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Thomas Essl

  • About
  • Journal
    • Journal
    • Creativity
    • Humanity
    • Design
    • Ingenuity
  • Newsletter ↗
  • Podcast
  • Contact
 
Hi!

I’m Tom. I design world-class user experiences powered by the latest technologies and I help teams do so repeatedly.

I’ve designed user experiences for Fortune 100 companies, unicorn startups, and non-profits. Always hands-on, I’ve led Design teams and projects at QuantumBlack’s Generative AI Lab, McKinsey Sustainability, Google, and HingeHealth.

My passion is to help people in their creative and personal growth. I’ve been writing about these topics on this site since 2016. Come along by signing up for my newsletter and following me on LinkedIn.

 
 
Nielsen Norman Group "UX Certified" Badge
 
 

Recent Articles

Featured
Where's your Red Line?
Jan 15, 2024
Where's your Red Line?
Jan 15, 2024

How to keep a cool head when making important decisions

Jan 15, 2024
It Might Not Be Fine
Humanity
Sep 4, 2023
It Might Not Be Fine
Humanity
Sep 4, 2023

Worse than falling victim to carelessness is finding you’ve been negligent yourself. How to avoid causing harm to others…

Humanity
Sep 4, 2023
Frenetic Standstill
Creativity, Humanity
Jul 29, 2023
Frenetic Standstill
Creativity, Humanity
Jul 29, 2023

How to stop spending time on the wrong things

Creativity, Humanity
Jul 29, 2023
Boredom is Your Superpower
Creativity, Humanity
May 10, 2023
Boredom is Your Superpower
Creativity, Humanity
May 10, 2023

Three reasons why you need more boredom in your life

Creativity, Humanity
May 10, 2023
Cosmic Insignificance Therapy
Humanity
Mar 15, 2023
Cosmic Insignificance Therapy
Humanity
Mar 15, 2023

Finding comfort in the indifference of the universe

Humanity
Mar 15, 2023
Read more
 

Latest Podcast Episodes

Featured
Research, Startup
E22 · How I use data and analytics to power product development
Research, Startup
Research, Startup
Startup, Strategy
E21 · Who are you? - Developing an identity
Startup, Strategy
Startup, Strategy
Research, Startup
E20 · Organising content with Card Sorting (Research essentials #4)
Research, Startup
Research, Startup
Startup, Interview, Research
E19 · User testing (User research essentials for anyone #3)
Startup, Interview, Research
Startup, Interview, Research
Research, Startup, Strategy, Interview
Ep 18 - Discovery interviews (User research essentials for anyone #2)
Research, Startup, Strategy, Interview
Research, Startup, Strategy, Interview
Listen and subscribe
 

Case Studies

Sharing platform for ML code assets

QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey

2021-2022

Rebuilding a Design Team After The Pandemic

QuantumBlack, AI by Mckinsey

2020

ML Model Performance Monitoring

QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey

2020-2021

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Award-Winning Digital Passenger Experience

British Airways

2016

Managing And Predicting Natural Disaster Risk

SwissRe via Foolproof

2017-2018

From Zero To $8B value: Digital Care For Chronic Pain

Hinge Health

2014-2016

 

Testimonials

  • — Daniel Perez, CEO, Hinge Health

  • — Gary Cornish, Delivery Manager, Experian

  • — Rob Varney, Experience Design Director, Foolproof

  • — Veronica Naguib, Head of CX, The BiO Avency

  • — Toby Wragg, Product Owner iOS, British Airways

  • — Victor Boardman, Digital Client Engagement, SwissRe

 

Clients

McKinsey & Company Logo
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Why, what, how and who

I solve human problems, leverage future technology, and develop teams.
Why ⟶

I find the right problems, design experiences, and refine products.
What ⟶

Values I apply to myself and the teams I work with.
How ⟶

Find out more about my personal journey and motivations.
Who ⟶

 
It's your turn ;)
 
Get in touch
 

or find me on

 
 

Linkedin

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Illustrated avatar of Thomas Essl

Thomas Essl is a designer who writes about creative and personal development. You can follow along by signing up for his newsletter and following him on Instagram and LinkedIn.

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