Teaching
Data Driven Design for Social Innovation
This is a project based course open students across Columbia University and Barnard College. During the semester students learn three techniques for data collection and analysis (machine learning, survey research, and qualitative user experience research), generate insights, and apply them to propose a solution to a societal challenge.
Co-taught with Gita Johar, Nakul Verma, and Adam Royalty at Columbia University in New York in the Fall of 2023.
Classes taught at the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford (the d.school) and elsewhere on campus.
Design Thinking For Public Policy Innovators
Improving government is both about the formulation and the implementation of public policy. In this graduate class we explored how design principles inform and improve both how policies come to be in the first place, and how they are brought to life through services and other forms of interactions. Taught with Sarah Stein Greenberg and an amazing group of collaborators:
Jeremy Weinstein, Megan Palmer (2016)
Steve Hilton, Manish Patel, Jamaal Montasser (2015)
Steve Hilton, David Janka (2014)
Design Thinking Studio/Bootcamp
The d.school's seminal introduction to design thinking. A 10-week intense experience in user research, design synthesis, ideation, rapid prototyping and testing, and storytelling. Taught with Alissa Murphy (2018) and Alissa Murphy and Ashish Goel (2014).
Improv & Design
Uncovering through play how the principles of improv foster creativity and collaboration in teams. Taught with Lisa Rowland and Austin Meyer (2015).
The d.school Experience: Adventures in Design Thinking
A week-long immersive workshop that give students of all disciplines the opportunity to learn design thinking. Taught with Leticia Britos Cavagnaro, Alissa Murphy, Ashish Goel, Aleta Hayes, and Rich Cox (2014).
Designing Human Scale Cities
What if classes didn’t have teachers or classrooms? Would students learn on their own? In this one-day d.school pop-up class we hoped to explore these questions. Taught with Seamus Harte and Tania Anaissie (2016).
Sticky Stories
A crash-course in how stories generate meaning that sticks, and how to generate stories with meaning. Taught with Emi Kolawole and Jonah Willihnganz (2015).
Applied Improv and Negotiation
Great negotiators improvise. This class explored the principles of Applied Improvisation — spontaneity, adaptability, agility, and presence in the moment – and how they benefit negotiators. Taught with Leticia Britos Cavagnaro and David Johnson (2016).
Speaking & Facilitation
June 2019 - UXPA 2019 International Conference. Session speaker with Cordelia Hyland and Jordan Berry. Topic: “Scaling research without scaling the team”. Scottsdale, AZ
April 2019 - Speaking (with Cordelia Hyland) at Atlassian. Topic: “User research at scale”. San Francisco, CA.
March 2019 - Speaking (with Cordelia Hyland) at Research, Camera, Action at Reduct. Topic: “Researching fast and slow (sorry Daniel Kahneman!): How research earns a seat at the strategic table”. San Francisco, CA.
August 2017 - Coaching in the d.school's Designing for Social Systems Workshop. Stanford, CA.
June 2017 - Teaching in the Teaching & Learning Studio for the University Innovation Fellows Program. Bangalore, India.
March, July, September 2017 + September 2016 - Coaching in the d.school Executive Education Program. Stanford, CA + Hong Kong.
August 23, 2016 - TechTalk on human-centered design for the Hillary Clinton Campaign HQ. Brooklyn, NY.
August 10, 2016 - Applied Improvisation workshop at Reality/SF. San Francisco, CA.
June 2-3, 2016 - Design Thinking intensive for Pelican (w/ Collective Capital). Torrance, CA.
December 16-18, 2015 - Design Thinking training for faculty, staff and students. Habib University, Karachi, Pakistan.
December 4, 2015 - Guest lecture and workshop on Design Thinking. Technology Management Program at UCSB. Santa Barbara, CA.
October 23, 2015 - Improvisation workshop at InspirED. San Mateo, CA (with Austin Meyer and Collective Capital).
September 16, 2015 - Design Thinking lecture. Vinnova, Sweden’s Innovation Agency. Stockholm, Sweden.
September 15, 2015 - Public lecture on Design Thinking and Public Policy. OpenLab, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm, Sweden.
September 9, 2015 - Design Thinking workshops. Hyper Island, Stockholm, Sweden.
September 7, 2015 - Workshop on entrepreneurship and creativity (with Professor Tina Seelig) by invitation from H.R.H Crown Princess Victoria. Royal Palace, Stockholm, Sweden.
December 16-18, 2014 - Design Thinking Executive Training at Gothia Science Park, Skövde, Sweden.