my Background

At the local farms, gardens and orchards where I worked in grade school I gained a hands-on understanding of building and experimenting. In college I studied environmental science before an overriding fascination with what might be called built ecology set in. My study of architecture has always involved the human factors that provide reflexive feedback to the built environment. To learn more about how we shape our environments I enrolled in a graduate program to study sociology and social anthropology. My fieldwork in Budapest dealt with how Parkour practice is a catalyst, provoking changes in both the city and in the lives of the practitioners. I have worked as a web designer, architectural designer and as a marketing consultant for architecture and engineering practices. I am open to incorporating new ideas into the frameworks I use, while my background, both environmentally and intellectually, continues to guide me.   

I believe:

• In research and local understanding as a basis for my work and approach to life
  I very much want to help others and be of service. It is important for me to do this with an involved understanding. This means helping others as I am able to get to know and emphasize with them. The slogan “Nothing about us, without us”, used among disability activists, puts this well. This is also the approach of human centered design and connects with my training in fieldwork and social research methods. 
  
• Systems should be flexible and adaptable over time
  Change occurs no matter what. When change is understood to be part of the process, this understanding brings great utility and joy to the problems I work on. There are several structural approaches of how best to admit and accommodate continuous change. I favor thinking that considers a system (could be software or architecture), as made of distinct layers that move at different paces.
  
• Ideas require framing and presentation
  Important ideas need to be illustrated and contextualized in order to move others. This mindset is practiced in my professional work presenting the ideas of engineers and consultants, in the websites I’ve produced and in my approach to prototyping.  

What I do: 

I’m a designer and systems thinker focused on the intersection of user experience, social research and the built environment. In my work at WSP, a global engineering services firm, I apply my understanding of design history, theory and current practice to discern and develop new value propositions among specialty consulting groups working in the built environment. My workflow spans content creation, visual design and delivery across multiple platforms. I’m passionate about testing new ideas with the groups I work and gathering insights informed by iterative feedback and analytics. My colleagues describe me as an engaging and dedicated individual who is open to new ideas and collaborations. My key research interests are in adaptable buildings, natural user interfaces (NUIs) and embodied cognition.