Crafting clarity from ambiguity.

Working across hardware, software, UX, and design to build products and prototypes that help teams move from ambiguous ideas to confident decisions—and from validated concepts to shipped experiences.

Geoff Donaldson

Creative Technologist · Founder

Get in touch

Positioning

Some teams arrive with a question: is this worth building? Others arrive with a decision already made and need to execute. Most are somewhere in between.

I work across the full product spectrum — hardware, software, UX, and design — bringing the same approach to every stage: move fast, stay close to the problem, make ideas tangible.

Capabilities

Experience Prototyping

High-fidelity prototypes that let teams feel an interaction before engineering builds it—testing the nuance of how something works, not just whether it could.

Hardware + Software Integration

Bridging embedded systems, physical form factors, and digital interfaces into cohesive, testable experiences.

Design Tooling

Building pipelines and tools that give designers direct control over hardware and software—removing engineering bottlenecks from the iteration loop.

Emerging Technology Exploration

When a new capability changes what's possible, the question isn't what it does—it's what it enables. I build the prototypes and products that answer that, across AI, human interfaces, spatial computing, and beyond.

Product Concept Evaluation

Before a team commits to a direction, they need evidence. I build the artifacts that answer the strategic questions—should we build this, does it resonate, is it worth the investment.

Design ↔ Engineering Translation

The gap between design intent and technical reality is where products lose their soul. I work both sides—fluent enough in design to protect the vision, fluent enough in engineering to know what's actually possible.

The Approach

Embedded, opinionated, and focused on what actually moves things forward.

Embedded, not external

I work inside the team, not around it. That means shared context, faster feedback loops, and work that actually fits where the product is going.

Opinionated about quality

Fast doesn't mean sloppy. Whether it's a two-week prototype or a production build, the bar for craft stays the same—because how something feels is part of what you're testing.

Comfortable with ambiguity

The best work happens before the brief is fully formed. I'm most useful when the problem is still fuzzy and the team needs someone who can navigate that without slowing down.

Focused on what moves things forward

Every decision—what to build, how much fidelity, what to cut—is made in service of the next decision the team needs to make. Nothing gets built for its own sake.

Engagement

Direct, focused engagements for teams that need to move fast and build the right thing.

Offerings

Rapid concept prototyping (1–3 weeks)
Full product builds (MVP to launch)
Interaction model exploration
Hardware/software experience development
Design tooling and pipeline development
Executive-facing demos for decision-making

Engagement Style

Embedded with product and design teams
Focused engagements with clear outcomes
Comfortable leading or supporting
Fast iteration, low overhead

Background

I've spent my career at the intersection of design and engineering—building things that didn't exist yet, at companies where that distinction mattered. From early-stage startups to some of the most complex product organizations in the world.

Watch Duty

Co-Founder & Developer

Most recently, Watch Duty — where I learned what it means to build something people rely on when the stakes are real.

Co-founded a real-time wildfire intelligence nonprofit that grew to 16.8M active users in 2025, relied on by residents, first responders, and emergency managers across the western U.S. Defined the initial product vision, MVP, and system architecture for high-stakes, low-latency information delivery during active emergencies. Named Apple App Store iPhone App of the Year 2023; recognized as critical situational-awareness infrastructure during major fire events including LA and Maui.

Amazon

Senior Design Technologist — Advanced Concepts & UX Lab

Before that, Amazon — where I learned what it means to invent at scale, building the prototypes that turned ambiguous bets into products used by millions.

Embedded in the team responsible for figuring out what Amazon's next generation of devices could be. Built the prototypes that shaped Echo Show 15, Echo Dot with Clock, Map View, and Astro — combining rigor, craft, and speed to turn early concepts into decisions.

CENTR Cam

Lead Engineer & Design Technologist

Before Amazon, CENTR Cam — where I learned what a well-built prototype can do. Ours were compelling enough that Amazon acquired the company before we ever shipped a consumer product.

Took the product from concept to working prototype — building the hardware and software foundation that demonstrated enough potential for Amazon to acquire the company before a consumer product ever shipped. U.S. Patent 9,843,840 — Apparatus and Method for Panoramic Video Hosting (Dec 2017).

Apple

Automated Hardware Test — Camera & Acoustics

It started at Apple — where I built the foundation in rigor and scale, working on systems that had to work flawlessly in high-volume manufacturing.

Designed and deployed camera and acoustic test systems for iPhone, iPad, and iPod — making 20+ trips to China to oversee factory validation at scale. Built a foundation in rigor, precision, and the discipline of building systems that have to work flawlessly, every time.

Get in touch

I'm available for select engagements—from early-stage exploration to building products that ship.