Designing tech means understanding people

My career began with over a decade in global development and humanitarian work. Through nonprofits, academic research institutes, intergovernmental agencies and private sector philanthropies I’ve worked with communities in over a dozen countries throughout Asia and Latin America. I’ve addressed topics ranging from education, nutrition, water access, public health, and environmental sustainability to political organizing, youth development, indigenous rights, economic justice, and gender equity. After completing a masters degree at UC Berkeley – focused on participatory action research – I realized the best way to have impact in all of these areas was to equip people with tools that will help them to navigate our ever more complex world.

I immersed myself in the realm of design thinking for tech, and for the past decade have worked with startups, creative agencies, and some of the largest companies in the world. I’ve tackled cutting edge projects involving machine learning, spatial computing, conversational interfaces, autonomous vehicles, and encrypted security. As a designer for Google’s Next Billion Users initiative, I also learned how to expand the accessibility of tech through design for low-cost devices, poor connectivity, low bandwidth, multilingualism, and low technical and functional literacy. 

All this has allowed me to develop a unique perspective and a honed skillset for understanding the most advanced technologies and making them accessible to the broadest array of people. My design practice is international, cross-cultural, and focused on inclusion and accessibility. I’m looking for projects and teams that know innovation and impact require not only reaching people, but understanding them and offering them real value. I’m also looking for exciting gravel-bike rides, tough bouldering problems, provocative films, and delicious oolong teas.