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A little about me, geoff

 
 

The TL;DR Version

A Senior Design Researcher by day and host of the Everyday Experiences Podcast by night. I take my love of learning why people do what they do and use these findings to help tell stories that inspire change – aiming to influence everything from the design of simple interfaces to enterprise business strategy.

And, in taking the parental advice of being academically and professionally “well-rounded” a bit too literally, I've held nearly every role from web/software development to service design over my career. But above all else, I write, I guide, and I coach so that I may pass on everything I’ve learned to others.

The Inspirational Version

Any given minute, expect that I am wondering what others are thinking and feeling; that I am wondering why things are the way they are. This endless curiosity has enveloped and shaped all that I've seen, thought, and sought in both my professional and personal life - it's just how I'm wired.

So, it is of no surprise (to me at least) that I’ve found a true passion in informing business decisions, directions, and design through human-centred research and insights. However, I have certaintly taken a meandering career path to get where I am today.

Starting a decade and a half ago, I began my journey developing Command And Control systems for military contracts before I began moving into QA/testing, BA, PM, and Scrum Master until I finally found my love of customer and user experience research and design. My shift out of software development was born out of a growing, insatiable desire to know why we were building these products, for who, and to what end, and I was simply not finding those answers as a programmer.

From the experience I gained switching from one ‘hat’ to the next, I better developed and honed what are now my most prized ‘superpowers’: knowing how to ask and explore those Why’s along with a keen ability to notice all of the little ways each of us behave and interact with the everyday world around us.

So, what inspires us to pick one service or channel over another?

What keeps us from leaving the brands we’ve bought into?

How do we ensure that our products lend to effective, efficient, and emotionally desirable outcomes?

What do and don’t we know today?

And overall, how do tell the story of what we’ve learned to inspire buy-in and progressive change?

Regardless of interface or industry, I aim to help others explore and improve their offerings through behavioural research, and I've got an ever-expanding playbook of research practices to help us do just that.

Current role

Previous roles

Previous speaking/Hosting engagements