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Thomas Both
Director of Designing for Social Systems at the Stanford d.school
Professional Background
Thomas Both is a distinguished professional in the field of product design with a remarkable career that showcases his diverse experiences and significant contributions to various design and educational institutions. He currently serves as the Director of the Designing for Social Systems Program and an Adjunct Professor at the renowned Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford, commonly known as the d.school. His leadership at the d.school highlights his commitment to integrating innovative design thinking with social impact, providing students and professionals alike with the tools necessary to tackle complex social problems through design principles.
Prior to his current role, Thomas held several positions at the d.school that underscore his deep expertise in design and education. He was the Curriculum and Experience Lead, where he played a pivotal role in shaping the academic programs and learning experiences offered to students. His background also includes being a Design Fellow, where he engaged in various design thinking initiatives and collaborations that enriched the d.school's educational environment, enabling students to explore and develop their design skills in meaningful ways.
Before diving into the academic world, Thomas gained valuable practical experience as a Founder and Designer at Cube and Corner Design, where he honed his skills in product design and innovation, contributing to numerous projects that emphasized user-centered design. His early career included an engineering stint as a Project Engineer at Pneumapress Filter Corporation, where he applied his engineering knowledge in real-world applications, giving him a solid foundation in both engineering and design principles.
Education and Achievements
Thomas Both’s educational background reflects an impressive blend of engineering and design expertise. He earned his Master of Science (MS) degree in Product Design from Stanford University, an institution known for its cutting-edge research and leadership in engineering and design education. This advanced degree allowed him to deepen his understanding of design methodologies and user-focused innovation, positioning him as a thought leader in the realm of product design.
Earlier, he completed his Bachelor of Science (BS) in Engineering at Harvey Mudd College, a highly-regarded liberal arts college that emphasizes STEM education. His engineering education provided him with a strong technical foundation, equipping him with analytical skills and a problem-solving mindset that he carries into his design work. This unique combination of engineering and design thinking enables Thomas to approach projects with a holistic perspective, integrating technical feasibility with user experience considerations.
Throughout his career, Thomas has continually demonstrated a passion for education and mentorship, inspiring future generations of designers and engineers. His role at the d.school, combined with his hands-on experience in design practice, allows him to blend theory with practice effectively, offering students insights that are grounded in real-world applications.
Notable Achievements
Thomas Both’s career is marked by numerous accomplishments that illustrate his dedication to design education and social innovation. As the Director of the Designing for Social Systems Program, he has pioneered an approach that focuses on leveraging design as a tool for social change, empowering students to engage with community-focused projects that address pressing social issues.
His leadership in curriculum development at the d.school has enhanced the learning experience for countless students. By crafting engaging and relevant educational experiences, he has enabled students to embrace design thinking in innovative ways, preparing them for challenges in their future careers.
Moreover, his entrepreneurial spirit as the Founder and Designer at Cube and Corner Design showcases his ability to translate ideas into impactful design solutions. His work has likely contributed to numerous successful projects that prioritize user engagement and empathy in the design process.
Overall, Thomas Both exemplifies a blend of academic rigor, practical experience, and a passion for social impact that sets him apart in the design community. He continues to inspire and educate those around him, advocating for the transformative power of design in our society.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Clay offers several powerful features including:
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- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Clay is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
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Clay takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Clay encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Clay work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Clay is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
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Clay is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Clay stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Clay excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
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Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Clay has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Clay a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Clay's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Clay as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Clay eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.
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