“Design is a plan to create a preferable future.” —Joshua Walton, Director of Design, RL-R
Please visit this page to view a 10-Year celebration Video for Reality Labs & Reality Labs Research.
As a Design Manager on the Reality Labs Research Design Team, I support an interdisciplinary team of designers & prototypers working on the Second Great Wave of Human-oriented Computing. My team and I focus on Optics & Display, Display Systems, and Bio-signal Research. We work alongside Research Scientists, Hardware, & Software Engineers to envision ways that emergent technologies might be most useful and beneficial to real people within a 5 to 10-year time horizon.
Unfortunately, one of the downsides of inventing the future is that I can’t talk about much about it. With some minor exceptions, everything my team & I work on is highly confidential.
I am able to share this video from a different area of Research involving glove hardware and haptics. While my immediate team had limited involvement with this particular effort, it gives you a sense of how early in the product development process all of RL-R’s work is.
I accepted the position at Amazon when the project was still highly confidential—I didn't know what I'd be doing until my very first day. It was a leap of faith, and every day, I'm reminded how fortunate I was to be involved in such ambitious, ground-breaking work. The experience brought together everything I'm passionate about. I led the development of the Amazon Go Brand, as well as its physical expression—building a team of Store Experience, Industrial, and Brand Designers to do nothing less than re-imagine physical retail.
Role: Creative Director
What is Amazon Go?
Amazon Go is a new kind of store with no checkout required. We created the world’s most advanced shopping technology so you never have to wait in line. With our Just Walk Out Shopping experience, simply use the Amazon Go app to enter the store, take the products you want, and go! No lines, no checkout. (No, seriously.)
How does Amazon Go work?
The checkout-free shopping experience is made possible by the same types of technologies used in self-driving cars: computer vision, sensor fusion, and deep learning. “Just Walk Out” Technology automatically detects when products are taken from or returned to the shelves and keeps track of them in a virtual cart. When you’re done shopping, you can just leave the store. Shortly after, your Amazon account is charged, and you’re sent a receipt.
Microsoft Global Security was curious to understand how artificial intelligence and multimodal interaction might improve its Redmond Campus operations.
My team created this vision piece to help express the possibilities inherent in leveraging computer vision, facial and voice recognition, digital twins of physical placers, and predictive analytics in their daily activities. We imagined an ethically responsible, fully-instrumented campus and Virtual Operations Center that provided contextual, just-in-time information to the right person at the right time.
The selected security scenario included a VIP campus visit, taking place while a 5K run was underway. All recommended touchpoints were explored, as were critical personas and key service design recommendations.
I believe a digitally enabled environment should strive to resemble the very best of its traditional counterparts. That said, upon closer inspection, you’ll notice friction is eliminated, communication is seamlessly delivered, and personalization occurs effortlessly. Technology in the built environment is best when it contributes productively to the User’s understanding or experience. The built environment & industrial design must also be quietly reimagined to facilitate enabled interactions that will shortly become Users’ “new normal.”
Frictionless Access was another project for Microsoft Global Security. Here, we strove to liberate Windows Hello facial recognition from the desktop, providing a truly ambient application of the identity platform.
By eliminating traditional gates and security infrastructure and relying on sensor fusion for authorized access, lobby entries become “frictionless”—more welcoming and hospitality-oriented—as well as secure.
Satya challenged the Real Estate & Security team to make our new Redmond Campus the “most connected, accessible, and sustainable” campus in the world. To assist them, the Applied Innovation Team was selected to lead the CampusNext Global Experience Strategy development, working with a cross-functional team comprised of external consultants and suppliers, internal product groups, and our own research, ethics, and digital transformation experts.
This is one of the most artful branding projects I've ever been involved with. I led the brand positioning work and identity development, which earned us the opportunity to explore additional touchpoints within the building.
Living at Via6 put residents in the center of Seattle's most emerging neighborhood. Here, we proposed they'd be at the center of—and contributing to—a unique conversation. That fundamental concept is reflected in the identity and carries through the entire property with a series of distinctive installations.
