Gensler

About the Fellowship

I had the privilege of being apart of the 2021 Gensler Summer Fellowship. Out of over 900 applicants, I was the youngest out of the 42 selected participants. For 10 weeks, I moved forward Gensler research initiatives centered around their continued mission to redefine the future of cities around the world, with a specific focus on climate change and social justice.

My Contributions

My work included performing literary analysis, conducting interviews, examining case studies, and creating storyboards and a design prototype. My work is protected under an NDA, but I would be more than happy to discuss my take-aways from this experience.

I helped establish key performance indexes for division-specific projects, providing a quantifiable way to measure success.

My final presentation entailed a team design which synthesized our research in a local Pittsburgh community and set precedent within the company for future projects.

I engaged with my cohort and shared my viewpoint (as an industrial designer) as one of the six representatives of the "other" design disciplines in the cohort.

Top Lessons Learned

Interdisciplinary Collaboration

There were many disciplines represented among the follows, with architecture and interior design being the most prominent. During our research work, I learned about the nuances in different design disciplines. I greatly benefited from the interdisciplinary approach and navigated holistic problem-solving.

Business Acumen

This fellowship was also my first exposure to Key Performance Indexes (KPIs). I was challenged to think how we could systemize design success metrics in order to best measure progress and recreate success. This experience helped build my toolkit in working at the corner of design and business.

Systemizing Design Ethics

Given Gensler’s strong ethical focus, I learned how corporations can systematically think about design implications. My peers and I were encouraged and equipped to consider the ethical dimensions of our work, including issues related to equity, inclusivity, accessibility, and cultural sensitivity.

Resilience Practices

This fellowship was my first exposure to resilience practices in design. Although we discussed practices specifically relating to the built environment, I have found that the strategies and information I learned can be applied to all facets of design to the benefit of end users.

The Atlanta fellows at the Gensler Atlanta office. (pictured right to left: Erin Kingsley (me!), Euna Oh, Juyong Song, Danielle Lanier, Arabelle Berman, Jalen Carlyle)

Design Research Fellowship