Lara Lee – Experience Design as a Business Strategy
How can we create a more central role for experience design, and increase its emotional impact? We talk about holistic approaches and working across touch points, but what does it take to make that work inside an organization? We know that experience design increases the value of products and services, but can it increase the value of an entire company? With a mix of theory, practice and inside insights from years of building experience businesses at Harley-Davidson, we’ll explore the emotional side of experience design and how it can be transformed into a business strategy.
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Lara Lee is a principal at Jump Associates, an innovation strategy firm based in San Mateo, Calif. At Jump, she leads the firm’s brand community and sustainability practices and is a member of the executive management team. Named one of BusinessWeek’s top 25 “Masters of Innovation,” Lara is a frequent speaker at business, sustainability and marketing forums, most recently presenting at Sustainable Brands ’09, the Marketing Science Institute’s “New Art & Science of Branding” conference, Futures of Entertainment 4, and the International IDSA conference. Additionally, Lara’s commentary and writings on sustainability, marketing, and business strategy have appeared in numerous publications, including The Harvard Business Review, BusinessWeek, Forbes and The New York Times.
Lara has over 20 years of corporate experience in strategy, marketing, finance and general management, working around the globe with Fortune 500 organizations. Prior to Jump, Lara was VP of Enthusiast Services at Harley-Davidson, leading a division that included experiential services, a new business incubator and the company’s online presence. Lara holds dual master’s degrees in business administration and international affairs from the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton School of Business, and a bachelor’s degree in Chinese language from Brown University.