Dana Cho
Dana Cho is an Associate Partner and leads a group of designers who are passionate about Design of Community and Branded Experiences in Palo Alto. Dana helps designers and clients think about the emotional experience between brand and consumer – as an avid consumer who cries easily, this feels quite right. She has led large-scale programs for Mayo Clinic, Nike, The Ritz-Carlton and Gap Inc., bringing together multi-disciplinary teams in a human-centered approach to healthcare, hospitality and retail customer experiences. Dana began her career in architecture and urban planning, with an undergraduate degree from MIT and a Master of Architecture from Harvard University, where her thesis work was carried out under Rem Koolhaas. She has taught classes and lectured at California College of Arts.
Topics Dana speaks on:
- Branded Experiences
- Design for Community
- Design Research
- Environments Design
- Healthy Spaces
- Retail & Hospitality
Prior speaking engagements:
November 2008, Harvard Graduate School of Design conference “Space Rocks”
January 2007, “Real Public Participation” SPUR Forum (San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association)
May 2006, National Assocation of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI) Conference Keynote speaker
March 2005, “Shopping Factors: A Human-centered Approach to Retail Design,” GlobalShop
Published works:
“Going Off the Beaten Path for New Design Ideas,” The New York Times (March 2006) “IDEO’s Urban Pre-Planning,” Metropolis magazine (October 2006) “Customer Service Champs,” BusinessWeek (February 2007) “A Traditionalist Walks a Fine Line,” The Wall Street Journal (May 2007) “Love Your Customers or Get a New Business,” The Boston Globe (January 2008) “Marriott perks up Courtyard with edgier, more social style,” USA Today (April 2008) “From Plague to Paradigm: Designing Sustainable Retail Environments,” Rotman magazine (Spring 2008)