Smadar Ariel, B.Des. Email & Phone Number

People. Experience. Product. Design. From B2B design agencies providing services to hospitality and retail clients to the largest government ministries backed by multimillion annual budgets with ten to hundreds of thousands in reach, and civic society organizations providing services operating on a national scale, over the past decade I have worked in diverse professional settings. An industrial designer by trade, I've championed design innovation and environmental stewardship, creating products and experiences that blend seamlessly with human needs. Bridging digital and physical realms, I successfully translate concepts into tangible experiences that support designated behavioral changes among users.When functionality and aesthetics meet the human need, I am there. In my current role as an Instructional Designer specializing in Outdoor Education, I strategize and implement innovative methodologies to deepen preschool students' connection with nature while fostering collaborative learning environments. Previously in my capacity as a Learning Experience Specialist, I have successfully empowered educators from diverse cultural backgrounds to integrate sustainability principles into their curriculum, driving systemic change across educational landscapes. In public-private ecosystems, I have rallied professional architects, designers, and activists for the creation of positive spaces where people and nature meet in the city, utilizing agriculture and design as tools for the improvement of public spaces.Translating among cross-sector stakeholders for shared successThe experiences I have gained enable me to translate between players and playgrounds; I study the ins and outs of my current ecosystem creating safe spaces for shared action and rally peers-ultimately achieving the deliverables we aim for as a team.Ideation> prototyping> trial and error>> IterationMy career story is one of trust-based mediation and authentic experiential learning. I believe in fostering openness to allow experimentation, refinement, and constant improvement. Performing these capabilities in organizations, I have time and again decreased operational blind spots by skillfully facilitating feedback and peer evaluations. With a methodology deeply rooted in design thinking, I approach uncertainty with curiosity and inquiry, constantly expanding my knowledge and learning across various domains. My journey is a testament to the power of design thinking in navigating complexity, embracing change, and fostering meaningful connections between people, technology, and the environment.