Designing ideas into real-world impact.
I combine industrial design, human behavior, manufacturing experience and innovation strategy to create better products, experiences and systems.
More than a designer.
A multidisciplinary perspective built across design, psychology, manufacturing, leadership and innovation.
I'm Jason Young, an Industrial Designer and Innovation Strategist with more than 20 years of experience spanning product design, human-centered innovation, manufacturing and safety-critical environments.
My approach combines an Advanced Diploma in Industrial Design with an Honours B.A. in Psychology. That combination helps me translate human needs and behavioral insights into tangible product features, practical systems and strategic opportunities.
I've worked across production, engineering, safety, design and business environments—leading continuous improvement initiatives, developing concepts, coordinating cross-functional teams and turning ideas into action.
Selected work
Four featured case studies demonstrate industrial design, innovation strategy and human-centered design, supported by research, systems thinking and visual concept development.
GOKON™
An augmented-reality assisted social matchmaking concept combining wearable interaction, compatibility intelligence and human-centered event design.
CaptionVue™
An inclusive cinema-accessibility concept using discreet AR eyewear, personalized captions and audio support to create a more accessible shared movie experience.
Designing for People
Project Re-Mind™ — an AI-powered AR cognitive-support ecosystem exploring how human-centered technology can support memory, independence, safety and meaningful connection.
PinPoint™
A seamless golf-ball tracking ecosystem designed to help golfers locate their ball with pinpoint accuracy while preserving premium performance, feel and a regulation-conscious design path.
GOKON™
Augmented Reality Assisted Social Matchmaking System
A more immersive visual story for GoKon.
How can wearable guidance and augmented-reality cues help real people form better in-person connections?
GoKon reimagines social matchmaking as a guided, human-centered event experience. This rebuilt portfolio section highlights the system architecture, wearable devices, service journey, event environment and AR interface concepts using the latest visual boards.
Portfolio note: Project 01 has been rebuilt with updated concept visuals, and the cover image is now used as the main project thumbnail.
From digital matching to physical chemistry.
The challenge was not simply to create another dating application, but to bridge algorithmic compatibility with the uncertainty and nuance of meeting in person.
Compatibility Intelligence
A pre-event profile captures values, interests, communication preferences, relationship goals and other compatibility factors.
Koi-Vision™
AR eyewear provides discreet compatibility cues and contextual information while keeping attention on the people in the room.
Doki-Doki Band™
A wrist-worn haptic interface creates directional tactile cues toward stronger matches, reducing dependence on a phone screen.
Nakama™
Conversation assistance surfaces shared interests and potential topics, then reduces support as the interaction develops.
Structured Social Event
The service preserves the lower-pressure group dynamic of a traditional gokon while adding guided rotations and free socializing.
Privacy & Consent
The concept includes temporary identities, consent-based information exchange and local event processing as privacy-oriented design principles.
Exploring the interaction.
Visual studies explore wearable form, augmented information, social proximity and how technology can remain secondary to face-to-face interaction.
A clearer story across concept, product, service and interface.
The latest GoKon boards are organized below to show the experience theme, the wearable ecosystem, the event journey and the conversation-assistance interface.
Architecture, product breakdown and tactile guidance.
These boards communicate how the cloud service, edge device, AR glasses and haptic wristband work together as a coordinated experience system.
From arrival and guidance to real-world connection.
The updated journey boards show how GoKon supports anticipation, subtle nudges and meaningful in-person conversations without overpowering the moment.
Context at the moment it matters.
Nakama™ is conceived as a discreet AR scaffolding system that supports face-to-face conversation with contextual prompts while keeping the user's attention on the person in front of them.
Shared interests, surfaced naturally
Relevant prompts can appear without requiring the user to break eye contact and consult a phone.
Assistance that adapts
The system is designed to move from accessible conversation starters toward deeper shared topics as interaction develops.
Technology in the background
The interface supports the conversation rather than becoming the conversation, allowing the social connection to remain central.
One connected experience.
Profile intelligence informs event matching, wearables guide discovery, and the physical encounter remains the center of the experience.
Product, interface and service as one system.
GoKon explores how physical products, digital intelligence and human behavior can work together as a coordinated experience.
Reduce cognitive overload
Compatibility cues selectively direct attention instead of presenting every person and every data point with equal emphasis.
Support, then step away
Prompts act as temporary social scaffolding—enough assistance to begin an interaction without replacing authentic conversation.
Information without a screen
Directional tactile feedback explores a less visually demanding way to navigate social information in a physical environment.
CaptionVue™
Innovation Strategy · Inclusive Cinema Accessibility
More than captions. A more inclusive cinema experience.
How might theaters make captions, dialogue support and language access feel personal, discreet and integrated into the moviegoing experience?
CaptionVue is a cinema-accessibility concept built around three coordinated elements: a theater transmitter, lightweight prescription-compatible AR eyewear, and a mobile app for language and caption preferences. The strategy expands accessibility beyond a single use case by considering Deaf and hard-of-hearing patrons, seniors with age-related hearing challenges, and multilingual audiences.
Portfolio note: CaptionVue is presented as an independent innovation concept. Hardware specifications shown in the design work are design targets; no hardware manufacturer or technology partner is represented or implied.
