James Gilchrist is a veteran designer and engineer. He has a BA in Industrial Arts with an emphasis on Product Design and Development from San Francisco State University. He also studied at nn/g. Mr. Gilchrist has enjoyed working with Autodesk, a pioneer in 3D design, engineering and entertainment software, in various roles. He started as an Industrial Designer and then later served as a Senior Sales Engineer, Manufacturing Industry Technical Marketing and as the User Experience Manager. In his current role as Principal Experience Designer, he focuses on helping the engineering and design communities find practical solutions to real human problems. During his tenure at Autodesk, he has been instrumental in making engineering tools more accessible to designers and other stakeholders who may not be well-versed in the use of technical design software. Mr. Gilchrist's motivation comes from seeing the positive difference his contributions make to society, and he believes empathy and active listening are the key to understanding and solving design problems.