Ken West has over a decade in the field of experience design and user research. He got his start creating museum exhibitions in New York City for the Museum for African Art in Manhattan during what he calls his apprenticeship period. For years, he worked with experts like Museum of Natural History legend Marjorie Ransom in the art and science of museum exhibition. Ken eventually went on to apply his skills on Wall Street where he created business intelligence tools used by some of the world’s largest investment firms.
Fascinated by the synthesis of data and design, Ken began combining his love for art and information in the design of in-store kiosks for Japan’s Shisedo Cosmetics. He also created both online and offline experiences for the Museum of World Religions in Taipei, Taiwan and Microsoft co-Founder Paul Allen’s Experience Music Project in Seattle, Washington.
In 2005 Ken was recruited by former Secretary of Energy Hazel R. O’Leary and the late Reynaldo P. Glover, President of TLC Beatrice International Holdings to serve as chief communication strategist in the effort to secure a $30 million sharing arrangement of the 101 works of art of the Stieglitz Collection of Modern Art between Wal-Mart heiress Alice Walton and historic Fisk University.
His work and opinions about the arts, communications and technology have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, E-Commerce Today, ArtNews, NV Magazine, Los Angeles Times,Washington Post, and NPR. Recently, Ken has been actively consulting clients ranging from several Fortune 100 companies to start-ups and non-profit organizations. In that capacity he’s helped The Home Depot increase revenue by enhancing the shopping cart experience for their website which generates $4 billion annually.
In 2015 he lead the effort to improve usability of the in-store tools used by Home Depot store associates nationwide, an effort aimed at boosting the company’s current $80 billion in store revenues.
Currently, Ken works with the Apple + IBM Alliance in the design and development of industry-specific iOS devices. His current work includes projects associated with global telecom, retail, and creating efficiencies for mobile repair technicians.
He is an exhibiting photographer and filmmaker whose portraiture and documentary films capture the central themes of humanity and creativity across the globe. His AFAR Project is the world’s largest archival effort of the lives of artists living and working abroad.
He holds graduate degrees from The Ohio State University and New York University.