I solve problems that matter,
leveraging tomorrow's technologies, and developing teams
Some call it User Experience Design. I don’t have a better term for it, but really, I help teams get a better understanding of the people they work to solve problems for, put that into a business and technology context, and design and refine solutions that leverage all three of those lenses.
Solving human problems
“Thomas consistently distinguished himself as a wise strategist and top-notch designer. I was particularly impressed by his ability to adapt to changing situations. He approaches challenges as opportunities and is an excellent team (and foosball) player, hard-working and a joy to collaborate with.”
I design novel product and customer experiences to create solutions that leave a positive mark in the world and develop human capabilities as a whole.
This means, zooming out to see the big picture, building a deep understanding of the people I design for, and closely collaborating with business and technology experts to keep things idealistic, but real.
It means zooming in to develop what works beyond removing friction, instilling pleasure and delight with user journeys that work every time as a result of robust testing.
It means being clear about what success means, measuring it effectively, and not shying away from breaking moulds to get to the desired outcomes.
Leveraging tomorrow’s technologies
“When I talk to Tom, I feel like I talk to a technologist. He speaks everyone’s language and he has a genuine interest in learning the technical nitty-gritty. That’s why he’s easy to collaborate with.”
The emergence and rapid development of new technologies mean the ways in which we travel, stay healthy, address social and environmental issues, learn, work, and live are dramatically changing. I'm not one to re-skin yet another trading platform, but if you work in an emerging field with real human impact, I can help make sure that your tech solves a real need - and discover new opportunities. In the past, I have delved deep into these and other topics:
Generative AI and other AI-infused applications (designing with data)
Connected wearable devices
Voice interfaces on Amazon Echo
Applications for Machine Learning professionals
Virtual Reality
Developing teams and people
One person can only have so much of an impact. That’s why I seek to amplify the impact of my actions by shaping the professionals around me and organising them into a powerful whole as part of Design Operations efforts. Be it a product development or cross-project design team, I apply my principles such as those of experimentation, teaching, and learning, to every group I work with in the hope of making both, the individuals, and the organisation I operate in better, more effective, and happier. A few things I’ve done for groups include:
Launching Design Operations initiatives from scratch
Creating a learning culture through design critiques, discussion groups, and more
Setting up mentorship and buddy schemes
Spreading Design to non-designers by training them in methodologies and giving them ownership over research
Leading community engagement, setting up communications channels and design meetups
External mentoring, in particular for underrepresented groups, and tutoring and lecturing at world leading universities
You can see my leadership in action in my case study on revitalising a Design team around after the pandemic.