Smart Design hires technology strategy specialist
Press
Smart Design has appointed John Anderson as Director of Technology based in our New York studio. With a strong background in startup consulting, product design, engineering and entrepreneurship, John has a focus on accelerating innovation for clients and brings considerable depth to Smart’s growing interaction design and technology team.
“With technology transforming every industry and category, clients are bringing us ever-more complex, fragmented challenges,” commented Tucker Fort, Partner. “Organizations are looking to integrate products, services and business in ways that bring tangible commercial impact but also simplicity to their offerings. John’s appointment brings a wealth of technical, experiential, and strategic expertise to deliver these design outcomes – from service solutions that delight new customers, digital platforms that enhance physical product interactions, or commercial models that open up new markets.”
John joins Smart’s New York studio from software engineering firm HappyFunCorp where he led the product division, advising market leaders such as Gatorade on new product initiatives. A big picture thinker with a unique ability to bring a design-minded approach to engineering challenges, John’s extensive experience includes working with clients as diverse as Audible, Citibank, BMW, PayPal, ESPN, eBay and Emirates Airlines, often bringing agile startup techniques to these large companies.
John commented: “I’m a passionate believer in the role of strategic design, and excited to help evolve our innovation capabilities. I have always admired the way Smart humanizes the way people interact and connect with technology, creating seamless ecosystems and digital experiences that are truly grounded in what those people need. This ‘real ideal’ is at the forefront of our minds as we guide our clients through these transformation projects – clearly articulating and delivering on their long term strategy measures, but quickly and tangibly bringing them along the journey of design experimentation, iteration and adaptation to rapidly realize their ambitions.”