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DAVID
SHARP
education
rhode island school of design
Providence, RI
Master of Industrial Design, 2013
Robert O’Neal Award Winner
Master of Industrial Design, 2013
Robert O’Neal Award Winner
middlebury college
Middlebury, VT
Bachelor of Arts, 2004
Cum Laude
Double Major: Studio Art and Religion
Bachelor of Arts, 2004
Cum Laude
Double Major: Studio Art and Religion
Design Awards
2020
Creative Toy of The Year finalist
Toy of the Year Awards
(Electronic Music Inventor Kit)
(Electronic Music Inventor Kit)
Specialty Toy of the Year finalist
Toy of the Year Awards
(Space Rover Inventor Kit)
(Space Rover Inventor Kit)
2019
Best Tool for Student Creation or Expression
CODiE Awards
(Base Inventor Kit)
(Base Inventor Kit)
Modern Library Platinum Award
(Code Kit)
2018
Best Coding, Computer Science, Engineering Solution
EdTech Cool Tool Award
(Code Kit)
(Code Kit)
2017
Excellence in Classroom Products
Teachers’ Choice Award
(STEAM Student Set)
(STEAM Student Set)
experience
Loog | New York, NY
Lead Product Designer & Researcher
(Contract | Jan 2020 - March 2020)
Conducted research to help Loog, a music education company based in Uruguay, get a greater understanding of the U.S. education market. Developed product concepts based on this research to help them plan for this new phase of their growth.
littleBits Electronics | New York, NY
Senior Product Design Manager (2018 – 2019)
Led the design of all new hardware and software experiences for inventors, with a focus on creating the next evolution of the littleBits platform. During this time I also managed a team of designers working across several different products in both the Education and Consumer markets.
Sr. Lead Product Designer, Education (2017 – 2018)
Lead Product Designer, Education (2016 – 2017)
Product Designer (2014 – 2016)
Led the development of EDU product experiences across hardware, software, and content. Highlights include developing the STEAM Student Set and the Code Kit, the first littleBits kits designed exclusively for the education market and currently the core of the littleBits product portfolio. The STEAM Student Set has the highest margin of all our kits, has sold over 75,000 units, and has reached over half a million students.
Heroes Will Rise | Providence, RI
Project Coordinator (2013-2014)
Assisted designer Cas Holman to bring Rigamajig, a line of children’s construction toys, to mass market. Built prototypes and created interactive promotional materials. Created mechanical drawings for manufacturers. Worked with manufacturers and made design adjustments to lower the cost of production. This project is currently featured on Season 2, Episode 4 of Netflix’s documentary Abstract: The Art of Design.
Rhode Island School of Design | Providence, RI
Research Assistant: Cluster for Open Data Research (2012-2013)
Researched mobile resource sharing, public play programs, and creative construction kits. Outlined basic framework for a program providing children in Providence with public opportunities for creative construction play. Created a comprehensive list of local resources and potential partners.
The Steel Yard | Providence, RI
Program Director (2004-2010)
Worked with a small team to turn the site of an old steel fabrication company into an industrial arts center that provided design education and workforce development. As Program Director, my focus was creating the educational programming for high schools and the wider local community. This included leading a team of 20 instructors, developing and managing studio and course budgets, and working with the Studio Manager to create formal policies for studio use and safety.