Updates and Guidance
For operational updates and health guidance from the University, please visit the COVID-19 Resource Guide.
To learn more about our spring term, please visit the Updates for Undergraduate Students page.
Columbia University in the City of New York
Harry West
PROFESSOR OF PRACTICE IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING AND INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING AND OPERATIONS RESEARCH
318 S.W. Mudd
Mail Code: 4704
United States
Email[email protected]
Harry West is building a human-centered design and innovation curriculum at Columbia and working at the intersection of design, data and behavior change with a focus on developing new ways to reduce consumption. He is also the Principal of Invisible Design which develops design and innovation solutions to particularly difficult business problems and helps design organizations align their work meaningfully with company strategy.
Research Interests
DESIGN METHODOLOGY; PRODUCT, SERVICE AND EXPERIENCE DESIGN; DESIGN FOR BEHAVIOR CHANGE; SUSTAINABILITYHarry was formerly the CEO of frog, Senior Partner at Prophet, and CEO at Continuum where his work ranged from developing new products with P&G - resulting in the creation of Swiffer and ThermaCare - to envisioning new ways for people to interact with financial services with BBVA and Fidelity.
He has worked with a wide range of companies globally including: Alicorp, American Express, Andersen Windows, AstraZeneca, BBVA, BMW, Brooks Automation, CGAP, Cigna, Colgate, Crown Equipment, Fidelity, Master Lock, Motorola, National Park Service, P&G, PNC, Sprint and Tetra Pak.
He has worked on projects in the US, Europe, Asia and South America; with senior executives at the corporate level, and with consumers and customers in the field. Harry has contributed to the design of products and services with ongoing sales of several billion dollars a year and which have won many design awards.
Prior to working in design consulting, Harry was an associate professor of Mechanical Engineering at MIT where he taught kinematics and engineering design.
Harry received his BA in Engineering from Cambridge University in 1980, an MS in Technology and Policy from MIT in 1984, and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from MIT in 1986.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
- Professor of Practice, Columbia University, 2019 – present
- Principal, Invisible Design, 2019 – present
- CEO, frog, 2015-2018
- Senior Partner, Prophet, 2013 – 2015
- CEO Continuum, 2009 – 2013
- VP of Strategy, Continuum, 1994 – 2009
- Associate Professor, MIT, 1992 – 1994
- Assistant Professor, MIT, 1986 - 1992
DESIGN AWARDS
- IDSA Design of the Decade - Silver, Design Thinking's Contribution to Business – Swiffer, 2010
- IDSA Research - Gold, Moen Revolution Showerhead, 2005
- IDSA Design Explorations - Bronze, Syracuse Synergy Laboratory, 2003
- IDSA Consumer Products - Gold, Master Lock Titanium Series Padlocks, 2002
- ID Magazine Annual Design Review – Design Distinction, MasterLock Titanium Series Padlock Line, 2002
- IDSA Design Explorations - Bronze, Andersen Windows Research, 2001
- IDSA Transportation - Bronze, MasterLock Steering Wheel & Airbag Lock, 2001
- Museum of Modern Art, New York, Permanent Collection, Design Continuum, Inc., Master Lock Company Titanium Series Padlock, 1997
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
- Why Designers should Study the Mundane, Harry West, Brainstorm Design, March 3, 2019
- Servant or Svengali: Design, AI and CX, Harry West, Harvard University, Graduate School of Design, Public Lecture, November 27, 2017
- A Chain of Innovation, Harry West, Research-Technology Management, May - June 2014
- Working with the Poorest Women in Pakistan, Harry West and Rachel Lehrer, CGAP blog, January 16, 2014
- Literacy, A hidden Hurdle in Financial Inclusion, Rachel Lehrer and Harry West, CGAP blog, January 13, 2014
- Business Design, Harry West and André Coutinho, Harvard Business Review Brazil, pp 60-70, December 2012
- Innovating in the Scary Zone, Harry West, HBR, May 3, 2012
- Design makes social change, Harry West, TEDxMadrid, September 24, 2011
- Designing Radical Innovation, Harry West, chapter in Innovation. Perspectives for the 21st Century, BBVA, 2011
- Why Don’t Regular Joes Care About Sustainability?, Harry West, Fast Company, November 16, 2010
- In Pursuit of the Perfect, We’re Overdesigning Our Lives, Harry West, Fast Company, October 24, 2010
- Does Democracy Kill Freedom, When It Comes to Design?, Harry West, Fast Company, October 18, 2010
- Delson, N., and H. West, "Bracing to Increase the Natural Frequency of a Manipulator: Analysis and Design," International Journal of Robotics Research, Vol. 12, No. 6, Dec 1993, pp. 560-571.
- West, H., W. C. Flowers, D. Gilmore, "Hands-On Design in Engineering Education: Learning by Doing What?," Engineering Education, Vol.80, No. 5, July August, 1990. pp. 560-564.
- West, H., and M. E. Gallo, "Design through Manufacture: A Computer Aided Design Advisor for the Manufacture of Submarine Hulls," The Journal of Ship Production, Vol. 6, No. 4, Nov 1990, pp. 247-254.
- West, H. and H. Asada, "Kinematic Analysis and Mechanical Advantage of Braced Manipulators," Proc. ASME Winter Annual Meeting, Session on Robotics and Manufacturing Automation, Miami, 1985. pp. 175-186.