Cal Thompson — Co-Founder
Hi, I'm Cal. I'm a design leader, artist, teacher, and advisor to meaningful startups and institutions. I've worked in design and innovation for 15+ years invigorating brands, products, and organizations through design craft, human-centered design and systems thinking. I'm the author of the Product Design Strategy Course for Future London Academy. I've designed digital products and services for: Carnival, Walmart, Southwest Airlines, Target, NTT Docomo, Disney- and 7 new product launches at Headspace, including adding therapy to the app and launching Ebb, its AI-powered journal & navigator (born from our design research). I'm a champion of human-centered research, customer-centric strategy, and craft, and love building design teams that are rich with cultures of collaboration. I led teams in app dev studios, non-profits, and design consultancies for many years before joining Headspace where I led several iterations of its fabulous design team for 6 years with team sizes varying from 5 to 45 (leading product design, UX, design research, brand creative, clinical research). Now, I'm working with startups and educational institutions on product strategy, branding, design research, and design education, and I'm a practicing artist. In 2024, I co-researched sustainability, gender, and urban planning with Eli Robinson, culminating in an SXSW talk about...yes, sewers.
Stackforce AI infers this person is a Design Executive with expertise in digital transformation and user experience in the healthcare and technology sectors.
Location: Los Angeles, California, United States
Experience: 18 yrs 3 mos
Skills
- Product Strategy
- Design Management
- Design Strategy
- User Experience Design
- Design Leadership
- Service Design
- Digital Transformation
- Sustainability
Career Highlights
- 15+ years in design and innovation leadership.
- Led award-winning design teams at Headspace.
- Expert in human-centered design and product strategy.
Work Experience
Freelance
Design and Product Advisor (1 yr 7 mos)
Future London Academy
Curator, Product Design Strategy course (2 yrs 4 mos)
Headspace
VP of Design (3 yrs 11 mos)
Sr. Director of Design (3 mos)
Director of Service Design & Design Research (1 yr 4 mos)
Lead Service Designer, Headspace Health (6 mos)
Fjord
Design Director (9 mos)
Service and Interaction Design Lead (3 yrs)
Chaotic Moon Studios
Senior Interaction Designer (1 yr 3 mos)
Interaction Designer (4 mos)
projekt202
User Experience Researcher, Visual Designer (6 mos)
Texas Land Conservancy
Development Director (2 yrs 3 mos)
Project Transitions
Volunteer Coordinator, Media/Outreach Coordinator, Web Designer (3 yrs)
Self-employed
Artist (18 yrs 2 mos)
Education
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) at Dartmouth College
Interaction Design and Social Entrepreneurship at Austin Center for Design
Print/Media at Cranbrook Academy of Art