my experience
Being at IDEO
I had two incredible years working for IDEO. I collaborated with talented people, saw exciting places, and worked on amazing projects.
In small, agile teams — usually of 4 - 6 people — each person had to wear various hats. Even though one person was leading a specific part of the project, e.g. research, everyone had to participate. This enabled me to learn a lot about various functions within the teams.
Facts
- employed: 2018/09 → 2020/08
- worked on over 10 projects
- clients ranging over 5 different industries
- Because the projects I worked on at IDEO were about defining the future business strategies of our clients, most of them were confidential.
my focus
Creating Experiences
My focus was on prototyping our designed experiences to test them with future users. Prototyping entailed multiple things: from concepting the touchpoint, to designing it, to building it.
My prototyping work ranged from app prototypes in Figma, to interactive in-shop experiences, to even real-sized cars with a complete interior and Human-Machine-Interface. These usually had to be created within a very short time-frame, sometimes even within a week.
human centered
Conducting Research
IDEO is known for user-centered design and research. Every project started off with an extensive research phase. I met with users in New York, Shanghai, London, Munich, and many more places. We wanted to learn in qualitative interviews, first-hand, what their experience has been so far, while also testing first concepts to understand their motivations better.
In later stages of the projects, we then tested our new designs to validate our iterations.
strategic thinking
Developing Strategies
I am well aware that probably none of my designs will ever be on the market exactly the way we designed it. And that‘s ok!
With research and prototyping, we found the solutions that users need and defined the path for the company to get there. These paths cannot be achieved in a short amount of time. Usually, roadmaps are laid out five years into the future. A lot may change between now and then, but we focused on providing a valuable core concept.
project showcase project roles
Projects
Unfortunately, I am not allowed to share much of my work during my time at IDEO. However, here is a glimpse of the projects I worked on and my role.
culture
One Family
IDEO felt like an extension of my undergraduate experience: it was highly collaborative, friendly, and passionate. As a part of this community, I did my share of shaping it as well.
Here you can find a selection of some of the bigger projects I took on in my spare time:
Representing the office
A lot happens in an IDEO studio. I video-documented events like our Katy Perry Concert, helped to create birthday gifts, and created assets for our communications. I cannot share them either, but more because it would be inappropriate ;).
Building A Bar
In a three day project, Nicki Schäfer and I created an in-office pop-up bar. It became a regular event for the office to come together. Shortly after, Friday evenings were reserved to enjoy drinks and and jam in front of it, and a complete music set-up evolved around the spot.
A Workshop Series
I started a small arts, craft, and code workshop series within our office. Every other week, I hosted a get-together to explore techniques like screen-printing, the basics of website creation, or polaroid image transfers.