Hi I'm James,
I’m a product designer with a strong engineering background. My expertise is in interaction design, user experience, and mechanical engineering. I use empathy to uncover needs and insights, and technical skills to prototype and engineer beautiful products people love. I’m a highly-motivated and dependable team player, and speak design as well as engineering.
In January 2016, I founded Bloom Labs, a start-up building a credit-card sized rescue inhaler for asthmatics. After 100+ interviews, focus groups and 1-on-1’s with patients and clinicians, we’ve learned what its like to live with and manage asthma, and how we can help. Our product, the Bloom Inhaler is an international finalist (top 20) for the James Dyson Award 2016.
May - Aug ’15, I contracted at Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects group on the modular smartphone, Project Ara. As an interaction designer and mechanical prototyper, I produced user journeys for new module concepts, industrial design mock-ups, electromechanical prototypes and mechanisms for module insertion and ejection. Google filed a utility patent on my work, which can be seen in the Ara promo video.
Sept ’14 - May ’15, I participated in Google’s “30 Weeks” start-up incubator in New York City. My team was building “Kinesis” - smart clothing that served as your personal trainer. I scouted gyms in Manhattan, observing and interviewing people to understand how people learn to exercise and what motivates them to maintain the lifestyle. Over 8 months I learned from the best design talent in NYC. We had firms such as Frog Design and IDEO, as well as companies such Bechance, Oscar Health, Spotify come in for 1-on-1's and feedback. The experience taught me how to stay focused on delivering a unique value proposition, navigate a complex market landscape and communicate ideas in an effective executive pitch.
May ’13 - Dec ’13, I worked at Apple as a manufacturing design co-op. I was asked to come up with a new manufacturing process for the iPad Air, in order to save money without sacrificing quality and repeatability. Working with another engineer, we developed a process that saved the company $10M a year. I brainstormed new methods, traveled domestically and abroad to vet suppliers, and lived in China for 2 months developing the path forward. Apple filed a utility patent on a tool I invented to support the process.
Check out my resume here