Design strategist with 8 years of experience using research and foresight to define new products and ventures. Led the discovery that launched a senior caregiving service now generating $4M in annual revenue. Moves fluidly between ethnography, opportunity framing and concept prototyping with business teams.
Experience
Design Strategist, Fieldnote Innovation Studio (San Diego, CA)
Feb 2021 – Present
Led discovery for a caregiving service launched by an insurer client, now earning $4M in annual revenue
Ran ethnographic research in 30 households, synthesizing 8 opportunity areas for leadership
Facilitated concept sprints producing 14 testable prototypes in 6 weeks
Built business model canvases and sizing with client strategy teams
Innovation Researcher, Pacific Rim Consumer Goods (Irvine, CA)
Jun 2018 – Jan 2021
Conducted foresight research that informed 3 new product lines in personal care
Ran concept tests with 1,200 consumers to prioritize product ideas
Education
MDes, Institute of Design, Illinois Institute of Technology (Aug 2016 – May 2018)
BS, Cognitive Science, UC San Diego (Sep 2012 – Jun 2016)
Skills
Strategy: opportunity framing, foresight, business model design, venture design
A strong Design Strategist resume shows the problems you framed, the decisions you drove, and the user or business outcomes they produced. Put your most relevant recent role first and make every bullet show a result, not a duty.
Sections, in order
Summary
Experience
Projects
Skills
Education
Length: One page for most candidates; move to two only if every line is relevant.
Summary: Write two or three lines: your role, your strongest skills, and one result that proves them.
Skills to feature
User research
Product strategy
Prototyping
Figma
Design systems
Usability testing
Roadmapping
Experimentation (A/B testing)
Stakeholder management
Accessibility
Example bullet points
Redesigned onboarding from 9 steps to 4, lifting week-one activation from 31% to 44%
Built a 120-component design system adopted by 5 squads, halving UI build time for new features
Ran 40 user interviews and a pricing test that informed a packaging change worth $1.2M ARR
Tips from recruiters
Put a portfolio link in the header; for product roles, link a case study or launch write-up instead.
Describe your role in shared outcomes precisely ("led", "co-owned", "contributed").
Keep visuals for the portfolio: a clean, readable resume signals design judgement better than decoration.
Recommended templates
Modern (ATS-friendly): Clean single column with accent headings and rules
Timeline (ATS-friendly): Clean accent layout with a dated career timeline
Vanguard (ATS-friendly): Bold display name, accent-led headings with line rules
Design Strategist resume FAQ
What should a Design Strategist resume include?
A Design Strategist resume should show the problems you framed, the decisions you drove, and the user or business outcomes they produced. Use these sections in this order: Summary, Experience, Projects, Skills and Education. Put your most relevant recent role first and make every bullet show a result, not a duty.
What is the best resume template for a Design Strategist?
Modern, Timeline and Vanguard work well for Design Strategist roles. They are single-column with standard headings, so applicant tracking systems (ATS) parse them reliably.
How long should a Design Strategist resume be?
One page for most candidates; move to two only if every line is relevant.
Which skills should a Design Strategist put on a resume?
Prioritize the skills named in the job posting. Common ones for Design Strategist roles are User research, Product strategy, Prototyping, Figma, Design systems and Usability testing.
How do I write strong Design Strategist resume bullet points?
Start with an action verb, say what you did, and end with a measurable result such as activation, conversion and retention. For example: "Redesigned onboarding from 9 steps to 4, lifting week-one activation from 31% to 44%."