Fevers. Boogers. Yucky meds. IDEO Play Lab designers dove deeply into the challenges of sick days and doctors’ appointments through video diaries, online surveys, and in-person interviews with parents, healthcare providers, and small children in homes and pediatric offices across the US. They heard about the struggles of giving medicines, wonky thermometer readings, kids having “stethoscope scaries,” and, worst of all, what happens when kiddos hear the “s-word”—shot.

‍‍The research confirmed Sydney and Kaitlin’s initial hunches about playful healthcare products and provided the team with insights on how to move forward. The answer was a formula of sorts. To help reduce kids’ anxiety and keep them calm at the doctor, give them a choice in their care whenever possible. Build familiarity with doctor’s visits and medical devices through playful moments at home. Redirect their attention away from fear. Design for multisensory richness. And provide age-appropriate narratives about healthcare experiences.

Inspired by this kid-centric formula, the IDEO Play Lab team worked closely with Sydney, Kaitlin, and their co-founder, Michael Kamins, to iterate on several designs, winnowing down more than 150 brainstorm ideas into a dozen tangible prototypes (or tinker models) that were shown to doctors, nurses, parents, and young kids for feedback. The designs—a rocket ship medicine dispenser, an elephant-shaped nose aspirator, and a narwhal nasal bulb, among others—were intended to evoke a sense of playfulness, comfort, and familiarity, with features designed for maximum cuteness. Some even lit up and played sounds, like popular toys.

While the designs passed the fun test with kids, they also needed to be functional for parents, trusted by doctors, easily manufactured, and affordable. Eventually, they would need to be approved by the FDA as regulated medical devices. Playhouse MD also requested patentable innovations to help protect their products from imitation.

With these constraints in mind, IDEO Play Lab delivered a collection of nine unique, high-fidelity prototypes that add a dose of fun to caretaking challenges in homes and doctors’ offices. The final designs were durable, medically sanitizable, and safe for testing with real kids, which helped the startup secure multiple rounds of funding and bring its first products to market in 18 months.

Playhouse MD began selling its first four direct-to-consumer products on its website in June 2025: two Medicine Buddies (medicine dispensers shaped like a rocket ship and a butterfly) and two Booger Buddies (a light-up nasal aspirator elephant called Luna and a light-up nasal bulb narwhal named Noa, which was named one of The Best Inventions of 2025 by TIME). The products are available at Target and Babylist stores, and on Amazon through leading medical distributor McKesson Medical-Surgical.

Most companies design child healthcare devices with parents’ or doctors’ tastes in mind; none, however, focus on what will make kids smile, too.

TIME Best Inventions of 2025

in the Parenting Category, Playhouse MD's Light-Up Nasal Bulb

1 ½ years

from initial brainstorms to in-market launch of 4 kid-centric medical products

Verathon offers one of the broadest portfolios of video laryngoscopes on the market. While these life-saving devices increase the likelihood of successful first-time intubations, reducing trauma and speeding recovery times, they are more costly and can be more challenging to learn how to use than traditional mechanical ones, which rely on directly looking at the vocal cords. Wanting to make it easier for cost-conscious hospital administrators to transition from traditional laryngoscopes to Verathon’s video systems, the medical device manufacturer asked IDEO to technically and visually unite its next-gen reusable baton and stats, ensuring they worked together seamlessly, flexibly, and intuitively during the most routine and demanding healthcare moments.

‍The IDEO and Verathon teams used a prototype-led approach to safely gain feedback from anesthesiologists and emergency physicians. Research participants were given various intubation models to simulate surgical use cases and understand ergonomic trade-offs between different design directions. Insights from the field led to design principles such as prioritizing device balance over weight reduction, providing flexibility to accommodate a variety of gripping positions, making connection points between various parts clear, intuitive, and secure, and ensuring the device was easy to clean.

