Hello! I'm a design strategist + researcher with an entrepreneurial mind.

Currently a Master of Design student @ the Institute of Design, Chicago.

Previously @ Deloitte Consulting, Relish Works, FEG DRIVE, and ChiByDesign

with a background in Business Economics, Entrepreneurship, and Digital Humanities @ UCLA

Along the way, I’ve built brands, launched ventures, and helped organizations navigate ambiguity.

I explore and transform ideas into real-world impact through a blend of

design

psst…try hovering over here!

Companies I've worked with, places I've learned from…

🌟 selected work

Projects done between 2022 - 2025

Below is a collection of my favorite projects: complex problem-solving with thoughtful research, synthesis, and impactful storytelling

Equipped our partner with a blueprint, 6 design principles, and 2 user models that exposed key gaps, clarified opportunities, and laid the foundation for future development.


What could an end-to-end online counseling experience look like for working adults in Taiwan?

BLUEPRINTING A NEW OFFERING FOR A HEALTH ECOSYSTEM

Product Strategy

Blueprinting

Journey Mapping

User Research

Workshop Design & Facilitation

Concept Prototyping

How can a global coffeehouse chain boost store employee survey participation?

INCREASING SURVEY PARTICIPATION FOR BETTER DECISION-MAKING

Story Coming Soon

Mixed-Methods Research

User Testing

Multi-Intervention Strategy

How might we co-design early childhood services in Illinois with the most marginalized families?

DESIGNING SERVICE DELIVERY FOR A NEW STATE DEPARTMENT

In Progress

Service Design

Co-Design

Research Design & Planning

How might we develop a growth model that helps an aging-in-place program to scale sustainably?

HELPING AN NATIONAL PROGRAM THINK THROUGH GROWTH

Story Coming Soon

Diagramming

Ecosystem Mapping

Framework Development

What kind of banking experience can help a rural Indonesian bank stay competitive?

REDEFINING DIGITAL BANKING FOR A MARKET UNDERDOG

Digital Strategy

UX Research

Product Mgmt

Product Dev

Over the years, I've developed a community of 10K+ creatives on my Instagram page, @sammys.journal, where I share my illustrations, journal pages, and other creative pursuits.

Sammy's Journal: My Creative Community

Visual Art

Content Creation

An interactive game as a learning companion for 6th-graders learning biology . Students learn through a combination of digital and tactile experience, optimized for immersion and inclusivity. The experience is delivered on an tablet-based app and physical gameboard.

Bloxology: Inclusive Design through Gaming

Inclusive Design

Game Design

A TV remote that mirrors the clickable parts of your TV’s interface using novel haptic technology, creating a dynamic, tactile surface that acts as your TV remote. What possibilities does this unlock for entertainment creators and consumers?

Morph: TV Remote Reimagined

Emerging Tech

Concept Design

A small business centered around memory keeping, created to empower people to preserve their memories through storytelling. Launched in December 2020, our photo journals are now loved in 8,000+ homes across 26 countries.

Project Memory: A photo journal brand

Business Venture

Brand-Building

As a kid, I was drawn to creating things and building around them. These explorations are no different. Some emerged from my design work, others from curiosity and moments of inspiration.

🌱 side quests & explorations

Designers come in all styles. After collaborating with teams and people of different disciplines worldwide, I’ve figured out mine.

These are the strengths I lean on… especially when things get messy.

I'm a visualizer.

When things get abstract, I gravitate towards whiteboards and markers. I've aligned and unblocked teams in synthesis with my little drawings. I won't just sketch out my thoughts — I'll give shape to yours too!

I ask great questions.

A natural clarifier, I spot gaps in logic and ask the questions that moves us in productive directions. It took me a while to fully appreciate the power of a good question, but now it’s how I start contributing from day one.

I can handle tough conversations.

I’ve asked tough questions, managed expectations, spoken up for myself and others, and worked well with all kinds of personalities, thanks to clear communication, positive intent, and years of experience under my belt.

Some things I deeply believe about design.

We need to design responsibly, now more than ever.

Everything in our modern world is built by humans, for humans. Yet our systems and built environments are far from human-centered. As design moves beyond aesthetics into complex systems, we must champion solutions that promote equity and sustainability.

Design's greatest value is in its thoughtfulness.

A strong design process doesn’t rush to conclusions. It makes deliberate choices with people at the center. A good solution won’t solve everything, but what sets it apart is when you can say, “Yeah, that was a tradeoff we intentionally made,” instead of, “Oh… we didn’t think of that.”

The best design research tell sticky, compelling stories.

If decision-makers don’t remember the insights, what’s the point? Designers often advocate for those not in the room, and telling their stories is half the work—whether through stellar visuals, unconventional deliverables, or immersive prototypes.

Prototype early, prototype fast, and get out of the lab.

Having straddled both the world of doers (startups, entrepreneurship) and deep thinkers (design), I believe in striking a balance. At some point, ideas need to be out in the world, so we can learn, adjust, and move forward. That point might be sooner than we think!

✍️ a glimpse into my mind

Testing and Evaluation Methods in Design

As designers increasingly work within complex systems and beyond aesthetics, the responsibility to provide evidence that a design works as intended grows.

As part of my last year at the Institute of Design, I've joined an academic research effort that aims to map the current landscape of testing in design and offer a conceptual model of testing, alongside a curated list of tools to help designers generate evidence before implementation.

Coming Soon

Faculty Research, Institute of Design Equitable Healthcare Lab

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👋 thanks for visiting!

I'd love to hear from you. Email me at samantha.chandra@gmail.com

@ 2025 Samantha Chandra