My Approach
Pick Up the Marker & Solve for X
Whether it's art directing commercial photo shoots or launching mobile apps for millions of users, I start with almost exactly the same approach. Questions. Hundreds of them. Immersion into the subject matter, research and data. More questions. Get in front of the user. See through their eyes, live in their struggle as much as possible. Let the emotional experience of empathy unravel all the different angles of each problem, one by one. Take copious notes. Sleep on it. Reflect on it all and then figure out exactly what problems we are trying to solve. Then I pick up a marker and head to the whiteboard with my team.
My design thinking and the ability to generate a limitless supply of creative concepts are rooted in a deep passion for empathy, curiosity, discovery & research. Looking at every single aspect, finding every angle, pressure testing each and every moment, friction and touchpoint for a product. Sticky notes pile up in front of the whiteboard. Ideas die by the hundreds and markers run dry in my hands. Relentless sparks of imagination, resilience to ambiguity and change. Laser focused on user needs and iterative design rigor, rapid prototyping, and hands-on testing, my team can validate and course-correct on the fly. Lose the assumptions. I'm all about iteration: ask, concept, poke, ask, build, test, ask, poke, get feedback, refine, repeat. It's never done, but we can get close...
Champion of Design
I've spent most of my career fighting for design, getting folks excited and invested in ideas, and rallying teams around a shared vision of where we're going. I fight for the Guest, and I often find myself in the role of being the champion of design within organizations. What does that mean exactly? It's about partnership and sealing strong relationships across multiple disciplines and layers of ownership.
I've earned my merit badges in diplomacy and negotiation, driving a creative vision, hardcore estimations fighting for resources and hours, critical listening, meticulously sculpted communications to executives and building trust with key business partners & stakeholders. All the while, crafting meaningful stories to bundle it all up and get everyone bought in and invested in the process.
To me, this is what it takes to be a champion of design.
“The truest expression of partnership is actually being the champion for another’s cause. It’s not just sideline support and encouragement, but actively fighting for them. putting on the gloves, sharpening the steel, etc.
When we are constantly engaged, focused on clearing obstacles, tearing back our shared enemies: insecurity and fear, it becomes a significant shift in your relationship. with a common purpose… We are transformed, strengthened over time.
It makes us invincible.”