Emily Privot McNamara
Head of Experience
Boston
Head of Experience
Boston
Validated traits
Artifacts
What did you do? Across several separate streams of work, I made calls that determined what using Trove feels like on both sides of the exchange. I cut onboarding down to the moment of value instead of a data collection step. I moved validation forward so it reads as the point of the product instead of an afterthought. And I sourced, briefed, and managed the brand engagement that gave the whole thing a settled visual and verbal language (that is uniquely differentiated in this market!), including the naming research that killed terms alpha users were misreading. What changed because of it? Onboarding now completes in a median of under two minutes (1m 53s), with an ~8/10 completion rate from start to finish. And the Polymath font system, the current color palette, and the product nomenclature are what every user is looking at right now, replacing terminology that alpha research showed was actively confusing people (e.g. Ledger reading as blockchain). How did you do it? On onboarding, I killed the "let's set up your account" step and swapped the work-history-and-role fields for a single headline. The role-targeting question was creating a mismatch: someone would pick a path like "establish foundation" and then get asked something that felt like a job application. When we built the supporting intake agent that helps users craft a narrative, I designed the framework to guide those questions (storytelling mixed with behavioral question interview techniques). I decided the form should teach the product by getting someone to their first artifact fast, not by collecting structured data upfront. On validation, the product had it buried behind the artifact creation flow, which worked against Trove's whole thesis. Trove only holds up if the witness feels like the point, not a confirmation step tacked on at the end. I moved it forward in the experience because burying it reads as "trust us" instead of "here's who was there." On the design system, alpha interviews had already surfaced confusion with the terminology and visual hierarchy in use, so I ran research with a few dozen participants to figure out what was and wasn't landing, which is what killed Ledger and reshaped how we talked about Artifact. In parallel, I found, vetted, and onboarded Champions as the design partner, wrote the brief, and managed the relationship through delivery. That's where the typeface system, the palette, and the decision to drop the isometric cube motif all came from.




This event was the first time my personal interests and professional experience were able to coalesce and I loved it. Age Of_ was conceived out of that overlap. This event was the first (and at the time only) SF Design Week event around aging and it was graciously hosted at IDEO's SF HQ. I had been studying co-design methods with and building products for older adults for nearly a decade and through conversations with Rahmin Eslami and Elysia Syriac (the other folks in Age Of_), identified an opportunity to shift the conversation around aging and design. While most industry dialogue focused narrowly on accessibility and decline, the Age Of_ team recognized a design gap (and a market opportunity) to explore aging through lenses of identity, culture, and aspiration. I conceived the idea to launch "Age Of_" as a flagship workshop at SF Design Week, bringing together designers to reimagine what it means to design for this demographic. Our team was multidisciplinary: experience and community designer, creative director, and strategic forecaster, Julian Bleecker. Together we built an aging-specific curriculum and facilitation guide, adapting Julian's own design fiction techniques into a compressed 90-minute workshop format. The methodology centered on a "mad lib" style exercise using prompt cards across five dimensions (living with, human need, form, action, and attribute) that guided teams to brainstorm solutions for older adults through exploratory prototyping. On the day of the event, I delivered a baseline presentation on opportunities in aging design and guiding participants through the exercises and prototype development. We 3D-printed branded pen holders for the requisite brainstorming sharpies and printed some inspirational quotes around aging on cards to get brains warmed up. There were beautiful images of older adults doing every day activities to set the context of the space. The workshop exceeded all expectations, drawing over 70 participants against a planned capacity of 25. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with several participants noting it was the first time they'd encountered aging discussed through a lens of possibility rather than limitation. The room came alive during both the introductory presentation where the universal relevance of aging resonated across the audience and during the team share-outs. The curriculum we developed was intended to become the foundation for an ongoing workshop series, establishing a new framework for how designers approach this underserved and high-potential market.




Testimonials
Copywriter / Creative Director at The Holding Co.
Peer
Work history
Trove
Hatch
Amazon
Strange Ventures
VBP Orange
Native Design
fuseproject
Pentagram
Place Lab (formerly Build Public)
Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
Architecture for Humanity
organicARCHITECT
Hugh Huddleson
West Coast Green
Downtown DC Business Improvement District
NIH Innovates
SEP 2026 - PRESENT · 1 month
OCT 2025 - PRESENT · 1 year
JUL 2017 - OCT 2025 · 8.3 years
Senior Researcher, Industrial Design
JUL 2017 - MAR 2022 · 4.8 years
AUG 2024 - AUG 2024 · 1 month
NOV 2015 - JUL 2017 · 1.8 years
Senior Experience Strategist
NOV 2015 - JUL 2017 · 1.8 years
Orange is a team acutely focused on customer experience living within an independent advertising agency. We shape experiences that deepen connections between people and brands by setting strategic vision, designing opportunities that inspire engagement, and driving transformation. Our focus lies with people, at the junction of technology and space. I worked among the strategy team and alongside the creative team to define inspiring and rewarding experiences for specialized brands. » Designed and executed primary research (interviews, analysis, audits) » Mapped out and conducted engaging workshops to debrief client on Phase 1 Discover (research) and bridge to Phase 2 Design » In joining forces with the designers, collaborated on brand-defining spaces and experiences across a range of industries Clients: - Blue Moon Brewery - (NDA) technology company
APR 2014 - NOV 2015 · 1.7 years
Senior Product Design Strategist
APR 2014 - NOV 2015 · 1.7 years