A fragmented accessibility experience
Existing theater captioning approaches can obstruct sightlines, feel stigmatizing, limit seating flexibility or solve only one accessibility need. CaptionVue reframes the challenge around dignity, choice and shared experience.
One platform, multiple needs
The concept explores a common system for Deaf and hard-of-hearing patrons, older moviegoers who struggle with dialogue clarity, and multilingual families who want to enjoy theatrical releases together.
Accessibility as audience growth
Rather than treating accessibility only as compliance equipment, the project investigates how inclusive design can become a better customer experience, a differentiated theater service and a platform for broader audience participation.
From broken system to opportunity
Human pain points were translated into an innovation opportunity and a clear market position.
Design the whole journey
The experience connects arrival, preference setup, secure pairing, shared viewing and return.
Connect cinema infrastructure to a personal experience
A technology-neutral architecture links cinema content, a theater transmitter, the user app and CaptionVue eyewear.
Innovation beyond the device
The concept considers managed theater deployment and user-owned experiences, creating a service model around the product ecosystem.
Designing for People — Project Re-Mind™
An AI-powered AR cognitive prosthesis concept designed as a discreet, proactive assistant for older adults experiencing memory challenges, with a connected caregiver experience.
Support memory while preserving independence.
Re-Mind places useful contextual information in the user's field of view through a familiar wearable form.
One connected support ecosystem.
Smart glasses, contextual AI, a personal memory database and caregiver tools work together across daily life.
Help at the moment it matters.
Recognition, task guidance, navigation, conversation recall, object awareness and safety support are designed around context.
A day supported by Re-Mind.
From moments to a memory system.
Wearable hardware for everyday use.
Caregiver tools + in-view AR.
Proactive support across everyday life.
One system, multiple forms of assistance.
PinPoint™ — Find Your Game.
A premium golf-ball tracking concept built around a simple promise: play the same game, spend less time searching, and lose fewer balls.
Design challenge: Create a seamless, tour-quality golf ball system that allows golfers to locate their ball with pinpoint accuracy without compromising aerodynamic performance, feel, durability, or a pathway toward regulatory conformity.
Technology disappears during play and appears only when needed.
The tracking element feels engineered into the ball, not added afterward.
Designed around high-speed impacts, water, sand and UV exposure.
Apply → Play → Locate → Recover.
A design target shaped around USGA/R&A equipment requirements.
Updated PinPoint case-study visuals
The new Project 04 boards are now integrated into the case study. The cover board leads the section, followed by the ideation board and the full design-brief / system-architecture board.
How I innovate
A practical framework that connects human needs to measurable outcomes.
Understand
Explore people, behaviors, constraints, environments and the real problem behind the request.
Define
Translate research and observations into clear needs, requirements and opportunities.
Create
Generate concepts, prototype quickly and collaborate across design, engineering and business.
Improve
Test, learn, iterate and implement—using continuous improvement to move ideas forward.
Experience that spans disciplines.
Selected career highlights based on my professional experience.
Provincial Constable
Brantford Police Service · Brantford, Ontario
- Managed dynamic, high-pressure incidents and coordinated resources to support public safety.
- Conducted investigations, gathered evidence, interviewed witnesses and prepared precise documentation.
- Developed strong problem-solving, interpersonal and conflict-resolution skills.
Lexus Production Team Member · Kaizen & Safety Lead
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada · Cambridge, Ontario
- Led continuous improvement and innovation initiatives affecting safety and operational efficiency.
- Used benchmarking, TPM inspections and quality checks to identify abnormalities and implement countermeasures.
- Coordinated production, engineering and safety stakeholders around product and process changes.
- Founded and chaired the MOSAIC Business Partnering Group and developed strategic annual plans with an Executive Sponsor.
- Provided English/Japanese translation and training, bridging technical and cultural gaps in global teams.
Project / Event Manager
Eggworm · Tokyo, Japan
- Designed and launched real-world experiences for audiences of up to 2,000 attendees.
- Led teams of artists, designers, experts and vendors while negotiating contracts and managing profitability.
- Oversaw brand identity, marketing campaigns and program design.
Industrial Design Assistant · Language & Design Roles
Teknon · Forum Japan · Sunwave Home Comfort
- Created technical drawings and CAD mock-ups while supporting ISO, ergonomic and structural testing.
- Supported product validation and prototype testing for modular furniture systems.
- Designed corporate learning programs and provided technical English/Japanese translation.
What I bring.
A broad toolkit for solving product, people and organizational challenges.
Industrial Design
Product design · CAD modeling · Prototyping · Mock-ups · Materials · Ergonomics · ISO specifications · Technical drawings
Innovation Strategy
Design strategy · Innovation roadmapping · Kaizen · Lean methodologies · Benchmarking · Competitive analysis · Emerging technology
User & Psychology
User research · Behavioral insights · Human-centered design · Accessibility · Inclusive design · Usability · Human factors
Product & Projects
Product strategy · Roadmaps · Requirements · Cross-functional leadership · Budget management · Vendor negotiation · Risk assessment
Leadership
Stakeholder management · Presentations · Training · Coaching · Mentorship · Cross-cultural communication
Technical
CAD · Microsoft Word · Excel · PowerPoint · Outlook · English/Japanese communication
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For employers, recruiters and collaborators interested in design, innovation and human-centered problem solving.
I'm open to opportunities where industrial design, innovation strategy, human insight and practical execution can create meaningful results.