Inspired by physician feedback, the team designed an innovative video baton that felt both familiar and new, supported the ergonomics of diverse holding styles, and fit Verathon’s wide range of stat sizes (one of its competitive advantages). To prevent accidental disconnections, users receive clear tactile, visual, and sound feedback when the monitor and cover are correctly attached to the baton. IDEO chose color, materials, and finishes to help clinicians quickly distinguish between parts of the system and easily identify reusable components from single-use ones.

Verathon’s new GlideScope ClearFit stats-based video laryngoscope hit the market in August 2025. Combining one reusable baton with an industry-leading selection of six single-use stats, it’s compatible with both the GlideScope® Go™ 2 handheld and GlideScope® Core™ cart-based systems. Magnetic QuickConnect™ technology allows doctors to seamlessly switch between platforms, giving hospitals a standardized airway management solution that simplifies workflows, streamlines inventory, enhances medical education and training, and promotes cost-effective care.

Verathon invented video laryngoscopy technology. Twenty years later, the COVID-19 pandemic spurred more competitors to enter the market.

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Cutting-edge technologies like video laryngoscopes are critical—and costly—devices. Hospital systems want to invest in the most comprehensive, flexible, adaptable, and affordable tools for quality patient care

6 shapes and sizes

of single-use covers fit one video baton, enabling health workers to quickly access different throat anatomies

Since its founding in 1992 by the Gokongwei family, which also operates one of the nation’s largest conglomerates, JG Summit Holdings, GBF has supported Philippine education through student scholarships, teacher training funds, and donations to top universities. Over its 30-plus-year history, GBF has reached more than 200,000 teachers and impacted over 1.5 million learners nationwide. When the foundation approached IDEO in 2021, it wanted to move the needle on STEM education in the country’s struggling public schools.

The IDEO and GBF teams interviewed more than 100 subject-matter experts across various government agencies, leading technology companies, and top national universities and educational institutions to build a comprehensive understanding of the current state of STEM in the Philippines. To experience classroom struggles firsthand, the team also shadowed STEM educators and principals. The research revealed that time-strapped teachers needed help mastering overall STEM content, preparing for their classes, and selecting the most suitable activities for their students. They also didn’t always feel supported in their own career development journeys. But the burden of daily responsibilities didn’t leave them any time for outside learning opportunities, either. 

Recognizing that empowering teachers empowers students, the team created an innovative lesson prep tool, the GBF Class Builder, that's based on these insights. Using existing technology and course materials designed to align with school curricula, IDEO developed a working prototype of the Class Builder in under a week, with minimal investment. The team then systematically improved it over several “build-test-iterate” feedback cycles in real classrooms over the course of four months.

The final GBF Class Builder is a targeted program that helps STEM teachers deliver compelling lessons for their students, learn new teaching strategies, and build content mastery along the way. In addition to helping design the Class Builder, IDEO continues to advise GBF on key aspects of the program's piloting and rollout. This includes advising on how to implement the content development, think through the curriculum development process, support in designing feature iterations, define metrics for success, and decide which additional roles GBF will need to support the ambitious program going forward. 

The foundation launched the GBF Class Builder at its 30th-anniversary celebration in 2023. Feedback from pilot 3,500 public schools and 15,000 teachers has been overwhelmingly positive. “Through the GBF Class Builder, we envision our teachers to be more confident and effective in class, more ready to face the challenges of the future, while enjoying every class—feeling proud to be a teacher, " says Grace Colet, Executive Director of GBF.
‍
The ambitious program continues to scale and is on track to be rolled out in public schools nationwide by 2029.

90% of 10-year-olds in the Philippines can’t read a simple text, according to a Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics report. Eighty-three percent of Filipino 10-year-olds lack minimum proficiency in math.

More than 15,000 teachers in 3,500 public schools

are now using the innovative GBF Class Builder program
‍

94%

of teachers report the GBF Class Builder has improved student engagement, while 89% say it saves them 1-2 hours in prep time per lesson

Fizik came to IDEO with the aim of entering the helmet market with a range of high-end performance options fit for road racing, mountain biking, time trials/triathlons, and everyday cycling. Fizik planned to use its world-class production and engineering capabilities (the company is part of the Selle Royal Group, which has over 1,400 employees and manages five other cycling brands, including Crankbrothers and Brooks England). IDEO’s task was to develop an on-brand design language that would unify its new helmet line and integrate seamlessly with the sleek, modern aesthetics of the company’s other products.

