2024 UX Speaker Series

Thomas Duester 

Master Craftsman, Fearless Innovator, Design Leader & Pragmatic Collaborator
formfuture.com

JANUARY 18, 2024
4 - 5 P.M.
Gowen Hall, room 301

 

Get great UX done - at your job.

Acknowledging that the success of UX may not always be immediately evident, overcoming obstacles to deliver exceptional user experiences is a tough challenge you will, or already have been confronted with. Our responsibility lies in ensuring a harmonious representation of the human voice amidst technical and business requirements. While I do not claim to have all the answers, I want to share some of my experiences that hopefully inspire you to get great UX done - at your job.

Thomas Duester is the Owner and Design Director formfuture, driven by the goal of re-connecting research and design to maximize the value and impact of UX for small start-ups and full-scale corporations. Before this role, his journey as a Design Leader commenced with a background in cabinet making, and teaching, culminating in graduation from the esteemed Design Academy in Eindhoven in 2006. He honed his skills at Philips Design, contributing to global initiatives in Lighting, Healthcare, and Consumer Electronics. Leading teams, he immersed himself in holistic industrial design and innovation processes. A pivotal chapter followed as the Creative Director at Huawei's European Research Center, where he built and led an international, multidisciplinary design team. In 2014, he took on the challenge of heading industrial design for Amazon's groundbreaking 'Amazon Go' retail experience. This marked a significant shift in reshaping the retail landscape through innovative design thinking. Subsequently, in 2018, he founded 'formfuture' in Seattle, a Design Haus dedicated to deliver successful digital/physical experiences, with a passion for people and the planet.