I’m Lisa, a design leader with a strategic mindset and a knack for envisioning impactful solutions.

I love working with teams to help bring their products and initiatives to life. I’m a human-centered designer, focused on solutions that create meaningful experiences for people with the health of the planet in mind. Honestly, it’s all connected.

Let’s turn ideas into action.

I offer design strategy services to companies and organizations. Whether leading the way on critical projects, teaming up to work closely with your crew or joining your team as fractional design leadership, let’s design a process tailored to your unique needs. I'm here to help.

I work with

Corporate and startup teams to develop compelling new products and experiences.

Mission-driven organizations to catalyze programs and initiatives with the right creative thinking.

Agencies and consultancies as a hands-on leader to work alongside their team and deliver.

How I approach my work

Identify driving insights

Great solutions start with the right foundation. Let’s surface the needs, challenges and experience drivers that are critical to your initiative.

Activities include:

  • Qualitative design research

  • In depth interviews

  • Early collaboration sessions with stakeholders

  • Landscaping (competitors, technologies, market dynamics, etc)

Align on a strategic vision

A clear strategic vision acts as a guiding star, helping to align and prioritize the opportunities that lead to strong products, services, or initiatives.

Activities include:

  • Visual frameworks

  • Strategic roadmaps

  • Ideal customer journeys

  • Experience storyboards

  • Collaborative workshops

Envision and develop solutions

Ideas are transformed into tangible concepts through ideation, prototyping, and iteration involving feedback from end users and stakeholders.

Activities include:

  • Concept illustrations

  • Mockups and prototypes

  • User feedback sessions

  • Design refinement

A little more about me

I'm a Carnegie Mellon University trained industrial designer, strategist and director with 20 years experience creating products and experiences for a diverse range of clients from Fortune 100 companies to dynamic early-stage startups. I bring a strategic and highly collaborative approach to build teams, envision solutions and propel initiatives forward.

Recently, I spent 4+ years channelling my design expertise into climate tech innovation as the Senior Director of Design at Newlab. There, I developed a design strategy practice and team to help startups run real-world pilots with corporate and civic partners committed to sustainability. I have seen design’s power to unravel complex systems-level challenges that businesses and organizations face to pave the way for climate-friendly solutions.

Prior to Newlab I was Design Director at Pensa, a Brooklyn NY based product development consultancy where I led and mentored multidisciplinary teams, acted as a hands-on designer and fostered our client relationships.

Leveraging this experience I am thrilled to launch my own independent design strategy practice to help you move forward with your design and innovation goals.

Select clients

A few nice things people have said about me

“I was always in awe of how Lisa could take the most complex topics within mobility, energy and materials and transform our understanding of them through user-centered research and design strategy”

Cait Shubick, Director at Newlab, former Newlab colleague

“What makes Lisa special is the extreme warmth in her leadership skills: She is decent and kind and thoughtful, yet powerful and forceful when needed.”

Veronica Lin, Sr Design Strategist, Regenerative Futures at PepsiCo, former Pensa colleague

“Lisa's approach to any project was a breath of fresh air being able to quickly execute a plan of action.”

Kevin O'Leary, Independent Designer, former Pensa colleague

Let’s chat!

I’m always excited to connect and discuss potential collaborations. Please fill out the form below and I will do my best to respond promptly: