Design-thinking consultant | Creative tech resident, STEAM education
Sean Bender
bendersean3 at gmail
860.922.2581
LinkedIn
Objective
NOW: open to part-time and contract roles
spring '22: OPEn to full-time opportunities.
Sean Bender is a strategic industrial designer with a background in science and engineering. He is currently working on moving away from technical CAD and rendering work and toward projects that have strong research and user-experience goals.
He holds a dual BS from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in social science and mechanical engineering, and a MFA from SCAD in industrial design.
He's been using his multidisciplinary background in a variety of roles, but his favorite thing is developing and facilitating workshops in design thinking, brand development, and teambuilding.
Sean has studied improv comedy at the major Chicago theaters, and applies that skillset to business applications, and to roll with the punches generally dealt to elder millennials.
select Experience
The giant room, creative tech Residency
November 2021 - Present
TECH AND INSTRUCTIONAL PREP: Assists in writing, documenting, and organizing instructional content focused on creative technologies, coding, robotics, microcontrollers, and fabrication techniques such as 3D design and printing, laser cutting, and more
FACILITATION: Assists in teaching workshops to children 3 to 12 years old online and in-person
EXPERIENCE DESIGN: Assists in designing and developing installations and projects with appropriate technology tools
ITERATIVE DESIGN: Assists in designing, prototyping, playtesting, and fabricating new products and DIY kits
WORKSHOP FACILITATION: Developed and instructed a teambuilding workshop for staff
Yeh IDeology, Talent Strategy Account Manager
February 2021 - Present
COLLATERAL DEVELOPMENT: Creates new digital tools and operating practices to increase talent-search efficiency and explore new product offerings.
Occasional podcast interviewer for Yeh Ideology's Designing Futures podcast.
WORKSHOP FACILITATION: Leads workshops and remote exercises for the development of the team internally and with career coaching clients.
RESEARCH: Researches client needs, researches and interviews potential candidates and evaluate their abilities against the needs of clients.
PRESENTATION: Creates presentation materials to introduce new candidates to clients, and facilitates discussions reviewing candidates.
DELoitte Greenhouse, Senior Experience Innovation Consultant
January 2015 - August 2016
DESIGN RESEARCH: Interviewed clients prior to their Deloitte Greenhouse innovation workshops to determine their needs and customize the workshop accordingly. Created custom workshop modules to address challenges faced by the client. Assisted lead facilitator during the workshop, and produced a record of the workshop for clients. Interviewed Greenhouse employees and used secondary research to analyze current Greenhouse practices. Presented suggestions to improve best practices to Greenhouse leadership as part of a five-year strategic plan.
CREATIVE FACILITATION: Served as a design thinking subject-matter expert within the Deloitte Greenhouse, and suggested new training topics for Deloitte facilitators. Recipient of a Deloitte Applause Award for my work on the Activate project, the first self-directed workshop at Deloitte.
Savannah College of Art & Design, WORKSHOP DEVELOPER AND INNOVATION COACH
September - November 2011 and January 2012
CREATIVE FACILITATION Designed workshop modules about creative collaboration, and taught the content to workshop participants, who were executive-level and senior staff a corporation seeking more innovative decision-making. Served as an innovation coach and as a disruptor, challenging participants throughout the process as a member of the workshop delivery team.
For a full chronological work timeline, please see my LinkedIn.
core skills
Design Research
Product Design
Brand Design
Service Design
Interaction Design
Experience Design
Mechanical Engineering
Creative Problem Solving
Ethnographic Research
Contextual Inquiry
Public Speaking
in The Gaps: Traditional industrial design
In between and parallel to the select experiences highlighted, I have eight years of experience working in traditional industrial design roles, bringing projects through the entire design process: from research, ideation and client meetings through engineering collaboration, CAD modeling, rendering, fabrication and manufacturing.
Freelance industrial designer
January 2020 - present, remote
Cesaroni Design Associates, Industrial Designer
September 2017 - December 2019, Glenview, IL
Benchmarc Display, Industrial Designer
-November 2016 - September 2017, Vernon Hills, IL
Anagram International, Industrial Designer
November 2013 - July 2015, Minneapolis, MN
Technical Skills
Solidworks
Keyshot
Rhinoceros
Adobe Creative Suite
InVision / Sketch
SketchUp
Design Sketching
Prototyping
Wireframing
Model Making / Fabrication
Design Development
Design Validation
Education
Savannah College of Art & Design, Ga
MFA INDUSTRIAL DESIGN
Graduated Nov 2012
Rensselaer polytechnic institute, NY
BS - SOCIAL SCIENCE: DESIGN, INNOVATION
& SOCIETY
BS - MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
Graduated May 2009
INTERESTS
Improv comedy, tinkering and baking. One of my goals is to design and build a super-efficient passive house.