, create flowcharts and sitemaps, and write functional annotations. I sometimes moonlight as a product manager.
While the majority of my career has been agency side, I've had opportunities to manage teams on multi-year assignments that effectively operate as/alongside the in-house team. Based in New York City, I've previously lived/worked in Europe and Africa, and I've led projects for clients in additional global markets. I'm therefore well-versed in collaborating and managing international and multi-cultural staff. I'm experienced in managing/mentoring early career designers as well as principal designers and other senior staff.
Head of Creative, argodesign NYC, Jan 2019 to present
Freelance Design & Research Director, April 2014 - Jan 2019
Executive Creative Director, Method NYC, March - Dec 2018
Creative/Research Director, Dalberg Design Nairobi, Kenya & NYC, Jan 2015-March 2018
Design Advisor (pro bono), Praekelt Foundation Johannesburg & Cape Town, South Africa
Design Advisor for various start ups in the US, Europe, and Africa
Interaction Design Director, Method NYC, June 2012 - April 2014
Managing Director, Miami Ad School NYC, Aug 2010 - June 2012
Creative Director / Director of UX , AKQA NYC, Sept 2005 - Aug 2010
Interaction Designer / Creative Lead, Framfab Netherlands, Sept 2000 - Sept 2005