Philosophy

Design 
Design is the absence of friction. Design is clear in message and function. At the level of artifacts, design is effective when the use of hierarchy, contrast, and harmony are employed in concert with form, space, sound, movement, texture, and other visual elements to communicate. At a strategic level design is a rigorous process to understand people, their desires, values, and context while also addressing technological, operational, and organizational constraints of business objectives in order to create systems and services that work. At its best design is viable, feasible, and desirable whether in the form of products, services, processes or systems.

Teaching 
Teaching is about being present, listening, guiding and fostering skills and tools for growth.  Blurring boundaries between disciplines creates overlapping spaces that lead to new opportunities and ways of thinking and making. The intersection of knowledge that creates “T” shaped individuals with strong disciplinary expertise and broad perspectives supports my transdisciplinary aptitude and informs my approach to teaching. As an educator, I am a guide, sharing great examples of form and function, modeling methods and process, and being a sounding board for discovery, developing and deploying innovative design solutions. My goal is to foster and cultivate autonomy, embrace risk, challenge conventions and deeply observe and reflect upon the human condition in order make solutions that resonate and are meaningful. I believe in teaching to the future, to always imagine new possibilities and to be open. As much as I love sharing my knowledge I am also a perpetual student, something which is critical to re-invention, re-framing for changing contexts of today and being relevant to students at every phase of life.