Understand.Translate.Empower.
Hi, it's nice to see you.
My name is Ian and I’m a design researcher and strategist with a passion for discovery and learning. I constantly seek to better understand people in the context in which they work and live while always asking "why?". Combining analytical and creative mindsets, I help envision new futures that are both exciting and sustainable, and I excel at communicating why that new future matters.
Understand.Translate.Empower.
Hi, it's nice to see you.
My name is Ian and I’m a design researcher and strategist with a passion for discovery and learning. I constantly seek to better understand people in the context in which they work and live while always asking "why?". Combining analytical and creative mindsets, I help envision new futures that are both exciting and sustainable, and I excel at communicating why that new future matters.
MY STORY
My path to design consists of a wide variety of experiences that have profoundly shaped the way I think and approach problems.
My non-linear journey demonstrates my belief that every experience should be approached as one of learning. It also relfects my desire to consistently take on new challenges, and my need to always push myself outside my comfort zone. See below for a view into where I've been and what I've learned along the way...
During my time at the Institute of Design, I have applied these skills to develop concepts for service- and product-led startups and worked on innovation projects for a diverse set of clients including:
Developing a product for small shopkeepers in India with Motorola
Redesigning the interaction between foster parents and the state with the Illinois Department of Health and Human Services
Creating a future vision of personal investing with Fidelity Investments in the Rotman Design Challenge
Creating a strategy for innovation implementation with the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
object
My Work
I've assembled a collection of academic and professional work that I believe best reflects my skills. Please have a look below.
object
My Work
I've assembled a collection of academic and professional work that I believe best reflects my skills. Please have a look below.
object. is a lifestyle brand created around the idea that a product only has meaning in the context of a person using it. The first product, object.01, is designed specifically to fit in the many contexts of the independent worker. It has three primary features: a compartment for work essentials, a compartment for personal items, It also has a modular style that shifts between backpack and briefcase. object.01 transitions seamlessly from coffee shops to client meetings and everywhere in between.
YOKE is an online retail platform that enables peer-to-peer customer service in the men's style space. It connects emerging brands with their customers and equips them with the information and incentive to become customer service representatives. Yoke provides customers more contextual and personalized information about a brand's fit and style characteristics, removing many of the common risks of online shopping.
In the summer of 2016, I worked for the software design and development consultancy projekt202. During my tenure, I had the opportunity to co-lead ethnographic research and experience strategy for a global computer hardware manufacturer with annual revenues of over $50 billion.
During my time at projekt202, I also worked on a variety of internal development projects to bring new skills, capabilities, and offerings to their practice. These included materials for business development, innovation workshop training, measurement frameworks, and a quantitative research methods encyclopedia.