Resume
Summary
I'm an architect pivoting to UX and user research. I have nearly twenty years of experience thinking critically and responding nimbly to high-impact design problems. I'm seeking a role with a collaborative team committed to leveraging human-centered design to advance equity, access, and opportunity in people's lives.
Experience
Project Management
I have led design teams from the research phase through project delivery, been responsible for setting and maintaining project schedules and budgets, and ensured project stakeholders remained on track and on task.
Emotional Design
I am well-versed at creating emotionally resonant spaces and objects that work on a visceral, behavioral, and reflective level. I know intimately that a well-conceived, and well-documented design solution must also be well-crafted to hit its mark.
Design Research
I’m a skilled listener, practiced at discovering user needs and synthesizing those truths into actionable insights. As an architect I regularly mix semi-structured interviews and contextual inquiry to probe both the functional and emotional context of a design issue to define a rich and relevant problem space.
Critical Thinking
Thousands of decisions go into designing a building, all of them impactful in some way. It's second nature for me to analyze decisions, large and small, through a critical lens; to anticipate consequences of one decision over another and to seek more information when the question or the path is unclear.
Prototyping
Making liberal use of sketches and models has been an integral part of my design process for over two decades. From hand drawings to 3D visualizations to full scale mockups, low- and hi-fidelity prototypes allow me to quickly test concepts and effectively communicate those ideas to stakeholders.
Iterating
From years of creating complex designs from an often vague initial idea, I know a delivered solution is never final and seldom resembles the messy beginnings. I’ve also learned that authorship is irrelevant and an inclusive design process generates the best results; one where no one stakeholder has the market cornered on good ideas.
Areas of Interest
I'm keenly interested in issues that have an outsized impact on people's quality of life and intrinsically improve access, opportunity, and equity. In some form or another I have, am currently, or am about to, take on problems and solutions in these spaces.
Transportation & Mobility
I believe mobility is a human right, alongside housing, education, & healthcare. The rapid transformation of the mobility space is exciting and largely welcome, but also full of a unique array of complex challenges.
My ideal role:
User research of transit riders to surface pain points and tell their mobility stories.
Smart Cities
Technology often has a way of getting ahead of those it's meant to help. The evolution of smart cities is a prime example. From data to privacy, there is a lot at risk, and a lot to gain.
My ideal role:
User research to discover people's comfort level with ubiquitous data in their daily lives.
Healthy Aging
I'm an older father with aging parents in a society that too often marginalizes the very young & very old. Social vitality & mobility are ever more important as we age and these need our design attention.
My ideal role:
Listener and advocate for the quotidian needs of the elderly that get overlooked.
Work History
Owner - Architect
Measuredworks Architecture
2007 - 2019 / NYC & Western MA
Sole practitioner of a versatile, design-oriented practice specializing in energy-efficient, high-performance homes, as well as apartment and townhouse interiors. I collaborate with a full range of design professionals to realize highly-detailed design solutions.
Senior Architect
Atema Architecture
2009 - 2016 / New York
Senior architect responsible for design and coordination of a wide range of residential and commercial projects, including residences in New York and Los Angeles, as well the offices for TED Conferences and Endeavor Global in New York.
Senior Architect
Consultant
2004 - 2009 / New York
Senior consulting architect responsible for design development and technical details on a range of residential projects. Firms contracted with include: Alex Scott Porter Architecture + Design; John Butterworth Architect; Project-Space
Project Architect
Miloby Ideasystem
2002 - 2004 / New York
Project architect in charge of design development, technical details, and construction administration on a range of residential and commercial projects.
Project Architect
Suyama Peterson Deguchi
2000 - 2002 / Seattle
Project architect in charge of design development, technical details, and construction administration on a several award winning and published projects.
Education
General Assembly
User Experience Designer Certificate
April - June 2019
Currently completing the User Experience Designer Circuit course working step by step through a detailed case study project, including regular mentor feedback.
The Interaction Design Foundation
User Experience Designer Certificate
November 2018 - April 2019
Completed several certificate courses including: User Research Methods and Best Practices; Design Thinking Beginner's Guide; UX Management Strategy and Tactics; and Web Design for Usability. (See certificates here.)
Kent State University
Bachelor of Architecture / BS Architecture
1989 - 1994
Five year professional degree in architecture. Study included a fifth year user-centered thesis project and a semester abroad in Florence, Italy and Vico Morcote, Switzerland