Photo by Betty Manyisha
I'm an experience director and design strategist. My professional practice, Uncommon Places Design, offers experience strategy, design, and facilitation for high-stakes moments.
I’ve done experience design in the context of corporate consulting, underground urban adventures, and educational programs. I love using game design principles to create better experiences that honor people’s agency, vision, and ingenuity. I’m delighted when people surprise themselves by stretching beyond their known limits, and I believe good design can make this possible.
Clients I've worked with include BlackRock, Starbucks, IBM, Google, Samsung, NBCUniversal, Activision Blizzard, Ogilvy, Pfizer, Ralph Lauren, and the Canadian Government. I researched the design of transformative social experiences by integrating lessons from well-done sex parties, funerals, and wilderness trips. This research is available online at the Patterns of Transformation website, which has been widely read within and beyond the experience design community.
A few more things about me:
- I'm a 5th-generation New Yorker. I love living in this city.
- I volunteer as a conflict mediator for the New York Peace Institute.
- In junior high, I was voted "most likely to discover time travel."
- Sea kayaking makes me happy. I love being out on the open water.
- I have dyslexia and inattentive ADHD. I'm a big advocate for the benefits of neurodiversity.
