Hi, my name is Eva

A positive systems thinker with a bias toward action,
passionate about nature-positivity.

+61 (0)404 233 081
Sydney, Australia
How I got here 

Studying Industrial Design Engineering provided me with a strong foundation, grounded in design, technology, and creative process. I chose a Masters in human-product interaction, because I wanted to leverage the power of design and creativity to improve people’s lives. 
I found my way into Service Design - before it was a ’thing’ - doing my graduation project at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. Exploring airline branding in common-use departure terminals in the future, I came to better understand the reality of designing for ‘users’ in a complex ecosystem - balancing travellers’ needs, business objectives, technical realities and multiple stakeholders, and the cross over of products / services and physical / digital. 
My traineeship at Microsoft introduced me to consultancy and design within corporate culture. Working on multiple projects as a ‘design thinker’ and UX designer, I experienced the power of design as an instrument for change - both internally and externally with clients and the developer community. 
Contributing to sustainability initiatives and pro-bono work for NFP clients at Microsoft kickstarted my personal journey for social impact. At the same time, I got the opportunity to partake in the Tällberg leadership program shaping my early values and responsibilities as a designer. At Tällberg people from all over the world and from various sectors of society meet to reflect upon the challenges and opportunities that stem from global interdependence.
Having studied in Sydney during my Masters, I returned to my ‘dream city’ for adventure,  personal growth and a life by the ocean. Working at Deepend exposed me to the fast-paced agency environment, working agile across disciplines, and the Australian market. I worked as a UX architect of digital experiences, and passionately took the role of ‘product owner’ to ensure quality and integrity of everything we ‘shipped’. 
Fjord allowed me to broaden my skills in Service Design, specifically qualitative research. Working in truly multi-disciplinary teams and putting our client's customers first - we designed, built and launched experiences that redefined industries in this constantly evolving and tricky era. I took every opportunity to work on solving problems that matter, and continue to believe in the power of design and creativity to find solutions for wicked problems.  
The Ocean Cleanup offered the amazing opportunity to combine my design skills with (environmental) impact. As part of the Valorisation Team, we worked to bring to market the first The Ocean Cleanup branded product, made of recycled plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
In the work at WWF, I found an interesting niche applying innovation and product development to nature-based solutions. The aim is to unleash the potential of nature-based solutions by transforming complex environmental science research into commercial ‘products’ so that we can better scale solutions to meet the challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change.
Outside of work, I've found various opportunities to propel my personal journey for social impact. I co-founded and ran the franchise of Join the Pipe in Australia - bringing the value and power of Tap Water to everybody, everywhere; for a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable world. 
I set up and ran the local OpenIDEO meetup in Sydney, working together on global challenges - using the platform to connect people worldwide with tools, support, and each other to build real solutions for today's toughest problems. 
An absolute high was the Sustainability Leadership fellowship, building leadership skills from the heart and the head, to grow the capacity to influence and create positive change towards a more sustainable future.

I am dedicated to designing for environmental and social impact - for the planet, humans and humanity.
So now you know. 


Manifesto 

Empathy Over Ego
I chose this career in my aspiration to make people’s lives better. I by no means think I can achieve this alone: the best solutions I have contributed to are those that were dreamt up in a partnership - together with the client and the various specialities within the team. 
I am self-assured in my practise but I know when to listen. I see it as my job to facilitate the process and integrate into the team. There’s always more (perspectives) to uncover. 
Knowing is not enough for me. I want to apply my knowledge, and collaborate with great minds. To me, inspiring people are people who will push me in exchange for being pushed, who will raise the bar and tell the truth.

Passion Over Security
I believe that my passion and attachment to my work are what make me deliver great work. 
I will respect what has brought me/the team/the client this far and I am aware of commercial issues and realities. But I will also healthily disrespect the status quo. I seek both organisational and personal challenges - and I believe you need to lean in, and be comfortable with being uncomfortable, to be able to solve complex problems.  
There are often different answers to the same question, and I would like to say I am good at exploring what the right one is, within the context of who is asking and why they ask. Context is everything.

People Over Process
Despite the speed of technological advancement, one thing still holds true - understanding people and how to move them emotionally is the hardest thing of all. My work is to gain the richest information possible about my target audience. And to get there, I am comfortable with ambiguity. 
I will change course or bend process, if there is a valid need for the project scope, the business or the customer. But ultimately, I work for the customers – so I might have to take their side at times. I am the last to waste time and resources, but I will explore to get to what is right – not merely what I am told. 
Anything can be built. The question is should it be built? 
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