My team developed the property's signature element—The Chronograph—a 20 ft. x 10 ft. hand-forged, raw steel sculpture that reveals glimpses of digital media. It anchors the Via6 entry experience while providing a visual representation of an up-to-the minute, city-wide conversation: every 60 seconds, the installation updates with live trending topics from a variety of local news sources and social media feeds. Highlights are captured for 60 minutes, creating a visual archive of the current hour’s collective conversation. Images that correspond to trending topics are gathered in a 12-hour tapestry of activity.
For savvy residents, The Chronograph can literally be used to keep time. It's a modern reinterpretation of the "town square" clock tower. The main interface allows users to explore trending topics while The Chronograph records their selections and adds it to the archive. A smaller screen invites users to contribute by posting a photo on Instagram with hashtag #via6. In addition to keeping time, it displays the current temperature, helping residents navigate Seattle’s fickle weather patterns. The color palette evolves from morning to night, reflecting the mood of the hour and beautifully enlivening the space. The touchscreen interface can also pivot to a light sales tool for the property, as well as an information guide about the building and surrounding area.
A diverse collection of voices engage visitors in a conversation about sustainability at Via6. Whimsical or iconic excerpts from poetry, speeches or literature are embedded in discoverable places throughout the building, helping to extoll the virtues of this LEED Gold building.
Madison Square Garden is the most famous arena in the world, but the existing Garden experience failed to live up to the mystique. Several new sports and entertainment venues in New York were challenging its historic commercial and psychological dominance. I had the privilege of leading a large multidisciplinary team in branding a multi-year transformational renovation and change both fan and partner perception.
The initial effort in this undertaking was the design of the Transformation Center—a destination that would present a compelling vision of The Garden after its $500 million renovation.
The Transformation Center narrative is anchored in our overarching brand position of "Defining Moments." The physical experience is very theatrical and highly choreographed, soliciting direct involvement from visitors. Digital interactions provide a personalized experience for those considering a suite purchase or major sponsorship, including an immersive multimedia entry chamber and a virtual reality in-seat experience. We partnered very successfully on the execution of the project with TPG Architecture, the Center's architect of record, with whom we have collaborated on several other New York projects.
Role: Creative Director, Director of Experience Strategy, Hornall Anderson
The Sydney Opera House is one of the most celebrated and recognizable buildings in the world, with over 8 million visitors, annually. It is an architectural masterpiece, a World Heritage Site and one of the busiest performing arts venues in the world. It was my distinct pleasure to lead the development of the Visitor Experience Strategy for The House.
A site-wide plan, I led a multidisciplinary team in the development of the overall strategic positioning and a holistically conceived collection of public and ticketed engagements. This diverse range of experiences featured state-of-the-art technology and the adaptive reuse of several existing venues.
Role: Creative Director, Director of Experience Strategy, Hornall Anderson
HTC operates approximately 500 branded retail locations across Asia. In an effort to reposition their brand in a highly competitive and undifferentiated marketplace, they sought to create their Store of The Future.
In response, I led the team in the creation of The HTC Social Studio—a decided departure from the ubiquity of the category, aimed directly at Millennials. Casual, highly consultative and digitally infused, this concept was the envisioned to provide a virtual, as well as physical, reality for its customers.
I had the great privilege of inviting our frequent collaborators, TPG Architecture, to assist with this project through documentation.
Role: Creative Director, Director of Experience Strategy, Hornall Anderson
GE asked Hornall Anderson to craft a narrative framework and experience strategy to inform the design and operationalization of their Innovation Center in Calgary. I led the team that envisioned an experiential workspace filled with cutting-edge digital tools to facilitate energy industry redefining collaboration.
Once the vision was solidified, we worked with Gensler through the design of the space and were responsible for crafting all the major environmental interactive installations and content experiences.
Role: Creative Director, Director of Experience Strategy, Hornall Anderson
Please make sure to watch the video.
