Lauren Schwartz
Design Strategist, Consumer Research
Maddock Douglas
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
Did what was expected of me and studied business in college.
Interned at an innovation company and fell in love with it's mission and process to "empower next."
Realized I was good at solving problems, applying frameworks and designing solutions.
Asked to work on a project under Doug, a senior leader in the company who shares my strengths.
Learned everything I could from Doug during my internship and worked as hard as I could.
Kept following up with Doug after college, even when there wasn't a job available for me.
Was eventually hired by Doug when he custom designed a job around my passions and strengths.
Have worked under Doug's mentorship for the past 5 years. I have learned more from him than school!
Education
High School
Hinsdale Central High School
Hinsdale Central High School
Career
Design Strategist, Consumer Research
I help large companies leverage trends to disrupt themselves and empower next.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Design
Education
Problem Solving
Day to Day
I use design thinking practices to invent new products, services and business models, including stakeholder mapping, positive psychology, researching trends, parallel thinking, customer research, strategic problem solving and idea generation. By designing research using a human-centered, future-focused approach, I help my clients solve unmet consumer needs in innovative new ways.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for high school students
Find someone who is a "design thinker" or "innovation consultant" on LinkedIn or through Roadtrip Nation and ask them for an informational interview! Study the Design Thinking process, read books / articles about it and take free classes on Coursera! Study wicked problem solving and learn how to identify wicked problems! Study psychology and cognitive behavioral frameworks that explain why people think and act the way they do! Practice designing solutions to problems in your local community!
Recommended Education
My career is not related to what I studied. I'd recommend this path instead:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Parents:
"You should study finance and accounting because it's a reputable job that will earn you a lot of money."
Challenges I Overcame
Learning Issues
Drugs / Addiction
