Amanda Scotese

Strategist | Service Design & CX | Facilitating Clarity Across Complex Systems

Chicago, Illinois, United States

About

I’m an entrepreneurial strategist and CCXP-certified service designer who bridges human-centered design with operational reality. I design experiences that scale while navigating the human dynamics, organizational complexity, and technology constraints that shape real-world implementation. My work is grounded in storytelling and a fascination with the often invisible (and very human) forces that shape how systems function. I surface patterns across people, processes, and environments to help organizations make more intentional decisions with long-term impacts. With 15+ years across consulting, operations, and entrepreneurship, I bring the combined lens of a strategist, operator, and team leader. Please reach out if you're curious, especially about service design, research, and digital service innovation in the public sector.

Experience

  • Manager of Research and Innovation at Cook County Government
    Apr 2026 - Present · 3 mos

    Applying service design, facilitation, and systems thinking within Cook County to support cross-department collaboration, process improvement, and complex public sector initiatives.

  • Design Strategy Consultant at Independent Consultancy
    2021 - Mar 2026 · 5 yrs 3 mos

    Partnered with agencies and consultancies including Highland, Span Studio, and Further Faster Ventures to improve customer experiences via UX research, digital product strategy, service design, and facilitation.

  • Senior Customer Experience Consultant at Andrew Reise
    Mar 2025 - Aug 2025 · 6 mos

    Led qualitative and quantitative research, including virtual workshops, for enterprise and public sector clients, translating insights into communication and experience recommendations.

  • Founder, Experience Strategy at Chicago Detours
    2010 - 2022 · 12 yrs

    Built and scaled an experience-driven e-commerce business to 125,000+ customers with 4.9-star reviews. Led digital strategy and translated customer insights into new offerings and operational systems within a rapidly changing industry. Led a team to deliver 100+ corporate learning experiences for clients including McKinsey, the Institute of Design, and Fortune 500 organizations.

  • Tour Director and Customer Researcher (Italy) at Rick Steves' Europe
    2005 - 2012 · 7 yrs

    Led immersive travel experiences while conducting in-context customer observation, building insight into cross-cultural needs and real-world service delivery.