Tactically this might mean: facilitating all sorts of workshops (group ideation sessions, etc.); creating scrappy, sacrificial models and frameworks to provoke discussion and establish shared understanding; defining research strategy and project scoping briefs; conducting interviews with subject-matter experts, senior leadership, or end users; reading, analyzing, and synthesizing as much – and as fast – as I can!
I hold a Master of Design and MBA from the Illinois Institute of Technology and have worked with clients in a variety of industries including banking, insurance, retail, pharma, sports, environment, and transportation. Currently I am a principal design strategist for Amazon, based in San Francisco. In this role I am working to drive product design definition and roadmaps to make all aspects of shopping on Amazon more personalized. I have also worked for UX Lab, the advanced concept design and incubation team within Amazon’s Device Design Group (DDG).
Before joining Amazon (and when I made this website!), I spent three years building the first Canadian office for Doblin, Deloitte’s innovation consultancy. As a senior design & insights lead / manager, I was a human-centred design (HCD) and design research thought leader for both clients and Deloitte colleagues. I led Doblin’s recruiting efforts, actively mentored and coached our practitioners, and drove a continuous conversation with leadership on how to best integrate HCD within the broader consulting ecosystem. I’ve also taught courses on design research and design management at the undergraduate and masters levels.
I am always looking for new collaborators and would love to hear from you! Drop me a line at runcomrade@gmail.com.