My design philosophy revolves around a loop of continuous mapping, measuring, and making. Mapping grasps a business's current and aspirational states. Measuring aids in assessing performance and quality for both the ecosystem and users. Making is based on these insights to drive innovation, improve quality, and gain new insights. This loop shapes our prototypes, reducing risk, increasing efficiency, and enabling us to pivot when necessary.
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"He inspires critical thinking in his mentees, and drives action by co-creating action plans and milestones to make sure a project doesn't fizzle out." - Lara
"Under NAx's guidance, both my work and articulation of ideas have improved dramatically. His patient, educational approach, along with regular check-ins and clear assignments between meetings, have ensured my continuous progress." - Dani
I have extensive experience in diverse environments where I have led teams through digital transformation and rebranding projects, prototyped with new technology, and created studios for cross-functional teams building products and services.
Studio Creation and Operations
I’ve built two studios from the ground up. I established cross-functional teams, playbooks, and environments for each studio to ensure seamless interactions that consistently improve the experience with your brand’s products and services.
Human-Centered Design Facilitation
Thanks to IBM’s design thinking approach, I have led dozens of discovery and iterative workshop processes to explore new technology, products, and services, which have resulted in better UX experiences, new brands, and explorations in AI and blockchain.
Branding
I believe in crafting a distinctive and consistent brand persona that captures the essence of your values and leaves a lasting impression. I’ve led branding workshops with executive teams and helped startups find their values in their go-to-market strategy.Crafting a distinctive and consistent brand persona that captures the essence of your values and leaves a lasting impression.
Clearly define outcomes, both short-term and long-term. Lack of clarity in decision-making kills a team’s performance.
Be consistent with your behaviors, first for your team, then for your brand.
No, money is not the end, but it is a strong signal that a truly invested person will show up by following their time and money. This applies internally and externally.
Boost and Amplify others' success—your teammate, your team, or your brand. Doing so is a rewarding type of compound interest.
Diverse Collaboration Matters. Diversity of perspective grows strength. A homogeneous team will eventually give way to failure.
How might we minimize risk while learning through experiments that result in validation? Is our idea desirable? Feasible? Viable?
The National Wildlife Federation (NWF), the parent brand of Ranger Rick, embarked on its first organization-wide digital transformation project to unify its diverse online properties under a single content management system (CMS), Sitecore. This initiative aimed to centralize NWF’s digital presence and improve the efficiency and consistency of its online platforms.
As the design lead for this transformation, my responsibilities included guiding the organization through its transition to a new CMS and digital asset management system. My primary objective was to standardize design practices across the organization by creating and implementing site templates tailored to the unique needs of NWF’s marketing, policy, and content teams.
To achieve this, I developed a comprehensive online branding guide and associated artifacts, educating stakeholders on the design intake process, branding guidelines, and methods to uphold visual design and user experience (UX) standards within the new CMS. Recognizing the scope of the project, I hired external firms to supplement the internal design team, ensuring timely and high-quality deliverables.
In addition to overseeing the digital transformation, I managed the coordination of design requests, budgets, and timelines across various departments. I delivered a wide range of design outputs, including print collateral, marketing materials, app designs, and product prototypes. Furthermore, I operationalized recurring design needs for seasonal giving campaigns and policy initiatives, streamlining processes for future efficiency.
This strategic and collaborative approach led to the successful migration of NWF’s digital properties into Sitecore, the establishment of a centralized design process, and the creation of award-winning apps and websites that enhanced the organization’s digital presence and engagement.
When I joined IBM, I was motivated by its ongoing transformation toward embracing design as a core organizational competency. Invited by the CTO of IBM’s federal practice, my mission was to establish an IBM iX studio in Washington, D.C., that would spearhead design initiatives for IBM’s federal clients. This effort involved collaborating with Phil Gilbert of IBM Design to train consulting teams in IBM’s Design Thinking methodology and develop a playbook for leveraging design strategy in business development. This playbook provided a structured approach to discover, define, and deliver impactful projects for federal clients.
To bring this vision to life, I built a cross-functional studio from the ground up. I recruited and hired a team of designers, product managers, and developers, creating a collaborative environment to foster innovation and problem-solving. I secured a dedicated studio space, purposefully designed for co-creation, hosting design thinking workshops, and engaging with clients.
I equipped the studio teams with the necessary tools and resources, including project management platforms, creative software, and hardware, to ensure seamless operations. For business development leads, I developed materials to articulate the unique value of IBM iX’s design approach. Similarly, I provided IBM consultants with branded collateral and templates to strengthen their presence at sales events, pitches, and ongoing projects.
Beyond operational responsibilities, I focused on integrating design thinking into IBM’s broader federal practice. I networked within IBM’s Global Business Services (GBS) division to identify business opportunities, fulfill staffing needs, and conduct design thinking training sessions. Additionally, I collaborated with IBM Design to create career development tracks that supported team growth and engagement.
The results were transformative. The Washington, D.C., IBM iX studio was fully staffed with eight designers, four developers, and two product managers. The team’s expertise and collaborative approach led to successful engagements with high-profile clients, including the National Air and Space Museum and North Carolina’s Health and Human Services. These achievements underscored the value of design-driven innovation in addressing the complex challenges faced by federal clients.
I was recruited by former IBM colleagues to lead design for the consulting branch of ConsenSys, the leading company focused on building Ethereum-based solutions. My mission was to bring the value of design and my experience in studio development to help ConsenSys establish joint ventures and create decentralized applications (dApps) on the Ethereum blockchain.
To achieve this, I co-built a venture studio, identifying key roles in development and product management and defining a clear structure for the studio. I led the recruitment and hiring of a talented team, ensuring the studio had the capacity to deliver innovative Ethereum applications.
I defined the business approach for the venture studio, creating workshop playbooks that outlined the process for identifying and establishing joint ventures. These playbooks leveraged design strategy principles—focusing on feasibility, viability, and desirability—to guide projects from concept to launch. I also equipped the studio staff, both remotely and in a physical space in New York City, with the tools and resources needed to conduct innovation workshops and collaborate effectively with partners.
The results were transformative. I successfully established the North American Venture Studio for ConsenSys Solutions. The studio played a pivotal role in partnering on ventures across finance, the music industry, and local government, demonstrating the power of blockchain technology to drive innovation in diverse sectors.
