Get in touch with me at schiller.allison@gmail.com
Allison P. Schiller
is a creative design researcher and strategist who combines curiosity, rigor, and design principles to investigate and forecast how humans navigate spaces, objects, cultures, and relationships. Allison's experience spans architecture, film, education, healthcare, and business strategy.
A relentless optimist and designer with a human-centered approach, Allison has worked across sectors to help teams untangle complex problems and co-create solutions that have deep impact.
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​Architectural Design, M.Arch
Tulane University
Film Studies & Creative Writing, BA
UC Santa Barbara
Professional Experience
2015-2017
Human-Centered Design Specialist
ASSYST
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Implementing human-centered design methods—including journey mapping, stakeholder interviews, and surveys—to gather business requirements and assess implications for cybersecurity tools at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), leading to design recommendations that have been adopted by the cybersecurity team and improved alignment with user needs.
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Leading a team of 6 in a national project to develop a user-centric healthcare application, resulting in a 24% increase in user satisfaction by conducting in-depth interviews and workshops
2011-2014
Advisor + Director of Innovation
Trepwise Growth Consulting
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Led stakeholder engagement initiatives, building and managing project teams to drive organizational and cultural change through user-centric design, fostering innovation and adaptability.
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Synthesized diverse user research data into comprehensive presentations, enabling communication of deep insights and identification of root causes for more effective strategy development.
2007-2010
HCD Strategist + Facilitator
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New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
Collaborated with the Innovation Strategist at the Convention Center to:
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Discover best practices for the use of AI in adjacent organizations.
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Understand opportunities for AI to improve existing systems and services.
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Conduct a collaborative session to learn about AI and brainstorm internal solutions.
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Co-create a roadmap with clear next steps for the potential adoption of AI tools at MCCNO.
Design Thinking Project Director + Adjunct Lecturer
Tulane University
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Built and led design research teams that conducted qualitative interviews and surveys, mapped existing conditions and resources, and applied persona development to create actionable strategies, which guided the launch of pilot projects addressing key user needs.
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Supervised teams in presenting design ideas through print, film, and formal presentations.
Skills
Qualitative Research
Interviewing/Surveys
Presentations
Facilitation
Communication Design
Signal Gathering
Strategic Thinking
Design Leadership
User-Centered Design
Customer Insights
Persona Development
Journey Mapping
Systems Design
Cross-Functional Collaboration