The design sprint began with in-context interviews with avid and professional cyclists to learn what they wanted—and didn’t—in a helmet. Unlike other accessories, such as shoes or shorts, riders viewed helmets as a necessity rather than an exciting or aspirational purchase. They also wanted a helmet that complemented their overall style, rather than standing out, and had a flattering silhouette. Avoiding making a cyclist look like a “mushroom” was key.

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Different cycling styles involve varying riding postures, ranging from a dropped and horizontal position (time trial/triathlete) to an upright and vertical position (mountain biking). IDEO proposed a family of helmet designs that correspond accordingly. On the horizontal extreme, the time trial/triathlete helmet has the most fluid, organic, aerodynamic shape. A statement of refined simplicity and speed, it features minimal venting and a magnetic wrap-around visor to reduce drag that can be exchanged for the rider’s own cycling glasses.

On the vertical extreme, the mountain biking helmet features a more rugged, angular form with an adjustable brim, rectangular venting, and boxier, back-of-the-head protection. It also offers affordances for goggles, sunglass storage, a GoPro mount, and an optional integrated rear light.

In between, a compact helmet for road racing features evolutionary variations on these design extremes, with more venting as well as a front glasses holder and integrated rear light. All four helmets strike a balance between lightness, comfort, safety, and performance, embodying Fizik’s signature modern style.

In April 2025, Fizik launched all four helmet models simultaneously: Kassis (mountain biking), Kunee (trial/triathlon), Kudo, and the more aerodynamic Kudo Aero for road and gravel. The helmets were greeted with critical acclaim from the cycling world, while Virginia Tech’s independent helmet-safety research lab gave them five-star performance ratings for their strength and durability.‍

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Legendary cycling company Fizik was known for its high-performance bike seats and shoes, but wanted to be a fierce entrant in a challenging product category—helmets.

4

new helmet designs

1

new product category

And while we're at it: The holidays are a time for gratitude, so from the entire Octopus team, a heartfelt thanks for stopping by. We can't wait to bring you more stories about the design of everyday life.

Help us help you! Got a burning question that you'd like an IDEO designer to answer in the new year? Hit me up via email (octopus@ideo.com) or Twitter.

Miss some of the posts on this list? Sign up for our weekly newsletter to stay up to date with The Octopus in 2018.

1. 19 Things We're Dying to Redesign

Call it an occupational hazard: IDEO designers are always thinking about how to make things better. Here are 19 projects we'd love to get our Sharpies on. Read the story!

2. 5 Exercises That Break Down Barriers

Walking into a room full of strangers can be daunting. Try these exercises to move beyond the small talk. Read the story!

3. 'Sprint' Author Jake Knapp Built You a New To-Do List

For many, to-do lists are a necessary evil. So Jake Knapp, IDEO Fellow and author of Sprint, built a new one that you'll actually want to use. Read the story!

4. 13 Ways to Make Your Workspace More Creative

Businesses are finally catching on: Cubicles are out. But what do we replace them with? IDEO designers share tips to supercharge your space for creativity. Read the story!

5. A Day in the Life of a Design Researcher

At IDEO, design researchers do more than just ask people questions. Follow one of our own through a day of field research in Tokyo. Read the story!

6. How to Design a Meeting That Doesn't Suck

We admit it: Meetings can end up feeling more like black holes in your calendar. But how do you design a meeting that truly inspires? Try these three tips. Read the story!

7. Why You Should Start Prototyping—Right Now

It's never too early to start prototyping. Learn how starting day one of a new project can inspire and excite your team. Read the story!

8. 3 Ways to Make Your OOO More Human

How might we take one of the most automated voices we still offer to the world—the email auto-responder—and make it more human? Read the story!

