our mission
At Prototype Thinking Labs, we are obsessed with the moment when a real human touches a product or service, and there’s a spark. An instant of deliciousness, of magic, when something has shifted and it makes a real difference to their life.
When we work with clients who are building new products, we help them create that spark over and over using experimental conditions. Together, we have created hundreds of different magic moments in dozens of industries from consumer goods to financial services, from software to cosmetics, from healthcare to enterprise.
But the most magical instant for us, the spark that WE have the privilege to create, is the moment when our clients’ eyes light up and they say, “NOW I understand how to make this!”
It happens when the reality of the solution and the user really clicks, when suddenly all of the flying pieces that have been in chaos and uncertainty find their true north and transform into a rush of clarity and momentum. Then the team knows exactly what to do.
They know the user will absolutely love what’s about to happen.
Team
J LI (she/her)
SENIOR PARTNER
J is the creator of the Prototype Thinking program. She believes in reinventing design & innovation to be as user-friendly to creators as we expect our creations to be for consumers, and draws from her experience as a disabled business leader to shape this unique process. J is former a Stanford mathematician / engineer, game designer, and business consultant. She has brought Prototype Thinking to hundreds of clients and thousands of students.
WES WAKEFIELD (he/him)
SENIOR PARTNER
Wes is a globetrotting financial wizard who shines when building creative new things in industries that are historically underappreciated for innovation such as finance, legal, manufacturing, agriculture, and real estate. He has a lifelong passion for making businesses work far more effectively.
XIAOHOA CHING (she/her)
CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER
Xiaohoa is a visionary cross-medium creator, writer of prose, poetry, analysis, and strategy, and designer of products, programs, and experiences. She is on a mission to scale love. She is an award winning entrepreneur and scholar named by Forbes magazine as an “intelligencer…set to influence the next century.”
JON ARGAMAN (she/they)
HEAD OF CONTENT & CURRICULUM
Jon is an empathy-driven communicator who turns complex systems into personalized journeys. Previously a professor of writing and specialist in neurodivergent curriculum design at UPenn, they are passionate about creating spaces where multiple worlds coexist.
MAYA SOL (she/her)
EMERITUS PARTNER
Maya (formerly Olivia Wong) is inspired by Prototype Thinking for social impact and by creating a different way of working. She has trained thousands of people in the fundamentals of Prototype Thinking and is a popular guest lecturer at UCLA, UC Berkeley, and Draper University. In her previous career as a philanthropic grant maker and international aid worker, she worked with the UN, UNHCR, International Rescue Committee, and the US State Department.
Our Offices
📍San Francisco, CA
hello@prototypethinking.io
