I am an innovative, visionary, and educative artist with 15+ years’ Industrial Design and UX Service Design expertise in the design of children’s immersive playgrounds and learning environments for impact. My work focuses on growing both people and business. I co-create with communities using Interpretive and Human Centred Design processes that exceed behavioural outcomes and business targets. I have significantly increased engagement and profitability across diverse sectors with designs winning awards and being featured on BBC and CNN.

Krister Gustafsson

I am an innovative, visionary, and educative artist with 15+ years’ Industrial Design and UX Service Design expertise in the design of children’s immersive playgrounds and learning environments for impact. My work focuses on growing both people and business. I co-create with communities using Interpretive and Human Centred Design processes that exceed behavioural outcomes and business targets. I have significantly increased engagement and profitability across diverse sectors with designs winning awards and being featured on BBC and CNN.

Available to hire

I am an innovative, visionary, and educative artist with 15+ years’ Industrial Design and UX Service Design expertise in the design of children’s immersive playgrounds and learning environments for impact. My work focuses on growing both people and business.

I co-create with communities using Interpretive and Human Centred Design processes that exceed behavioural outcomes and business targets. I have significantly increased engagement and profitability across diverse sectors with designs winning awards and being featured on BBC and CNN.

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Language

English
Fluent
Swedish
Fluent
German
Advanced
Polish
Beginner

Work Experience

Industrial Designer at Magic Garden
January 1, 2016 - Present
Design immersive playgrounds that spark joy for impact; training design thinking.
Creativity Coach at Kreativity Koach
February 1, 2024 - January 1, 2026
Coaching creativity by facilitating Co-Design Workshops, identifying hidden talent and teaching Design Thinking to clients including TAFE NSW and STEAM classes for Northern Rivers Children’s Services.
Technology Business Analyst at Lismore City Council
August 1, 2023 - February 1, 2024
Supported executive modernise the Council. 90% of time I was required to perform data entry to audit and build a repository of 80 strategies. 15% time training senior managers in digital transformation and mapping business processes in workshops.
Service Designer at Evolve and Amplify
August 1, 2022 - January 1, 2023
Supported development of policies for a national cyber security accreditation program. 75% of time refined the presentation of policy documents, 20% refining mapped business processes with heuristic analysis, 5% workshopping.
Senior UX Researcher at Year13
October 1, 2021 - August 1, 2022
Led Discovery of product strategy to scale Year13 from being a blog with a fatigued audience into a co-creative platform of user-generated content, to support teenagers and parents select careers. Partnered with agencies to access audiences with high engagement. Prototyped a platform of co-creative workshops; contributed to Series B fundraising.
UX Designer at Arq Group
December 1, 2018 - February 1, 2020
Embedded in clients’ digital transformation teams; led user research of product strategies and UI concept designs; improved business metrics including Qantas chatbot use-case and a 76% potential uplift in loan applications for Teachers Mutual Bank; methods included interviews, usability tests, heuristic analysis, PESTEL trend analysis, co-design workshops, journey maps.
Head of Experience at PAM
March 1, 2018 - August 1, 2018
Led product strategy research with PAM’s global sales team; authored a manual about a cheaper and faster way to digitally transform districts into responsive smart cities; tested on transforming sections of Australian National University into a smart campus; PAM joined its advisory board for future smart-campus transformations.
Industrial Designer at Magic Garden
April 1, 2016 - August 1, 2017
Founded a UX Design and software engineering team to design a STEAM creativity lab in partnership with a G8 Education preschool; piloted lab by co-creating the technology with children, families and educators; 4-year-old children consistently focused on activities for up to 2 hours and showed advanced talents.
Industrial Designer at Powerhouse Museum
March 1, 2007 - May 1, 2014
Designed educational, interactive playgrounds and exhibits; invented and developed interactive technologies (Natural User Interfaces, robotics, apps, games); managed production liaison and installation; co-managed industry partners and sponsors; notable projects included the Bupa Magic Garden, Frockstars, The Wiggles, Engineering Excellence Awards, and The 80s are Back.
Industrial Designer at Form Factory
August 1, 2001 - April 1, 2023
Consulted designing and prototyping products for startups and museums ranging from toys to interactive playgrounds and museum exhibits. Upgraded a shared CNC machine workshop; fully project managed concept to prototyping.
Graphic Facilitator (Voluntary) at Fishburners
January 1, 2018 - December 31, 2018
Running graphic facilitation workshops at Fishburners.
Think Tank Panellist at Monash University
January 1, 2015 - December 31, 2015
Think tank panellist for Monash University’s future way of teaching Design Thinking.

Education

Diploma of Counselling at Evolve College
January 1, 2023 - April 21, 2026
Trainer & Assessor (TAE40116) at Fortress Learning
January 1, 2022 - April 21, 2026
Co-Design Workshop Facilitation using MG Taylor method at Openfield Institute
January 1, 2019 - April 21, 2026
User Experience Design Immersive at General Assembly
January 1, 2017 - April 21, 2026
Bachelor of Design, Industrial Design with Honours at University of Technology, Sydney
January 1, 1997 - January 1, 2000

Qualifications

Diploma of Counselling
January 1, 2023 - April 21, 2026
Trainer & Assessor (TAE40116)
January 1, 2022 - April 21, 2026
Co-Design Workshop Facilitation using MG Taylor method
January 1, 2019 - April 21, 2026
User Experience Design Immersive
January 1, 2017 - April 21, 2026
Bachelor of Design, Industrial Design with Honours
January 1, 1997 - January 1, 2000

Industry Experience

Education, Media & Entertainment, Government, Software & Internet, Professional Services