9. Why You Should Keep Making Stuff By Hand

In between tech projects at IDEO CoLab, Jacob Waites likes to turn off the computer and focus on using his hands—and you should, too. Read the story!

10. Smart Things That Will Save the World

Today's products were designed for the industrial era of browsing store aisles. If we want to create a more sustainable future, it's time to rethink that model. Read the story!

What a year! Inky the Octopus has wrapped her tentacles around some big topics, from creative meetings to sexy typography to blockchain to hip-hop. As we wave goodbye to 2017, we wanted to share Inky's greatest hits—the top 10 stories you read and shared most this year.

Here are a few of the many ways IDEOers want to help reinvigorate the modern workplace:

1. Increase employee feedback

Research in education shows that the best way to help students grow is to give them constant feedback on their performance. How can professionals be expected to grow if they only get feedback once every three, six, or twelve months?

Research by Harvard psychologist Teresa Amabile shows that a sense of progress at work stokes joy, creativity, and engagement. How could we adjust our meetings, our daily routines, and our cultures to make feedback an everyday activity? How much more trust could we create and conflict could we resolve if we created safe ways to help one another grow? It seems pollyannaish to say it, but I’d love to redesign feedback mechanisms to make us all better at what we do. —Joe Brown, IDEO San Francisco

2. Rebrand maternity leave

I want to redesign maternity leave—the brand, the experience, and the expectations.

Maternity leave is viewed as a pause or a step back in a woman's career, but I experienced it as a time of greater perspective and personal growth. I largely credit my mom, who asked me before my leave, "What are you going to do with your sabbatical?" Rather than correct her, I embraced the idea that this was time for me, too. As a result, I’m coming out of it more energized and inspired to lead, which is better for me and for IDEO. —Ashlea Powell Sommer, IDEO New York

3. Rethink retirement

I'd love to redesign the way the financial system, employers, and society think about retirement. Most of us know that retirement in its traditional, as-seen-in-a-401k-brochure form is either undesirable or unfeasible.

Instead of continuing to think and talk about retirement as a phase of life, what if we thought about retirement and the money we set aside for it as a modality that we dip into and out of as we change careers, take care of loved ones, take time off to travel, or work part-time? Instead of worrying about building up our net worth in order to have enough, we could all focus on something much more enriching—designing creative ways to amplify our net freedom throughout life. —Hailey Brewer, IDEO New York

4. Explode the org chart

Organizations are comprised of relatively mobile individuals with multidimensional capabilities who are responding to constantly changing contexts. But the prevailing “boxes and lines” org charts tell the stories of specialized, formal, and static machines. They really don't reflect the fluid way people work today. Let’s redesign the org chart to represent the modern worker who wants to learn, grow, and flex new muscles. —Mathew Chow, IDEO San Francisco

5. Make company cultures transparent

Company cultures can be opaque from the outside, and yet anybody who has experienced a good vs. mediocre vs. bad culture can tell you that it makes all the difference. How might we help more people understand the cultures of the companies they’re joining?

I’ve resorted to asking for one day to one week with the company, working side-by-side, before making a decision to join, which helps a ton but is not always an option. Trial runs like these can also sometimes be discriminatory; for instance, Harvard Business School used to require all potential professors to spend a year teaching, but found that this policy accidentally discriminated against women, who had more trouble spending a year away from family than men. There must be better ways. —Wendy Lin, IDEO Palo Alto

6. Bring UX design to enterprise tools

The tools that so many people use everyday to get things done are ugly and unfriendly and make them miserable—particularly in B2B settings, where employees have to deal with systems that are outdated, painful, and frustrating. I’ve noticed this in particular during work IDEO has done with diplomats at the Department of State—brilliant minds who have to spend a substantial amount of their time dealing with these tools and figuring out workarounds to trick the software. —David Boardman, IDEO New York

7. Flip sales incentives

We know that when sales is about the push, instead of the pull, it can have disastrous long-term effects on customers, communities, and sometimes the business itself. Too many folks in sales and account management positions work in conditions that encourage transactional, short-term, and business-centric behaviors and outcomes.

