About

Hi, my name is Grace Lihn.

I'm a design strategist and independent consultant.

I currently work at IBM, where I lead business design strategy on large-scale IT modernization engagements with IBM's public sector clients – including state and local government agencies, airports, universities, and public school districts. I bring service design principles and participatory design methodologies into human-centered design workshops with diverse client stakeholders and IBM experts to co-create minimum viable (read: lovable) solutions that solve our clients' thorniest challenges.

Previously, I worked at Madison Reed, where I designed new mobile website experiences, developed innovative agile research methodologies, streamlined design process, and built a new design system with the engineering team.

Outside of my 9-5, I'm also a design consultant for nonprofits and local entrepreneurs. Past projects include designing e-commerce websites and learning management systems, as well as conducting consumer research and providing strategic recommendations. I love supporting nonprofits and local food businesses, so I often volunteer my design hours as my way of giving back to the community.

I have an interdisciplinary background in environmental studies that is rooted in systems thinking and spans agroecology, urban planning, and sociology. When I'm not designing in Figma, I'm usually building systems and tools (I spend a lot of my free time experimenting in Airtable) or brainstorming ideas for inclusive, equitable digital experiences.

My skill set

Product design:

  • Enterprise design thinking & design sprints
  • Service design methodologies
  • Rapid prototyping
  • Low, mid & high fidelity wireframes
  • User experience (UX) flows, journey mapping
  • Interaction design, CSS animations
  • Responsive web design
  • Inclusive, participatory design facilitation

Research & testing:

  • Planning, recruitment & analysis
  • Ethnographic interviews
  • Usability testing
  • A/B testing
  • Metaphor Elicitation Technique
  • Mixed methods, qualitative & quantitative

Software tools:

  • Design: Figma, Sketch, Affinity Designer, Adobe CC, Mural, Miro
  • Prototyping: Figma, InVision, Marvel, UXPin
  • Web development: Webflow

Education:

  • BSc. Sustainable Food Systems, UC Berkeley
  • UX Design Certificate, Designlab
  • Enterprise Design Thinking Co-Creator Badge, IBM
  • AI Design Essentials Badge, IBM
  • Conversational Design Foundations, IBM

See additional details and work history on LinkedIn.

My approach to design

My design framework is influenced by human-centered design principles, Frank Chimero's ideas in Shape of Design, Liberatory Design, Design Justice Network Principles, and Participatory Action Research (PAR). I believe that the people most deeply impacted by a problem should be centered as decision-makers during the design process. I also understand that it's challenging to do so, that it's a continual work in progress to achieve this. I'm inspired by projects like the Consentful Tech Project and the Center for Humane Technology, as well as the work of Greater Good Studio.

Before pivoting to product design, I worked on several diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI) projects, one of which was leading an equity audit within a community grocery cooperative in Berkeley, CA. It was through this work that I found my passion in working collaboratively with people to rethink our processes for addressing complex challenges faced by our communities. That's why, although I work full-time as a product designer at IBM, I still consult for nonprofits and local businesses.

Design in action

Here are some examples of my design and research work. Since many of my projects are confidential, please contact me if you would like to see additional work samples from IBM and Madison Reed.

Teacher teaching Spanish to a group of students
Madison Reed

Design system rebuild

Rebuilding the Madison Reed design system
Teacher teaching Spanish to a group of students
Erie Elementary Charter School

Family-centered dual-language school website

A new website to support families during pandemic distance-learning
Teacher teaching Spanish to a group of students
Braven

Custom UX research repository

A centralized, scalable user research repository for an education nonprofit

Designing with purpose

I've lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 25 years, so I’m well acquainted with technology’s potential and its impact. We've witnessed the way products are often designed with good intentions, but still have a negative impact on people or the planet. It's time to rethink the way we design products and technologies, to make a more concerted effort to design with impact in mind.

‍Through a more inclusive and mindful design process, we can uncover solutions that are more meaningful, impactful (for both the business and users), and empowering. As a designer, I strive to not just build better product experiences, but also pave the way for improved processes and frameworks.

I strive to change the way we approach product development lifecycles in the tech industry, so that our products are more consentful and humanizing.
Interested in working together? Let's chat!
Work with me
designed & built by Grace lihn
Made with ♥ in Oakland, Ca