Hi, I’m Kriss
a researcher, strategist and innovation specialist.
A photographer, writer and founder of Studio Ology.
I started off as an engineer but found myself more curious about people than things. This inspired me to become a researcher, a strategist and finally an innovation consultant. Sparking a curiosity to understand how innovation practices have developed, I studied anthropology to further explore the practice.
While calling China home for a decade, I witnessed both the possibilities and the challenges with innovation, I'm now based in London working with a network of like-minded people. My focus now is on bringing innovation practices to the places it is needed most, to develop practices that better adapt to people and place, take a more complex view of progress and aim to uncover pathways to more responsible innovation.
Beyond my work, my love of photography was sparked by the work of Sebastian Salgado.
Alastair Humphreys is my go to source for micro sized adventure.
About (extended version)
With a background in both Engineering and Anthropology and a career in which I've worn many hats. I started out as an engineer but found myself more curious about people than things, which lead me into roles as a researcher, strategist and ultimately, a director at a design agency and an innovation consultancy. My work has allowed me to cultivate a unique craft for decoding both the possibilities of technology and the intricacies of human motivations.
I've spent the past decade living and working in China and across Asia, including my most recent role as a Director at ?What If! Shanghai. My time in China proved transformative, challenging me to question many of the ways I understand the world. It demanded that I spend years to deconstruct and rebuild the way I think.
From the vibrant streets of Shanghai, LA and Tokyo to the remote villages of Yunnan, China, I've extensively researched diverse topics — ranging from the motivations behind consumption to the societal impact of technology and the intricacies of our global supply chains.
From the very beginning of my career, I've prioritized the study of innovation, delving into its processes, methods, and the impact of context on its purpose. From driving innovation internally within multinationals to facilitating externally as a consultant. I've taken the lead on diverse projects across industries, ranging from consumer goods, electronics, mobility to real estate and healthcare.
Along the way, I've come to see the current shortcomings in prevailing approaches to innovation.
My focus now is to develop innovation practices that better adapt to people and place, take a more complex view of progress and aim to uncover pathways to more responsible innovation.
You can read more about how that's going here.
“The least we can do, is to see the world with open eyes."
In my free time, I can be found hiking mountains, being clumsily pulled along on water by large kites or exploring street food options.
Based in London, but often in Shanghai too.
Research focus
In addition to my consulting work, I'm currently doing research into two emerging areas within the field of anthropology. They are:
1. What opportunities are lost as a result of current Innovation processes and methods being taught in a manner that is agnostic of cultural context? How can these innovation processes and methods be improved so that they can fully unleash the creative talents of people across the world?
2. As AI's neural networks increasingly become opaque to our understanding, much like the workings of our own brains, could we evolve ethnographic research methods into tools that can help us to interpret the intentions and objectives of AI systems?
If either of these topics is of interest to you, do contact me - I'm always open to collaborating or to just talk more on the topics.
Project work (consulting)
My work has taken place extensively across China and Asia, and my clients have ranged from multinational corporations to local startups. The projects I've tackled have spanned across industries from consumer goods, electronics, mobility to real estate and healthcare.
Most of my work is for commercial clients and remains confidential, below are several examples I am able to share: (client names have been removed, brands visible in the images are not representative of the client)
The project partnered with a multinational consumer goods company in response to the cultural phenomena of Chinese youth ‘lying flat’平躺 and their growing shift to online purchase and in-home consumption. The team ran multi-city, rapid immersions into the world of young men in China, exploring their emerging aspirations and the challenges they faced. The project delivered key insights that generated numerous future product opportunities for the company to capitalize on the rapidly emerging online, in-home consumption trend.
Methods: in-depth interviews, shadowing, social listening, prototyping, crowd testing
Impact: A 5 year China market E-commerce product roadmap with validated product prototypes.
The project partnered with Toyota's Connected Vehicle division, and embarked on extensive research across 4 countries spread over 3 continents; in Japan, the USA, Germany, and China. This foundational research sought to understand the user behaviors and perspectives, that delivered key insights to shape the future of Toyota's intelligent, connected vehicles and the development of their 'smart cockpit' concept.
Methods: in-depth interviews (conducted across, 4 countries), expert interviews, technology trend analysis, customer journey maps, behavioral mapping, trend analysis
Impact: four market consumer insight report, customer journeys and design provocation assets.
The project partnered with the real estate company Seedland, and delved into the daily lives of people living in China's mega housing complexes. Through an ethnographic study exploring daily life, pain points, and opportunities along with expert interviews, the project helped Seedland envision a future where housing complexes transcend traditional roles. it lead to the development of the 'Binary World' concept , that envisaged a harmonious coexistence between humans and robots, This concept offered a revolutionary solution to meet the growing need for logistics within their mega housing complexes.
Methods: in-depth interviews, disruption scan, expert interviews (delphi method), trend analysis, back casting, design fiction
Impact: three holistic design concepts that portrayed several scenarios for how future housing complexes could be better designed around the people that call them home.
The project partnered with Ford's newly formed EV company in China to run a rapid generative research study, that through consumer focus groups and product /service benchmarking determined key insights to drive competitive advantage. The resulting output designed a comprehensive launch strategy for Ford's first electric vehicle in the Chinese market, that encompassed retail experience, Digital UX, and community building.
Methods: kano analysis, focus groups, digital diaries, pulse survey, storyboarding.
Impact: full service blueprint, launch roadmap along with the design assets for retail mockup and community seeding.
Public Speaking
From 2015 onwards, I began giving a number of talks both as a guest lecturer at universities; Tongji Design & Innovation school and Beishida Psychology school. I was also as an invited speaker at several conferences, including MWC Shanghai.
My talks cover my work in the fields of research and innovation.
Here are a few pics from some of those events:
Mobile World Conference (MWC) Shanghai
