Founder Bio

Niya has helped world-class companies innovate and prosper through design. Her approach to design and organizations as a whole is rooted in activities that are organic to human practices, patterns of emotion, imperfection, observation and modeling.

Niya’s career began at NeXT and Apple, where she received, deep multidisciplinary design training in cognitive psychology, product design and anthropology. Working with and influence by Steve Jobs in the 90′s has shaped how she approaches design innovation today. She went on to design products and brands for Macromedia, Adobe, Sun Microsystems, Stanford University, Microsoft, UPC TV Europe, eBay, HP, Saatchi & Saatchi, Link TV and more. Recent engagements include: Cengage Learning and McKesson Pharmaceutical.

CONSULTING
Niya believes design thinking and creative intelligence can powerfully help organizations figure out who they ‘really’ are and communicate authentically and vertically in a horizontal world. To this end, she leverages her training in art, writing, psychology and design thinking strategies to turn customers into community members of the corporate brand. She has helped corporations and start ups build and mobilize insight into strategic revenue models and exciting, authentic brands.

TEACHING. WRITING. EDUCATION.
Niya has lectured at Universal Studios, co-chaired a human factors/design panel for KQED. She has taught Empowering the Audience: Product design at San Francisco State University and Portland State University. And, Dramatic Acts of Design: Imagination techniques for highly effective product design.

She is the author/illustrator of children’s book, Po’Bird: An un-winged bird determined to fly. And currently has three comedy screenplays in play: Max and His Pudgy Soul, Marvelous Hilarious Screwed Up You, I Want to Date My Thief. She is the founder and publisher of Curly Red Stories Flash Fiction Journal. Niya’s articles on color and semiotics have appeared in Communication Arts Magazine.

Niya has a BA in psychology from UCSC, an MFA in creative writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts and a screenwriting certificate from UCLA Theatre, Film and Television.