As part of the very first cohort of the IxD program, Heidi has built a career defined by curiosity, experimentation, and a willingness to push beyond convention. This year, her work was recognized on a global stage with a Red Dot Design Award, one of the most prestigious honors in the design world.

Now a product designer at LiveEO, Heidi works at the intersection of AI, geospatial data, and sustainability. The award-winning project, TradeAware, addresses a pressing global challenge tied to new EU regulations: companies must prove their supply chains are not linked to deforestation. Heidi and her team designed a platform that translates complex satellite data into clear, actionable insights, helping businesses verify compliance while navigating an increasingly complex regulatory landscape.

“My job is figuring out how to make adding a layer of bureaucracy as painless as possible,” she explained. But the challenge goes far deeper. TradeAware required transforming highly technical geospatial analysis into something usable for supply chain professionals, many of whom are accustomed to working in spreadsheets. At the same time, the stakes are real: smallholder farmers depend on the accuracy of this data for their livelihoods, making clarity and precision essential.

Winning the Red Dot Award was both exciting and affirming. “I’m super proud of the team, the product managers, developers, data scientists, everyone who made it happen,” she said. “And no, I definitely wouldn’t have imagined this when I was in the IxD program.”

That sense of exploration traces back to her time at SMC. Heidi recalls the program as a space that encouraged both creative freedom and practical skill-building. One standout project involved building a playable version of Pong using slime, pressure sensors, and an Arduino, an early exploration of unconventional interfaces that reflected her interest in emerging technologies and redefining how people interact with systems.

Her career path since then has been anything but linear, spanning community-focused work with UN Women in Los Angeles, international retail tooling in Berlin, public sector mobility projects, and now deep tech. Across each shift, she credits a combination of curiosity, adaptability, and the strong foundation built during her time in the IxD program.

Today, her work at LiveEO continues to evolve alongside rapid advancements in AI. While new tools make it easier than ever to prototype quickly, she’s learned that speed can come at the cost of clarity. “It’s easy to lose the point,” she noted. “You have to stay focused on the user intent and the problem you’re actually trying to solve.”

That shift has fundamentally changed her process. Rather than building incrementally, she now often starts with something that feels nearly complete, then refines and reshapes it, “chiseling” back to the core idea. It’s a more fluid, non-linear approach that reflects the broader unpredictability of working in emerging technologies.

She’s also experimenting beyond her day-to-day role, currently developing a Figma plugin called SyntheticUsers, designed to generate early feedback using AI-driven personas. The idea emerged directly from challenges she encountered on TradeAware, where early user feedback was difficult to obtain due to the novelty of the system.

Looking back, Heidi’s journey underscores the value of embracing uncertainty. If she could go back, she’d tell her IxD-era self:

“Heidi, don’t stress about not getting the NASA JPL internship, you’re going to end up working in space anyway, on things that don’t even exist yet.”

From slime-based interfaces to award-winning global products, Heidi’s story captures the spirit of IxD: a foundation in experimentation, a commitment to meaningful problem-solving, and the ability to adapt, and lead, in a rapidly changing world.

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