How might we move all sales—particularly in industries where there's an information and confidence asymmetry between buyers and sellers—away from a “fee for service” model and toward a “fee for value” setup? —Hailey Brewer, IDEO New York

8. Create 21st-century unions

Fred Wilson of Union Square Ventures recently wrote what I thought was a provocative piece asking, “What is the union of today?” Especially with so many gig economy workers and the rise of freelancing in Gen Z, how do individuals balance the power of the large organizations that pay them?

There are a lot of both positive and negative opinions—all strong and politicized, it seems!—about unions, but I think taking a closer look at the fundamental goal of unions, which is to give labor an equal seat at the table, can open up new opportunities in today’s labor context, maybe with the help of blockchain and other emerging technologies. —Wendy Lin, IDEO Palo Alto

Want to rework the workplace with us? Contact Maggie Howekamp (mhowekamp@ideo.com) at IDEO’s San Francisco studio.

Our dream for the future of work that companies become more flexible, human-centered, and purpose-driven—in other words, better places to work. But rethinking accepted ways of doing business isn’t easy (BTW, we’ve got some help on hand if you’re interested in learning the tools of organizational change). Our designers have a long wish list and some ideas for how to get started: What if we could reframe maternity leave as a time for personal enrichment? Or make navigating enterprise software less miserable?

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Blockchain is a relatively new technology that will soon replace the underlying structure for a lot of the applications and services we use today, including systems for managing our finances, tracking our health, and determining how we connect, transact, and communicate with each other.

So, while it’s tempting to write off blockchains as something to leave to the coders, the potential human impact is too big to ignore. There will be user experiences, communications, and other completely new elements that will need to be carefully designed.

At IDEO CoLab, we explore the potential of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and the Distributed Web by building prototypes in quarterly sprints. A crucial part of our mission is considering human-centered values in the process of building for the future—creating things the world actually needs, not just more technology.

Here are three reasons why designers need to start thinking about blockchain technology today:

1. It’s bigger than just cryptocurrency

Many people are familiar with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. (And for those who aren’t, here’s a quick video that explains the basics.) Blockchain is the technology that forms the underlying structure for these digital currencies, and gives them the unique qualities that make them different from conventional lucre like the US Dollar. That structure includes the ability to exchange funds directly with anybody, anywhere in the world, without the need for an intermediary like PayPal, Visa, or Citibank.

But what most people don’t understand yet is that blockchain technology is about so much more than digital coins. At its essence, a blockchain is a new type of digital ledger which records information in a publicly-verified, traceable way across a decentralized network of devices. What this means is information for, say, an app isn’t just stored on a privately-owned server somewhere—it’s stored across multiple devices that communicate with each other to verify user activity, rather than referencing one central authority, like a Wells Fargo or Google.

Blockchains offer a new way of tracking information, and their applications are broad. Not only are they expected to pervade the financial industry, they’re also being integrated into global shipping, parts tracking, digital identity, healthcare, and other systems. In fact, it’s hard to think of an industry that relies on technology that wouldn’t benefit from using a blockchain.

With a potential to reach millions—even billions!—of people, designers need to start thinking about how they can use their skills to improve the user experience for all of the products and services that will be built on top of this new infrastructure.

2. It will change how humans interact with one another

Blockchain isn’t just a technology, it’s also a state of mind. Well, okay, that might just be the Californian in me talking, but all exaggeration and hype aside, blockchains are going to have a big impact on our culture too.

We’ll come to expect new things from our relationships with other people and parties, based on how blockchains manage our digital interactions. Mirroring the open, accessible code structure, people will expect the companies they do business with are open and accessible as well.

Consumers will demand more information about the goods and services they purchase. Companies will be held to a higher standard of data security.

Trust will become perhaps the most important design element in any system.

Imagine a world where all interactions are more egalitarian, transparent, and traceable—what would that look like? How might we design for this new world view?

