About Me
I am a product strategist. I treat the notion of “product” very broadly, encompassing physical objects, digital experiences, services, and whole ecosystems that combine any and all of these.
I have a background in industrial design, interaction design and sociology, and over 15 years experience in both consulting and corporate settings. In my role as Creative Director at frog design, inc., I am responsible for overseeing many of frog’s engagements, helping clients think about the future of their businesses, finding new opportunities for growth, and bringing innovations to market. Prior to being Creative Director, I was in frog’s strategy group for six years, being a Strategy Director for four years. My goal is to always integrate creative and strategic thinking and approaches to any problem.
I am the author of the book Innovation X, which looks at the question of why so few companies are seeing the kinds of success they wanted from innovation, and how a new breed of complex problems are standing in the way of being more effective with innovation. Find out more about it >
Clients
Clients I have worked with include
Writing, Speaking, Teaching
In addition to my book, I frequently write about innovation, design, user experience, sustainability and related topics. I have written for several print publications including Design Management Journal, Innovation, and Metropolis. In addition to this blog, I write the Matter/Anti-Matter blog on Cnet, and the Amphibious blog on frog design’s site. I have been a frequent contributor to frog’s Design Mind journal, and for a time was a regular contributor to Car Design News, the premier website for professional car designers. I can be followed on Twitter @Richardsona
I speak frequently at conferences worldwide, and am an experienced facilitator of executive-level workshops using frog design’s frogThink methodology. If you are interested in having me speak at an event, find more details on the Speaking page.
I have been an Adjunct Professor in the Industrial Design Program at California College of the Arts in San Francisco, where I started the design research course in 1998. I am a guest lecturer at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Création Industrielle in Paris, and at the IESE University of Navarra in Barcelona.
(See the Recent Writing and Speaking box at right for details on my latest publications and appearances.)
Sustainability
I am one of the leads of frog’s sustainable design initiative, and have been helping spearhead efforts to do sustainable work with frog’s clients, as well as make frog itself “greener” in its business practices.
Education
BFA in Industrial Design with High Distinction from California College of the Arts in San Francisco, 1992. I was named in the top 100 most significant alumni of the school’s 100 year history.
MA in Humanities from University of Chicago, in an interdisciplinary program where I combined sociology, ethnography, anthropology, cultural theory and art history to do an early version of a “design thinking” program in 1996.