How I work…
My process is both iterative and integrated. I have the ability to think and learn, build and design, and do the work that needs to be done today all at the same time and make each part better for it and more whole.
Make
DESIGN
I’m a professionally practiced and trained visual designer, writer, maker, photographer, and illustrator comfortable designing in whatever is the right medium for the job. Years of reflecting on and improving design and research practices have also given me a keen eye for systems and service design.
I’m an expert in the practice of design thinking and human-centered design and have pushed it’s boundaries to make it more inclusive, accessible, and inspired.
SKILLS:
DESIGN THINKING / HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN / VISUAL DESIGN / IDEATION / SERVICE DESIGN / SYSTEMS DESIGN / WRITING / PHOTOGRAPHY / ANIMATION / SKETCHING AND ILLUSTRATION / PHYSICAL PROTOTYPING
Learn
RESEARCH
Curiosity is my core. I dig deep into primary and secondary research to understand human needs, challenges, and opportunities for design: as a solo practitioner, facilitator and teacher, or member of a collaborative team.
I bring in inspiration and insight from unexpected sources, connect dots, find patterns, make meaning, and solve puzzles. I draw on a background in journalism, writing, social science, and ethnographic design research. I can communicate in poetry or pie charts (or even pie art) and adapt my methods to the contexts, challenges, and questions at hand, not the other way around.
SKILLS:
DESIGN RESEARCH / ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH / ANALOGOUS AND INSPIRATION RESEARCH / DESK RESEARCH / SURVEY DESIGN AND DEPLOYMENT / DIARY STUDIES / DATA ANALYSIS / SYNTHESIS / INSIGHT DEVELOPMENT / STORYTELLING AND COMMUNICATION
Do
OPERATIONS
I have deep industry experience in design and research operations and can operate, spin up, or improve ops practices for strategy and planning, training and onboarding, knowledge management, vendor and tool evaluation and management, participant recruitment, scheduling, incentives, consent, data governance and much more.
I’m a team and people leader, mentor, teacher, and advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion in my practice, the workplace, and each product, service, experience, or system I’m a part of designing.
SKILLS:
PROJECT AND PROGRAM MANAGEMENT / STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT / CHANGE MANAGEMENT / WORKSHOP FACILITATION / BRAINSTORM FACILITATION / PILOT TESTING / SOCIAL MEDIA ADVERTISING / LEGAL AND FINANCE / PEOPLE LEADERSHIP
“Graham is genuinely one of the most kind, generous, and hilarious people I've had the pleasure of working alongside. I was consistently impressed by his ability to bring clarity and coherence to complex systems-all with a trademark gentle humor and optimism that we all deeply need in our lives.”
- Brandy Parker, Design Research Director at IDEO
I love to think with my hands. When I was building a loft for the small studio apartment I lived in in Boston, I created a cardboard version complete with scale models of our current furniture to get a sense of how things would fit together.
Service and systems design doesn’t always photograph well but this visualization describes a process for a project “flight” (pre, mid, and post project facilitated group conversations) scheduling system to streamline facilitator assignment.
“Graham fearlessly led high-complexity teams and workflows, and is constantly wearing the hat of “how do we proactively make this system work better?" His passion for research, operations and supporting a creative and rigorous culture is unmatched.”
- Becca Carroll, Director at IDEO
I design and build tools, processes, and systems with people at the center. Human-centered design isn’t just for products for clients and customers, anything that can be designed (services, processes, companies, methods, and more) can and should consider the real people and stakeholders involved.
“Graham is magic in a bottle. There are so many amazing qualities I could list for him but I think underneath all of them is a simple truth: he really cares. He cares about doing good work in efficient and effective ways. He cares about taking care of the people around him and standing up for what's right, even and especially when it would be easier to stay quiet. He cares about improving systems, processes, and tools so that everyone can be better at what they do.”
- Natalie Osterweil, Organizational Designer at IDEO
My toolbox…
TLDR: I’m a digital tools and technology native and very fast learner.
“[he] consistently injects fresh perspectives into the work, making it more human, more tangible, more approachable.”
- Alan Ratliff, Senior Workplace Experience Lead at IDEO
In this Coda dashboard example, you can see different views of project tracking data. I designed this dashboard to help researchers and research ops professionals keep track of incoming and ongoing projects and make better staffing and planning decisions.
Integrating databases and other digital services is a strong suit of mine. At IDEO I led the design, piloting, re-design, and implementation of a CRM platform for participant recruitment and research integrated with scheduling, consent, and screening data. (People illustration by E.J. Baker)
“It's rare to find someone who is both a strong operator and an excellent ideator. I've watched Graham excel as a change leader who drives big initiatives with grace, persistence, and rigor.”
- Natasha Sakina Alani, Systems Designer at IDEO
