About
Hello, I'm Lutz Schmitt
I'm a graduated Designer - Diplom-Designer (FH) - and professional dilettante. I design digital environments, services and human-machine-interaction for public and private living. I work as a freelance designer and consultant for User Experience and Service Design, with a nag for privacy. I prefer making decisions based on actual research and conduct it, if needed.
Also, I'm available as speaker, author, trainer and facilitator. I can facilitate all sorts of design related activities for teams or stakeholders. I offer one day trainings on various topics like my workshop "Magic Moments".
I'm a regular speaker on international conferences, as well as local community events. I talk about design theory, privacy, ambient intelligence or whatever grabbed my attention. I'm also a hilarious comedian, according to some who cared to listen to "Being an Evil Mastermind". Occasionally, I haven written and performed Dada-poems.
I participate in and organize LARP events, and I'm the author of several LARP scenarios. Some of them are available here.
I love what I do and I'm good at it.
Curriculum Vitae
Designing is a way of thinking 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 Direction, User Research and some more. Some I mastered at some I stayed a humble apprentice. Some jobs paid my rent, some earned me experience.
2018 - ongoing: Freelance Designer & Consultant
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: Co-Founder and Program Manager, Cologne Game Lab
2000 - 2008: Freelance Designer
1999 - 2000: Trainee Web Design, 01 Digitales Design GmbH
Public Speaking & Teaching
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.
Check here for upcoming appearances. Don't hesitate to get in touch, if you want me to join your event.
Excerpt of previous public appearances
- Lecture on "Exposure and Intimacy" at TH Köln for their Data Literacy Intiative in December 2024
- World IA Day, Richmond in 2023 and 2024
- Webexpo, 10th - 12th June 2022 in Prague, Czech Republic - Talk on "Exposure and Intimacy"
- Webinale, 7th - 11th June 2021 Berlin: Talk on "Kitsch - Du willst es doch auch!" & workshop "UX Survival - User Experience in feindlicher Umgebung"
- UX Day, 14th October 2021 in Mannheim - Talk "Privacy and Humane Design"
- Webinale, 2020: Talk on "Privacy" and facilitated the remote version of Magic Moments Workshop
- ProfsoUX 2020 St. Petersburg: Talk on "Blank Paper and Muse's Kisses" and facilitated the Magic Moments Workshop
- EuroIA Riga 2019: Talk on "Privacy and Humane Design"
- ProfsoUX 2019 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 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 Berlin 2016: Case Study on Coop Strategic Relaunch
- UXcamp West Düsseldorf 2015 - Closing Keynote
- UX Sofia 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: "Being an Evil Mastermind - Part 1"
- WebExpo Prague 2012 - Talk on "Critical Interface Design"
Event Organisation
While it is a shitload of work, 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