Thomas Duester

- Teaching Industrial Design skills at the University of Washington faculty of Design + Art ­- Engaged with students and faculty across Industrial Design, Human Centered Design and Engineering, and the Foster School of Business. ­- Delivered 10+ lectures/workshops on design leadership, innovation strategy, and industry applications. ­- Judged across departments, including the Dempsey Startup Competition with 170+ projects and 500+ participants.

­- Founded and lead a UX innovation studio delivering strategic design services and workshops to Fortune 500s, startups, and NGOs. ­- Directed 15+ end-to-end projects, de-risking multimillion-dollar initiatives through research-driven UX strategies. ­- Accelerated time-to-market by 35% through lean research and iterative design. ­- Advised executive teams on design vision, experience architecture, and product storytelling.

­- Developed the world’s first sustainable, foldable bassinet—named TIME’s Best Invention 2021. ­- Brought product from concept to launch without external funding; won IF & IDEA awards. ­- Led design, safety (JPMA, CPSC), operations, and financial planning. ­- Cut product carbon footprint by 50% through innovative materials and local manufacturing.

­- Directed design for Amazon’s first cashier-less retail experience, merging physical and digital UX. ­- Built and scaled the Industrial Design team from scratch. ­- Led the design of the tech-enabled infrastructure, devices, and fixtures across 10+ U.S. store launches. ­- Defined and implemented product development processes, reducing time to market by 40%.

­- Built and led a 30+ person team across Industrial Design, UX, and CMF. ­- Delivered next-gen mobile and communication device experiences for international markets. ­- Increased design patent filings 3x by advancing UX and design innovation practices. ­- Implemented scalable customer-centric design strategies and toolkits.

Focus on innovation design projects for Philips Lighting Industrial design for Philips Lighting Industrial Design for Philips External Market Member of the Philips Design 'Probes' Team