Faculty

Profile

John is an Assistant Professor of Strategic Design and Management and an experienced leader in human-centered research and strategic design. In 2002, he co-founded Moment, a pioneering digital product design firm that collaborated with brands such as Tiffany, Gucci, ESPN, American Express, Johnson & Johnson, Bloomberg, and TD Ameritrade. Moment’s practical approach to digital product design earned it industry recognition that led to its acquisition by Verizon in 2018. At Verizon, John became the first Head of Service Design, where he established the service design practice and an AI Design team, creating new experiences for the one-in-three Americans who are Verizon customers.

A seasoned educator, John has taught at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, the Illinois Institute of Technology’s Institute of Design, and has lectured at institutions including Pratt, SCAD, Harvard, and Princeton. He serves on the Executive Committee of Auburn University’s College of Architecture, Design, and Construction and holds both a Board seat and the position of Head of Design at Public Policy Lab (PPL), a nonprofit service design consultancy focused on improving government services for all Americans, with a focus on under-resourced and marginalized communities. 

Degrees Held

Bachelor of Industrial Design from Auburn University
Master of Design from The Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology

Recent Publications

Payne, John, and Weslynne Ashton. "How Can Design Make the Biggest Impact?" Interview by Jarrett Fuller. In Where Must Design Go Next?, edited by Jarrett Fuller, Oro Editions, in collaboration with the Institute of Design (ID) at Illinois Tech (December 2023).

Payne, John. “What’s So Funny ‘Bout Peace, Love and (Empathetic) Understanding,” Ethnographic Praxis in Industry Conference Proceedings (August 2016).

Payne, John. “From Experience Models to Immersion Tools: Transferring Ethnographic Knowledge in an Agile World,” Ethnographic Praxis in Industry Conference Proceedings (August 2014).

Payne, John. "Design Analysis and Synthesis: A Palette of Approaches." In Proceedings of the IDSA International Design Conference & Education Symposium, (September 2013).

Payne, John. “Teaching Ethnography For User Experience: A Workshop On Occupy Wall Street,” Ethnography Matters (2012).

Performances and Appearances

John has co-chaired, curated, and emceed two international conferences—EPIC 2012, the premier international conference on ethnography in business and design, and Interaction 2017, the Interaction Design Association’s annual global conference.