Philosopher. Systems Thinker. Advisor. Mentor. Video game design critic. Weightlifter. Avid music/dancing fan. Synesthete. Giant robot enthusiast. Seer of invisible things.

Philosopher.
Systems Thinker.
Advisor.
Mentor.
Video game design critic. Weightlifter.
Avid music/dancing fan. Synesthete.
Giant robot enthusiast.
Seer of invisible things.
Philosopher. Systems Thinker. Advisor. Mentor. Video game design critic. Weightlifter. Avid music/dancing fan. Synesthete. Giant robot enthusiast. Seer of invisible things.

(This guy) ->

(This guy)

Hi, I'm Nathan Gao, an Experience Design Lead in NYC. If you looked me up, you may be looking for someone to help you stare down difficult problems. I design software and processes to deeply fit with how people think and work, resulting in immediately understandable products and services no matter how complex the original problem was.

During my off time though, I:

  • Am a constant advisor to my professional and personal friends

  • Deeply consider the nature of systems using multiple frameworks I designed for myself

  • Love diverse music from all over the world (14k on Spotify and counting)

  • Critique and enjoy video games (especially with interesting, emergent systems design and maybe giant robots).

  • Enjoy good standup comedy and urban dancing but also casually study engineering and filmmaking principles, and dining, all from all over the world

  • Have Number Form Synesthesia

  • Am getting back to weight lifting and need to do more cardio (who doesn't, right?)

Admittedly, a lot of those interests pour back into design. This diverse set of influences contributes a lot to my ability to do holistic design work, in and much, much further beyond screens.

Hi, I'm Nathan Gao, an Experience Design Lead in NYC. If you looked me up, you may be looking for someone to help you stare down difficult problems. I design software and processes to deeply fit with how people think and work, resulting in immediately understandable products and services no matter how complex the original problem was.

During my off time though, I:

  • Am a constant advisor to my professional and personal friends

  • Deeply consider the nature of systems using multiple frameworks I designed for myself

  • Love diverse music from all over the world (14k on Spotify and counting)

  • Critique and enjoy video games (especially with interesting, emergent systems design and maybe giant robots).

  • Enjoy good standup comedy and urban dancing but also casually study engineering and filmmaking principles, and dining, all from all over the world

  • Have Number Form Synesthesia

  • Am getting back to weight lifting and need to do more cardio (who doesn't, right?)

Admittedly, a lot of those interests pour back into design. This diverse set of influences contributes a lot to my ability to do holistic design work, in and much, much further beyond screens.

"It's actually difficult to quantify just how much positive impact Nathan's work had on the business, our staff, and our clients; but while every team member is important, the TechOps team, and quite possibly parts of the business at large, would look very different today without him."

My choice to approach design from those diverse perspectives has yielded tremendous impact in my career as you may have already seen.

I continue to design for complex products and processes, clarifying the obscure and unknown. Are you facing messy problems? Come say hi.

See my work