(Check out this talk from CoLab’s Gavin McDermott to learn more about the 10 key landmarks of the decentralized web movement.)

3. Technology needs design more than ever

Our world is changing at lightspeed. As new technologies and tools are released daily, it’s easy to get caught up in the rapid pace without stopping to think about the human impact of what we’re creating.

We have a tendency to think of code and algorithms as neutral tools, but they’re not. Technology is neither good nor bad, it's how we apply it that matters. Everything we create has a human imprint on it—our assumptions, hopes, and fears are built into the systems we design (the bias in algorithms has been getting a lot of ink lately).

That’s why, moving forward, we’re going to need a group of people that advocate for the human experience—and human rights—as we develop these technologies. Especially right now, as emerging technologies like blockchain begin to take form, it’s important for designers to have a voice in that process from the very beginning.

How do you envision the designer's role evolving alongside blockchain developers? Let us know on Twitter or Instagram #blockchaindesign

Looking for ways to get started designing for blockchains? Check out this list of quick prototyping tools for emerging technologies from IDEO CoLab.

Blockchain. You’ve heard the word. Perhaps you’ve invested in a digital currency or two. But do you really know what the technology is and why it matters? It all sounds deeply technical—and it is. But it's important to understand this new tool, as it will have a big impact on our lives—radically altering how we live, work, and play.

We were joking about how Aaron's last name is pretty similar to Furby, the interactive Gremlin look-a-like toy from the late 90s. Someone suggested it would be funny if we modified a Furby so that instead of speaking Furbish (I think that's what people call the language Furbys speak?), it would repeat phrases in Aaron's voice. At first, it was just a joke, but then I mentioned I had a couple Furbys at home I'd been meaning to hack…

What’s a Furby?

For the unfamiliar, Furby was a coveted toy when it hit the market in 1998. Seriously. More than 40 million of the hamster-esque creature were sold in its first three years of production. Kids fell in love with it because of its child-like nature and the fact that it required feeding, nurturing, and constant attention. It also only spoke Furbish out of the box, developing an English vocabulary over time as kids talked to it.

Because the Furby was one of the first widely-marketed toy robots, it also appealed to the hacking community. In the early years, there were some news stories about whether the microphone inside Furby was listening in on private conversations, but thankfully, Furby does not use the microphone to record audio. Because of the ruckus over the microphone, there is a wealth of information on the internet about how to properly deconstruct a Furby, and how the Furby's insides function.

How I did it

The first step was to take Furby apart. Unfortunately, due to Furby's realistic personality, the process of deconstructing the Furby felt more like field dressing an animal. I had to delicately skin the toy so that I would be able to resurrect it later.

Once the Furby was dissembled I put together a vice to clamp down its skeleton; it almost looked like I was torturing it until it would talk...and in a way, I kind of was. With the Furby in place, I was able to access its inner circuitry and check out its voice box. After some initial probing, I turned back to the internet again and was able to find a full schematic of Furby’s insides, which meant I no longer had to guess and check what each part was used for and how they were connected. I could also disconnect the voice box.

After some reading, I decided that the best option for triggering voice playback would be to use the motors. Furby always moves and talks at the same time, so any time the motors are working, he should be talking. If I used any of its switches (belly, mouth/tongue, gyroscope, etc.) as an audio trigger, I would miss Furby’s unprovoked audio actions, the ones it does without user input. (Sometimes the Furby will start singing or fall asleep on its own.) Those actions are triggered internally, and I didn't have the time or resources to begin understanding how a Furby's brain works.

To build the the audio playback, I used a circuit board I created a few years ago that's a variation of Adafruit's wav/ogg audio fx board. My audio playback board is very similar, but it also includes the necessary circuitry for charging a connected lithium-ion battery. With this addition (and a voltage booster), I was able to power the Furby from a rechargeable source, rather than four AA batteries.

Now that most of the individual pieces were developed, it was time to play Dr. Frankenstein and connect the parts together to give Franken-Furby life.

