Raelynn O'Leary
Raelynn O’Leary co-founded the Pittsburgh design firm Dezudio in 2011 with the belief that smart, independent designers and developers could find creative new ways to collaborate with greater autonomy and flexibility than in traditional design consulting models. From the start, the aim was to remain small at the core and agile—building a robust network of creative and technical contractors that she could draw from to bring the strongest, most motivated talent to every project.
Her early interest in information design and data visualization brought her to the MDes program in the School of Design, where she developed a deep respect for design research, and a passion for making meaning visible and accessible. After graduation and prior to founding Dezudio, Raelynn worked as an Information Designer at Addison in NYC, and at the Pittsburgh software company, Viz.
Raelynn is equally enthusiastic about projects with small nonprofit organizations, university-based research groups, start-ups, and Fortune 500 companies. She has long advocated for the idea that there’s no one-size-fits-all design process, and that designing the process itself is a critical first step in any engagement.
Raelynn is Special Faculty in the School of Design, where she teaches Interaction Design Studio and Lab courses to graduate students. She brings a practitioner’s experience to teaching interaction design theory and principles, and uses teaching to continually examine and refine her design practice.