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John Lai

Founder + Principal Designer at John Lai Design | IDEO Alumni

John Lai is the Founder and Principal Designer at johnlaidesign LLC, a design and innovation company based in the San Francisco Bay Area.1 He is an IDEO alumni with extensive experience in design thinking and human-centered design.1

Professional Background

John Lai has a rich background in industrial design and innovation strategy:

  • Current Role: Founder + Principal Designer at johnlaidesign LLC (since January 2019)1
  • Previous Experience:
    • Partner + Director of Design at MO Studio (2017-2019)1
    • Industrial Design & Innovation Strategy at IDEO (2002-2016)1
    • Sr. Industrial Designer at IDEO (1991-2001)1
    • Industrial Designer at Matrix Product Design (1988-1991)1

Expertise and Approach

John Lai specializes in:

  • Design Thinking
  • Human-centered design
  • Creative problem solving
  • Innovation strategy
  • Product development

He leverages his expertise to help companies discover opportunities, define design strategies, envision creative solutions, and bring products to life.1

Education and Teaching

  • Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design from San Jose State University (1983-1987)1
  • Guest Lecturer at UCI Applied Innovation (January 2017)1
  • Adjunct Professor at California College of Arts (July-December 2009)1

Notable Achievements

  • Earned many design awards and over 30 design patents during his time at IDEO1
  • Worked with prestigious clients including AT&T, United Technologies, Samsung, The VA, Eli Lilly, Medtronic, and Intel1

John Lai's design philosophy centers on creating innovations that have a positive impact on people and the world.1

Highlights

Sep 18 · linkedin

Walked away inspired by Oodi, the Helsinki Central Library, a truly engaging public learning space. It’s a shining example for anyone designing the future of anything, this library is not a place in which to be quiet.

It is a stunning architectural space by ALA architects who sought input from the public. There’s space for events, cafes with food and drink, Maker Spaces with music studios and instruments, Digital Space for coding and video games, 2D and 3D printers, sewing machines, kids learning and play area and ample open space for reading.

Segment on the OODI by ABB Electrification: https://lnkd.in/guUjrz-z

May 10 · linkedin

Your health data at your fingertips.

#healthcaredesign #medicaldevices #smartdevices #industrialdesign #uxdesign

Related Questions

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John Lai
John Lai, photo 1
John Lai, photo 2
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Experience

Founder + Principal Designer at johnlaidesign LLC (January 2019 - Present)
Partner + Director of Design at MO Studio. (2017 - 2019), Industrial Design & Innovation Strategy at IDEO (2002 - 2016)

Education

Bachelor of Science, Industrial Design at San Jose State University (1983 - 1987)

Location

San Bruno, California, United States