I used the newly vacant battery holder space to store the Furby’s new guts...err circuitry. This was an ideal location because there were already holes to run new wiring up to the Furby’s body. I added a wire to break out the motor trigger line for monitoring. I was able to monitor the motor with a basic analog comparator (LM311), and use the output to trigger audio playback. I then amplified the audio output with a class D amp, before connecting to the Furby’s speaker with two more wires.

Last, but not least, I added a few clips of Aaron speaking at various events to the audio playback board. We may or may not have have played around with loading some more inappropriate vocals (i.e. creepy laughing and other Halloween-themed sounds) first for kicks, but things got a little too creepy, so that didn’t last long.

The result

We presented the Franken-Furby to Aaron at his goodbye party, and it was a hit! Unfortunately, because it was a goodbye gift, it's no longer possible to work on that Furby anymore. But I’m game to hack more Furbys. My next goal is to create a new version, perhaps integrating all the circuitry onto a single circuit board, and hopefully dig a little deeper into understanding how Furbys operate.

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‍

Our Chicago office has a tradition of giving silly but relevant goodbye gifts to departing colleagues. The goal is to make their exit a little more light-hearted for everyone, as well as give our erstwhile colleagues a sort of inside joke to take with them. When a friend and colleague of mine, Aaron Ferber, was leaving to pursue another passion in St. Louis, we started ginning up ideas for his send-off.

I help organizations cut through complexity by shaping how they show up, through brand strategy, identity, and storytelling.

Working at the intersection of brand and business, I bring an editorial eye and a bias toward making—turning ideas into tangible experiences that people can understand, trust, and believe in.

My work spans government, healthcare, financial services, media, and consumer goods, from launching Gen Z-focused ventures to building innovation labs and reimagining legacy brands. I relish moments of ambiguity and enjoy translating across teams, perspectives, and priorities to move ideas forward.

I started my career in editorial and digital design, shaping cross-platform experiences and identity systems in publishing and agency environments. That foundation still shapes how I work today: I’m detail-oriented, collaborative, and overreliant on the Oxford comma. I hold a BFA in Visual Communication from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

For 25 years, I've asked the same question: Who does this design exclude—and what are we going to do about it?

My work spans human-centered strategy, inclusive design, and qualitative research, with clients ranging from Microsoft, Google, and Verizon to the National Science Foundation, and San Francisco Unified School District.

Before IDEO, I taught elementary school in East Palo Alto and spent a decade doing design work with social service organizations—where I learned firsthand what it costs people when systems are built without them in mind.

I am currently writing User Error, a nonfiction book about digital access and the design decisions behind it. I live in Oakland, California.

‍

My expertise spans brand, communication, and product design across tech, education, the arts, and social impact.

I believe great work demands both high-level vision and obsessive attention to detail, and only happens through collaboration.

I bring an inclusive, hands-on approach and a deep understanding of business, which enables me to consistently deliver excellence while always asking why.

Before joining IDEO, I worked at the brand firms Pentagram and VSA Partners. I began my career as a designer, leading teams at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Milwaukee Art Museum. I hold an MFA in graphic design from Maryland Institute College of Art and a BFA in communication design from the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, and have taught at some of the best design schools in the US.

I am responsible for IDEO’s long-term success in China and working with clients to use design as a tool to enable growth. Specifically, I have helped Chinese companies design holistic brand solutions through the development of their products, communication, services, and innovation teams, and I have helped multinationals expand their presence and influence in China.

I advise global leaders on developing China-led innovation and capabilities.

In over 15 years in IDEO Shanghai, I have worked on projects that use design to elevate the quality of the experience of healthcare products and services, streamline processes that increase productivity, create spaces and programs that promote and enable inclusive communities, and build next generation mobility solutions that are planet-positive.

Before joining IDEO, I worked at Philips Electronics and the Electrolux Group in Italy, the Netherlands, and Singapore on a number of breakthrough commercial products. I am a member of the Young President Organization in Shanghai.