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Michelle Lee
Partner & Managing Director, Play Lab
A champion of the power of Play
Been at IDEO since
January 1, 2004
What you won’t learn from my bio
Outside of work, I am regularly inspired by my two kids, with whom I find joy in baking elaborate cookies, sketching, exploring, and learning to play new tunes on the guitar. Fun fact: For many years, my brother and I were the kids pictured in the snow globes sold in the gift shop at San Francisco’s largest science museum; we modeled in return for ice cream!
As a Partner and Managing Director for IDEO’s Play Lab, I drive the growth of the Play Lab’s business, the strength of our partnerships, the delivery of our work, and the growth of our people.
As a champion of the power of Play in addressing complex challenges, I have nurtured an integrated research, design, and development team that brings interactive, and playful experiences to market. I have helped clients enhance workplace culture, championed responsible digital design, inspired underrepresented students to pursue careers in STEM, and supported organizations as they adopted circular economy practices.
I have shared my passion for play at SXSW, The Delight Conference, The Culture Summit, and in numerous podcasts and articles. Prior to IDEO, I designed toys at VTech and University Games, and held lead product roles at thredUP and ShopWell.
A former Aspen Institute First Movers Fellow, I now have the privilege of guiding cohorts of corporate social entrepreneurs through the program as a member of the design team. As an educator, I have taught undergraduate design classes at Stanford University, and served as co-instructor for IDEO U’s “Creative Thinking for Complex Problem Solving” course. I hold a BS in Mechanical Engineering and an MS in the joint program in Design from Stanford University.