EXPERIENCE
Emulate | Senior Industrial Designer
2017 - 2020 | Senior designer on a series of cell culture instruments, adapters and packaging for Emulate’s Human Emulation System. Immersion in the cell culture and organ-chip industry through collaborating with scientists, in-lab user evaluations, market research, product development, packaging, user experience development and product branding. Collaborated with scientists, engineering, business development, and industry partners to identify stakeholder needs, document and develop user journeys, create product definitions, and develop design specifications. Worked with cross-functional team to interview collaborating scientists for system beta testing, system reviews, and new product development. website
Euro-Pro: SharkNinja | Industrial Designer
2013 - 2016 | Lead designer on development of new Shark vacuum and Ninja coffee product released in 2015 and 2016, including a trip to overseas manufacturing. Collaborated with marketing teams to define design direction and color strategies, then rapidly visualize through sketching, CAD, and renderings. Refined touchpoint surfacing and ergonomics through rapid prototyping and worked with vendors to create looks-like prototypes for executive decision making. Collaborated with engineering teams in US, London, and China to create production-ready CAD, product specifications and evaluate/refine production parts. website
SpineFrontier | Industrial Designer
2011 - 2013 | Immersion in the orthopedic spine industry through surgeon collaboration, cadaver lab user and prototype testing, anatomy, research, market strategy, product development, and product branding. Designer on the development of multiple medical-device systems, including instrumentation, surgical techniques, and implant design. Worked toward establishing design and product development processes and a design-oriented attitude within the organization. website
New Balance | Footwear Design Co-op
Fall 2008, Spring 2009 & Winter/Spring 2011 | Designed & developed running footwear for Winter 2013 season product line. Developed an integrated Surge footwear line along with 990 series trainer. Collaborated to develop concepts, basketball shoe strap, closure system, and logos. Worked with Running, NBx, Tennis and Warrior brand teams on design, footwear construction and colorways. website
Whipsaw | Industrial Design Co-op
Fall 2009 | Worked with a fast-paced design firm, sketching, rendering, CAD modeling and physical model building. website
Philips Home Healthcare | Industrial Design Co-op
Spring 2008 | Collaborated to develop storyboards and product opportunity sketches for concept home-respiratory therapy devices. Worked with design team on product development of respiratory devices. website
MTS Seating | Industrial Design Co-op
Spring & Fall 2007 | Collaborated to develop new chair concepts. Responsible for custom design chair backs and renderings for clients. Designed, welded, and powder-coated my own concept chair. Learned and implemented new shop skills. website
PROCESS
RESEARCH | EXPLORATION | DEFINITION | REFINEMENT | INTEGRATION
SKILLS
2D | Concept creation, Visualization, Styling, Adobe Creative Suite
3D | SolidWorks, Keyshot, Rhino, Wood/metal shop, TIG & MIG Welding
Execution | CMF, DFM, Visual Brand Language, Rapid Prototyping, Product Specs
Product Development | Analytical thinking, User research, Systems development,
Workflow development, Project management, Packaging design, Design strategy
PATENTS
US_10238434 US_9936982 US_9603717 US_2014/40200670
US_D789006 US_D823035 US_D78101S1
STUDIOS
Medical Device Innovation Program | Collaborative Studio
Winter 2010 | Collaborated with the Chair of Neurosurgery at the UC College of Medicine to design and prototype a radiolucent head-fixation device. I taught and learned from a team of student-biomedical engineers as we conceptualized, sketched, mocked-up, CAD modeled, analyzed, rendered and prototyped a device that reduces time on the OR table, resulting in improved patient outcomes. Patent application in process. website
Hewlett-Packard | Sponsored Studio
Winter 2009 | Designed a sustainable-desktop PC, based on the Slow Movement, for the Arab-Speaking world. The design earned third place in the studio competition judged by HP designers. website
Human-Powered Vehicle | Collaborative Studio
Summer 2008 | Concept development and fabrication of a horizontal-engaged human-powered vehicle with a group, of designers and engineers, called the Death Cheaters.
Environmental Studies | Collaborative Course
Summer 2009 | Worked in a group to write white paper to institute a sustainability fee at the University of Cincinnati. This led to sustainable programs around campus, such as bike-share and car-share programs that still thrive today. Learn more here
ricica.design@gmail.com | 419.343.5352