Native is an integrated design company dedicated to delivering holistic product and interaction design solutions for the world's most exciting brands. With core competencies across varied platforms — business strategies, research and consumer insights, technologies selection and connected solutions — Native achieves holistic UX design that encapsulates collaborative, multidisciplinary design. » As one of the founding team members to open the San Francisco studio, my responsibilities centered on being nimble and hands-on » Worked alongside the business development team in London HQ (specifically working to translate approaches to the targeted Silicon Valley market) » Led research in-field and in-studio to develop design directions for the product (industrial design) team » Assembled narratives for client-facing design concept presentations » Discovered and defined insights to inform design development Clients: - HP Immersive Computing - HP Advanced Platforms - (NDA) global leader in POS terminal systems - (NDA) luxury smart watch startup
MAY 2013 - APR 2014 · 1 year
Design Strategist
MAY 2013 - APR 2014 · 1 year
fuseproject is an industrial design and branding firm that seamlessly collaborates across many disciplines and is able to engage from ideation (opportunity identification and definition) through execution (strategic research, design, development). Teams are focused on distilling brands to their core in order to cultivate emotional connections through storytelling. » First position as a strategist » Applied passion for and interest in design to established research abilities to develop insights on brand positioning and product development » Applied strategic frameworks to finding new market spaces, competitive landscape analysis and futurescaping » Devised, analyzed and interpreted research in many verticals (consumer electronics, home wares, health and beauty, humanitarian) » Served domestic and international clients » Formulated narratives for presentations and visual storytelling » Worked effectively and efficiently under tight time frames and schedules Clients: - PayPal - Nike Foundation (The Girl Effect) - Nivea
JUL 2012 - MAY 2013 · 11 months
Architectural Designer
JUL 2012 - MAY 2013 · 11 months
Pentagram was founded on the premise of collaboration between interdisciplinary designers and has five offices internationally. The San Francisco studio focuses on architectural design, retail interiors and exhibition space. Pentagram’s deep-rooted proficiency in brand fostered a conversation between the identity development (logo, brand guidelines and standards) developed in the New York studio and the physical articulation and embodiment executed in the San Francisco studio. » Researched, selected, and implemented materials and architectural elements based on client’s brand strategies » Created 2D/3D visuals (renderings) to express designs » Generated diagrams and other visual content for design development and construction » Paired to strategically define a 4-phased process to rollover evolved franchise branding across thousands of US locations Clients: - WeightWatchers - M&T Bank - private client corporate HQ
SEP 2011 - SEP 2012 · 1.1 years
Program Development Associate
SEP 2011 - SEP 2012 · 1.1 years
Build Public (formerly UP), is a non-profit development organization conceived by the Build Inc. partners. It was established as a mission-based horizontal development firm, which works to maximize social, economic and/or environmental returns to the public. Build Public works in partnership with public agencies and the private market. Build Public's access to emerging social capital funds and socially responsible investment markets distinguishes it from for-profit developers. By reducing the cost of funds for the entitlement process and leveraging the lower return expectations over the life of a project, UP’s use of social capital allows it to utilize a longer-term horizon than conventional developers and to help the public retain a larger share of the value created by the entitlements. » Assisted identity branding design » Supported team in initiatives for new business partnerships » Assisted in RFP production » Built website 1.0
JUN 2007 - SEP 2011 · 4.3 years
Architectural Designer
JUN 2007 - SEP 2011 · 4.3 years
Bohlin Cywinski Jackson is an award-winning architecture firm that has grown to five offices around the US, with refined specialization in a plethora of fields, from high-end residential to academic to public to retail. BCJ emphasizes the importance of and relationship between place and materials. The majority of my tenure focused on Apple flagship retail stores, but began initially working with the team designing the Digital Arts Research Center at UC Santa Cruz. » Initially aided in RFP/RFQ production, marketing asset development and construction administration » With greater experience, grew to production drawings » Created 2D/3D visuals (renderings) to express designs
SEP 2006 - SEP 2009 · 3.1 years
Designer
SEP 2006 - SEP 2009 · 3.1 years
Architecture for Humanity pioneered a new model for the application of design, specifically architectural, to humanitarian crises. It was a non-profit focused on architectural interventions and resolutions for various definitions of ‘disaster’ around the world. Our chapter in San Francisco led the research and design of a sustainable community design project in collaboration with the Mayor's Office of San Francisco, MTA, Federal EPA, SF Redevelopment Agency, and the Residents of the Bayview neighborhood of San Francisco. This was a 5 year project to rethink and redesign the use and meaning of a neighborhood open to improvement. Our new approach was rooted in first-hand research and community organization. The success of this implemented proposal on Newcomb Avenue brought 16 additional Model Blocks to San Francisco neighborhoods. » Winner of Federal EPA funding » Winner of the Mayor's Office CCG Grant 2007, 2008 » Winner of Wells Fargo Community Sponsorship
JAN 2006 - DEC 2007 · 2 years
Intern, LEED Consultant
JAN 2006 - DEC 2007 · 2 years
organicARCHITECT began in San Francisco as a boutique architecture firm intending to spread the gospel of responsible and sustainable “green” building. » Researched materials for specification » Client consultation » Procured and produced LEED certification documents
SEP 2006 - JUN 2007 · 10 months
Model Builder
SEP 2006 - JUN 2007 · 10 months
Hugh Huddleson is an independent architect focusing on an international swath of luxury residential and hospitality projects. » Built site and project models - mostly museum board construction - from drawing sets
JAN 2006 - DEC 2006 · 1 year
Volunteer
JAN 2006 - DEC 2006 · 1 year
MAY 2005 - AUG 2005 · 4 months
Transportation Intern
MAY 2005 - AUG 2005 · 4 months
» Designed and executed transportation studies on bicycle usage along high-traffic commuter corridors » Aided team in inaugural launch of "Circulator" bus (marketing, PR)
JUN 2001 - JUN 2002 · 1.1 years
Histology Technician
JUN 2001 - JUN 2002 · 1.1 years
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