Whipsaw
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Whipsaw is an award-winning industrial design and product development consultancy founded in 1999 by Dan Harden and Bob Riccomini, based in Silicon Valley. The firm specializes in creating innovative, user-centered products across industries such as consumer electronics, medical devices, and robotics. Whipsaw collaborates with both startups and Fortune 500 companies, focusing on delivering products that excel in functionality, aesthetics, and market appeal by pushing the boundaries of design.
The company's mission is to transform ideas into forward-thinking products that solve problems while enhancing the human experience. Whipsaw combines design innovation with practical solutions that meet the needs of businesses and consumers alike. They are known for their collaborative approach, integrating industrial design, engineering, and strategy to create impactful products that succeed in the marketplace.
Key to Whipsaw’s approach is innovation, user-centered design, and cross-industry expertise. They prioritize sustainable practices and consider the environmental impact of their designs. Whipsaw continually challenges conventional thinking by exploring new technologies and materials, delivering solutions that not only meet market demands but also push the limits of what’s possible in design.
Cole is a Director of Industrial Design at Whipsaw who has led projects for Olympus, Haier, Intel, Ceribell, Tascent, Blumio, Josh, Sprimo, PacBio, Tile, Ekso Bionics, Koniku, Penumbra, and others. Several of these projects have won major industry accolades and design awards. Cole designs intuitively from the heart, netting solutions that are sublimely simple, exquisitely detailed, and always contemporary.
Science fiction films, experimental furniture, and exotic cars inspire Cole to push the limits of his creativity. Prior to joining Whipsaw in 2013, Cole worked for Motorola where he worked on several smartphones, tablets, and accessories. Cole holds a BFA in Industrial Design from College for Creative Studies.
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Laura joins Whipsaw with an established background in design and innovation strategy—having partnered with teams at Nike, Intuit, Coca-Cola, and more to develop transformative strategies that span brand positioning and personal development, to research projects and innovation roadmaps. She helps organizations foresee industry and consumer trends and develop resilient strategies, blending qualitative research and strategic foresight methodologies that enable clients to navigate complex, evolving markets, and drive toward their organization’s vision for the future.
Before Whipsaw, Laura was a Strategist at John McNeil Studio leading projects focused on identifying emerging trends across industries—from wellness to sustainable manufacturing and beyond—conducting consumer and subject matter expert research, and codifying insights into practical, strategic actions. She was also a founding member of Athleta’s Trend and Concept team, working closely with the design, production, marketing, and C-suite teams to develop and execute key brand strategies, including the successful launch of Athleta Girl and the creation of the brand’s size inclusivity initiative.
Laura holds an MBA in Design Strategy from California College of the Arts and has Strategic Foresight training from the Institute for the Future, enabling her to draw from an extensive strategic toolkit when developing long-range strategies.
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Walker uses his background in human-computer interaction to bring functional and enjoyable products to life across the span of digital and physical experiences. As a designer, he has worked on projects ranging from enterprise-level web platforms, native mobile applications, comprehensive design systems, design research engagements, product requirement definition, and product marketing. Walker has managed design projects for a wide range of clients across e-commerce, healthcare, education, professional services, and consumer goods, including for Apple, PacBio, Trane, J&J, General Electric, MARS Corp., 7-Eleven, Boston Beer Company, UPMC Hospitals, and VCA Hospitals. He manages full-scale concepting and deep customer research to validate R&D concepts and strategies for large clients like J&J.
Walker graduated from Tufts University with a B.S. in Engineering Psychology (HCI) and a minor in Entrepreneurship with a focus on Engineering Management. Before joining Whipsaw he worked with Apple as a Design Lead for global consumer e-commerce experiences and proprietary enterprise applications. Before Apple, Walker was a founding team member of Tive, a supply chain technology company, and spent time as a UX Designer at Rightpoint, a full-service digital marketing agency.
