About Me
Hello, I'm Lutz Schmitt
I'm a graduated designer and professional dilettante. I design for humans living in an artificial world, with a particular interest in privacy, intimacy, and empathy, and how all of this holds up when technology is involved.
I love what I do and I'm good at it.
Read more about how I work as designer and consultant, but I'm also available as speaker, author and facilitator. On stage I talk about empathic AI, privacy or corporate bullshit. Occasionally, I might have performed Dada-poems. As teacher and facilitator, I offer workshops on various topics like my workshop Magic Moments.
Curriculum Vitae
Design is a way of to understand the world and not a craftmanship. Nonetheless, during the years I got involved into the crafts of Interaction Design, Game Design, Cooking, Information Architecture, Industrial Design, Graphic Design, Typography, Finance Management, Art Direction, Event Management, User Research and some more. Some I mastered at some I stayed a humble apprentice. Some gigs paid my rent, some earned me experience.
2018 - ongoing: Owner of Lutz Schmitt Design & Consulting
2021 - 2022: Senior Manager User Experience & Service Design, BetterDoc
2014 - 2017: Head of Consulting Unit Interaction, nexum AG
2008 - 2014: (Senior) Consultant UX, nexum AG
2006 - 2007: Founding Member, Cologne Game Lab
2000 - 2008: Freelance Designer (Web, Interface, Multimedia)
1999 - 2000: Trainee Web Design, 01 Digitales Design GmbH
Public Speaking
I'm a regular speaker at industry and community events on various topics for many years. Most of my talks and workshops are available in German and English.
Don't hesitate to get in touch, if you want me to join your event.
Excerpt of previous public appearances
- World IA Day 2026 Eindhoven I'm sorry. On simulated feelings.
- WebExpo Prague 2025: "Digital Intimacy - feeling human in an artificial world"
- UAS Cologne / TH Köln Lecture on "Exposure and Intimacy" for their Data Literacy Intiative in 2024
- Talks at World IA Day, Richmond in 2023 and 2024
- WebExpo Prague 2022: Talk on "Exposure and Intimacy"
- Webinale, June 2021 Berlin: Talk on "Kitsch - you know, you want it" & workshop "UX Survival - User Experience in hostile environments"
- UX Day, 2021 in Mannheim - Talk "Privacy and Humane Design"
- Webinale, 2020: Talk on "Privacy and humane Design" and facilitated the remote version of Magic Moments Workshop
- ProfsoUX 2020 St. Petersburg: Talk on "Blank Paper and Muse's Kisses" and workshop on creativity "Magic Moments"
- EuroIA Riga 2019: Talk on "Privacy and Humane Design"
- ProfsoUX 2019 in St. Petersburg: Talk on "Design is Invisible" and workshop "UX Survival".
- EuroIA Dublin 2018: Talk on "Being an Evil Mastermind - Part 2"
- UX Day Mannheim 2017: Talk on "Privacy by Default"
- German IA Summit / IA Konferenz Berlin 2017: Talk on "Privacy by Default"
- IA Summit Vancouver 2017: Talk on "Privacy by Default"
- EuroIA Stockholm 2017: Workshop "Feelings not Facts - Creating Empathy with Role Playing"
- EuroIA Amsterdam 2016: Talk on "Privacy by Default"
- German IA Summit / IA Konferenz Berlin 2016: Case Study on Coop Strategic Relaunch
- UXcamp West Düsseldorf 2015 - Closing Keynote
- UX Sofia, Bulgaria 2015: Talk on "Design is invisible" and workshop "Pragmatic UX" (predecessor to workshop "UX Survival")
- EuroIA Brussels 2014: Talk on "Design is Invisible"
- EuroIA Edinburgh 2013: Talk on "Being an Evil Mastermind - Part 1"
- WebExpo Prague 2012 - Talk on "Critical Interface Design"
Event Organisation
While it is an exhausting amount of work, voluntarily organising events is very rewarding.
In 2015 I had the opportunity to co-chair the EuroIA Summit in Madrid together with Stuart Curran and Peter Bogaards.
For a while I directed and produced the Cologne edition of the Design for Conferences:
- 7th Design for Experience - Cologne 2013
- 6th Design for Conversion - New York City 2012 (staff member)
- 4th Design for Conversion - Cologne 2011
- 3rd Design for Conversion - Cologne 2010