Hornall Anderson was the lead creative agency in a large consortium gathered by Malkin Holdings (operator and owner of The Empire State Building) to put forward a creative vision and operating plan for the visitor experience at One World Trade, the main tower at the World Trade Center site in lower Manhattan.
I led the team that envisioned a progression to the top, punctuated by cutting-edge digital technologies and effects triggered by visitors' RFID bracelets, culminating in a spectacular, view-enhancing "smart glass" observation deck.
Ultimately, our managing group was not awarded the contract, but the name we created—"The Eye of The World"—was adopted by the project, as were several of the technology engagements.
Role: Creative Director, Director of Experience Strategy, Hornall Anderson
I have such tremendous affection and respect for the Nordstrom brand and organization, both professionally and as a consumer. It has been a true highlight of my career to work with them on a significant innovation initiative.
We set about understanding their customer and competitive set, then crafted an ambitious vision for the future of their beauty department. I was the principal driver of the creative and experience strategy that integrated new digital technologies, revenue stream opportunities and customer service behaviors geared to benefit customers and improve the course of Nordstrom's beauty business.
Role: Creative Director, Director of Experience Strategy, Hornall Anderson
REI's impressive Seattle Flagship opened to much local and national fanfare in 1998. It's the city's third most frequented visitor destination and still the heart and soul of the brand.
I led a very small, focused team that re-imagined the original exit experience, working to improve customer satisfaction, drive impulse sales and find new opportunities to tell REI's unique story. I engaged Kiran Analytics to algorithmically validate our proposed design prior to execution, easing client concerns about business disruption and investment. The new approach ultimately increased impulse comp sales 179%, decreased customer wait time dramatically, and streamlined operations. It's rugged and handsome, leveraging found and repurposed objects—reflecting the clever, scrappy nature of REI, itself. Memorable merchandising stories entertain and outfit, as we encourage customers to "get out there," literally and figuratively.
Role: Creative Director, Director of Experience Strategy, Hornall Anderson
Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) is home to one of the most anticipated 103 floor ascents in the US, but it involved a prolonged stay in a dark and lifeless waiting area, below grade.
I led a large multidisciplinary team that transformed this space into a richly immersive and interactive environment that positioned the tower as an integral part of the city’s identity. This experience married the tower’s iconic legacy with its vision for the future while connecting visitors to Chicago’s rich history, culture and people.
Role: Creative Director, Director of Experience Strategy, Hornall Anderson
s part of a 5-year long engagement with Madison Square Garden, I was very fortunate to be heavily involved with the most visible aspects of their brand as they undertook a holistic $500 million renovation.
The pinnacle expression of the re-imagined Garden was to be two monumental digital ceiling installations within Chase Square, just inside the new entry.
The video clips (please be sure to view them) are motion prototypes for 2 different approaches for Chase Square—ultimately, the full digital ceiling was selected.
Additionally, I'm sharing original concept renderings for interior concourse elements celebrating momentous events in the Garden's history—one for every day of the year (plus an extra day for leap year), drawn from events since The Garden opened its original doors in 1879.
All work was complete and accessible in the fall of 2013.
Role: Creative Director, Director of Experience Strategy, Hornall Anderson
Safeco is a venerable insurance name in the Pacific Northwest. They hoped to reshape the consumer perception of its brand and associated environment.
I led the team in the successful creation of this new service retail proposition, which included new digital engagements for insurance self-assessment, a retail zone for home and auto safety products, semi-private consultative zones and flex space for community use.
Role: Creative Director, Director of Experience Strategy, Hornall Anderson
It's an exciting time for Clarisonic. L'Oreal recently acquired the company and is working to hone the customer proposition, brand tone and go-to-market expression.
I led a focused team in shaping what it meant to be a premium consumer electronics device in the beauty category—truly defining a new segment—at every touchpoint.
Role: Creative Director, Director of Experience Strategy, Hornall Anderson
