In this week’s MIDDVantage: Careers in Creative Design episode, James Schonzeit, Middlebury class of 2010 and Manager of Design with Block, chats with Masud Tyree Lewis ‘22 about human-centered product design. Check it out:

James leads the product design and research efforts for the Restaurants Team at Block. A whole lot has changed for restaurants in the past couple of years–to put it lightly. QR codes! Ghost kitchens?! Handheld ordering!! The pace of change doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon and James’ team focuses on meeting the changing needs of their customers through Block’s product offering. Prior to joining Block, he gained experience in product strategy development, UX research, and product design with IDEO, fuseproject, IA collaborative, Webb deVlam, and marketing Evolution. James has a B.A. in Economics and Film & Media Culture from Middlebury

About the Creative Design series: Design is absolutely everywhere—from the clothes we wear to the apps we use; from the cars we drive to the chairs we sit on. As a designer, you have the power to shape the world in which we live. The global market for design services is expected to be nearly $250 billion by 2022. This series includes interviews with many professionals who will share their vantage points on how they use creative design in their career roles, their paths from campus to career, and career advice they would have for students interested in this career space.

Exploring Careers in Creative Design is a collaborative series developed by the Center for Careers and Internships and Middlebury in DC with content contributions from members of the Middlebury Professional Network and Middlebury students.