How I Ended Up Here

I never planned to become the person companies call when they’re confused about human behavior. It started with curiosity.

In 1999, I started one of San Francisco’s first user experience studios because I was fascinated by the gap between what people said they wanted and what they actually did. Then I got curious about how sound affects behavior, so I pioneered sonic branding. When I joined Crispin Porter + Bogusky — then the world’s most celebrated creative agency — I wanted to understand the earliest moment of human decision-making: how people choose what to pay attention to, long before they decide to use anything I’d been building.

Each time I thought I understood people, I’d discover another layer I’d missed.

Twenty-five years later, I’ve worked across industries that don’t usually connect — helping Domino’s transform itself into a tech company that sells pizza, supporting cancer survivors through P.ink as it expanded to 30+ cities before acquisition, designing drone technology for clients I can’t name, and designing products and services for everything from luxury retail experiences to robotics exoskeletons.

What I learned: the biggest breakthroughs happen at the intersections where human behavior reveals patterns that specialists miss.

As a former VP / Experience Design at CP+B, ECD at R/GA, VP of Product and Design at Zelle and Head of Design at Weee!, I’ve also learned that the best insights come from actually doing the work, not just observing it.

The International Thing

Some of my favorite projects involve figuring out what’s possible in places I’ve never been. I’ve taught workshops in Costa Rica, led research across Asia, spoken at conferences where I needed translators.

There’s something about being the outsider that helps you see what locals have stopped noticing. Plus, I’ve learned that unspoken truths are often universal—the mom in San Diego apologizing for convenience food has more in common with the Tokyo commuter than either realizes.”