Educated in experience design and steeped in storytelling, I specialize in crafting objects and atmospheres that foster wonder, curiosity, and connection.
Experience
Lab Instructor - Product Innovation Lab
University of MN - College of Design
January 2012 - May 2022
Coach students in design and product development process: ideation, market research, iteration, prototyping, design critique, user research, and presentation/concept pitches. Provide feedback on design process and craftsmanship. Advise on professional skills and design resources. Instruct 3D modeling software tutorials.
Product Designer / Engineer
Madesmart
February 2016 - March 2020
Design housewares products for manufacture and assembly. Create and maintain product documentation and design visualizations: 3D models, renderings, planograms, engineering drawings. Build and test prototypes. Develop product concepts based on design direction, market and user research, and functional requirements. Coordinate with vendors and review samples to ensure design specifications are met.
Collaborated on game design, event design, prop-making, and execution for a live-action version of the board game Tokkaido, with participants traveling to stations set up around Como Lake to complete challenges from the game.
Designer / Fabricator
Yes, Let’s! Design Collective
April 2014 - August 2016
Collaborate to design, illustrate, 3D model, prototype, build, install, and run interactive public art projects, including climate change-themed carnival games for Northern Spark and other Twin Cities art festivals, and fabrication work for Can Can Wonderland, an artist-designed mini-golf destination in Saint Paul.
Bout Program Coordinator
MN Roller Derby
August 2012 - May 2015
Graphic design including layout, marketing campaigns, and print production for sporting event programs produced for each regular-season game. Additional support for seasonal marketing and other projects.
Product Designer - Freelance
Design Replace
April 2014 - June 2014
Product design and 3D modeling/rendering work for “butter statue” popsicle designs supporting a State Fair brand campaign for Jonny Pops, as well as some internal product development projects.
Game / Event Designer
St. Paul Board Game Group
November 2018
Toy & Instructional Design Intern
Play From Scratch
April 2014 - June 2014
Design model kits based on YOXO construction toy. Develop assembly instructions for new and existing building kits. 3D model complete building kits and step-by-step instructional models.
Exhibit Designer
SuperMonster市City
Summer 2013
Exhibit design, primarily supporting traveling exhibit proposals for early iterations of SuperMonster市City toy and monster museum (then Barnhill Toy Mayhem). Collections inventory support.
Education
Design Process: Products and User Experiences | University of MN - Twin Cities
B.S. - Individualized Degree Program | December 2012
Sonic Storytelling: Intro to Foley
Katharine Horowitz
Pavek Broadcast Museum | August 2024
Designing Immersive Gatherings
Zach Morris - Third Rail Projects
Atlas Obscura | January 2023
Playing for Keeps: Designing Keepsake Games
Shing Yin Khor
Atlas Obscura | November 2022
The Table as Canvas: Designing a Bizarro Dinner Party
Jen Monroe - Bad Taste
Atlas Obscura | November 2021
Historical Mixology: The American Cocktail Through Time
Derek Brown - Columbia Room
Atlas Obscura | November 2021
Holiday Foraging, Food, and Myth
Lori McCarthy and Felicity Roberts
Atlas Obscura | Dec. 2020 + Oct. 2021
Silicone Finishing Techniques for Steampunk
Tom McLaughlin
Teslacon 10 | November 2019
Presentations & Publications
The Flask of the Red Death: Signature Drinks as Storytelling
Teslacon 11 | November 2021
Presented a workshop for a steampunk/sci-fi convention on how to develop signature drink recipes and menus as a form of immersive storytelling. The presentation included development and photography for a suite of 9 unique cocktail recipes based on the convention theme (War of the Worlds), with zero-proof cocktails for an inclusive experience. Feel free to download the presentation or recipe cards for your own non-commercial use.
Inclusive Language for a User-Centric Mindset
U.S. Bank | 2021
Researched, wrote, and presented a guide on using inclusive language in the UX workplace to enhance user centricity in practice, with a focus on accessibility and diversity.
The Generalist: How to Be an Expert Without Being a Specialist
Dirty Laundry | November 2019
Presented for the Minneapolis-based Dirty Laundry design lecture series, I discussed being a generalist in a work culture that increasingly favors specialists and professional niches, and how to leverage broad skillsets to be more adaptable even in a specialized position.