Drew Bamford
Citizen Designer, Studio Bamford, and Former VP HTC
"I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of an AI-enabled 3D design and printing system for kids. It still feels like an exciting space to explore, especially in how it could spark creativity and hands-on learning. That said, I believe most of the innovation in that category lies in the design software rather than the hardware itself. When it comes to a hardware-focused challenge, I’m especially interested in the clean water market. I see real opportunity in creating self-contained, solar-powered consumer devices for atmospheric water generation or desalination. Since I’m not the target user for this category, I’d begin by using AI to research the market, build personas, and define my positioning. From there, I’d collaborate with AI as a creative partner to visualize product ideas, shape the spec, develop a bill of materials, map out regulatory hurdles, build a business plan, and even identify potential manufacturing partners. AI becomes a co-founder in the process."
Drew Bamford
Drew Bamford creates products, experiences, and high-functioning teams at the intersection of human desires and bleeding-edge technologies. Recently, Drew has been teaching government agencies and nonprofits to use the tools of Design Thinking to make change in local and global communities. Previously, Drew led the global cross-functional team of researchers, designers, and prototypers who crafted the Prime Video experience that delivers entertainment to hundreds of millions of customers in over 200 territories around the world. Prior to joining Amazon, Drew spent 15 years driving the transformation of HTC’s business from ODM to global smartphone brand to spatial computing brand by fostering a design and innovation culture. Before joining HTC, Drew founded the user experience design practice at TEAGUE, a product design consultancy in Seattle, where he and his team designed interactive products for such varied clients as Microsoft, Panasonic, Palm, Nike, Starbucks, and Boeing. At Microsoft’s Hardware Design Group, Drew led the hardware/software interaction design for a wide range of consumer products, from children’s toys and game devices to wireless phones. Drew’s earlier experience includes pioneering remote collaboration work at IDEO and user interface design for an early tablet device at Silicon Graphics. At Stanford, Drew studied Product Design and Human-Computer Interaction design in the heart of Silicon Valley. Drew also serves on the board at Charles Wright Academy, where he chairs the Endowment Committee, and is a co-chair of the Community Advisory Board at the Institute for Innovation and Global Engagement, University of Washington Tacoma.
