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(a)vocation *
more de zein

^ ~ image glitched using PhotoMosh
Adam Zeiner: a very curious human based in Asheville, NC, USA
I’m a persistently curious generalist (parading as a strategic designer, facilitator, and organizer) attempting to wrangle complexity. Currently enthralled by “soft” human action systems, networks* in the broadest sense, integrating futures literacy into design practice, information architecture + visualization, and engaging w/ intimate and less formal communities of practice and the people who comprise them.
* "Like organisms, social systems contain intricate networks of feedback processes, both self reinforcing (positive) and self-correcting (negative) loops. However, studies show that people recognize few feedbacks; rather, people usually think in short, causal chains, tend to assume each effect has a single cause, and often cease their search for explanations when the first sufficient cause is found." — John D. Sterman, Learning from Evidence in a Complex World
dezein: the persistent practice of considered creation, facilitation, and organization
Also a moniker i like to use online for myself and for my independent studio practice → dezein.studio
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currently:
Lead UX Designer → Expedia Group
an emergent mix of Design Strategy, Service Design, Facilitation, and some Experience Design on the Platform Tools team; part of the Experience Ecosystem cohort of the Experience Platform group w/in the XD discipline
Founding Board Member → Design Futures Initiative
a volunteer-led nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization
Chasing literal waterfalls → in and around western North Carolina
w/ my partner Taryn and our dogs, Django + Archie, in my ‘02 4Runner
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formerly:
regarded as a radical collaboration between the Dell Medical School and the College of Fine Arts at The University of Texas at Austin, will be shuttered in September ‘22
Strategic Design Advisor → Socialroots
acted as a fractional Design Partner in an advisory capacity to help the core team bring the Socialroots beta experience to fruition
Lead Organizer → Speculative Futures Austin
focused on Design-oriented Futures programming and Futures-oriented Design programming; excited to see what directions the new Lead Organizer Jiabao Li ushers our community towards
Founding Member → vurv.co
a recently spun-down avocational tech-based arts collective turned intimate community, sometimes of practice and sometimes not, that still persists as a loosely moderated Slack workspace
Continued Learning Director → fresh2design
led the #Advance pillar of the organization which encompassed most educational programming
Design Partner → WholeSplit and Tapr
both start up ventures are now defunct, but served as invaluable learning experiences
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Indigenous Land Acknowledgment
I was born and raised in 🏗 Austin, TX 🏗 and moved to ⛰️ Asheville, NC ⛰️ in August 2021.