Laurence Dawes

Design Leader · XR, AI & Emerging Tech · Building Zero-to-One Products · 20 Years Shipping World-Class Experiences

Los Angeles, California, United States

About

A design leader with 20 years of experience building products at the intersection of creativity, technology, and human behavior - from award-winning LEGO sets to enterprise AR platforms and AI-powered collaboration tools. I specialize in zero-to-one product development: taking ambitious ideas from concept to market in complex, fast-moving environments. I've led multidisciplinary UX and product design teams, shipped enterprise software and spatial computing tools, directed immersive XR experiences for clients including Google, Disney, Amazon, Niantic and Bose - and personally developed 100+ consumer products with multiple filed patents. My focus right now is at the convergence of generative AI, spatial computing, and collaborative software - including design systems, product strategy, and the enterprise software experiences that knowledge workers depend on every day. I'm drawn to products that embed themselves into people's workflows and quietly make them more capable: productivity tools, knowledge systems, and creative platforms where the design has to be both powerful and invisible. What drives me: the belief that the best technology disappears - and that great design is what makes that possible. Open to senior design leadership roles in product design, UX, productivity software, collaboration tools, and AI-driven experience design.

Experience

  • Director, Experience Design at Magic Leap
    Mar 2023 - Present · 3 yrs 5 mos

    Leading a multidisciplinary UX design organisation delivering next-generation AR and enterprise collaboration products. Partnering with product and engineering leadership to shape roadmaps and drive strategic initiatives — from zero-to-one AR features to scalable design systems and processes. Key contributions: establishing design systems and principles that raised craft quality across teams; implemented AI-assisted design workflows accelerating iteration speed; built and mentored a team of designers and prototypers fostering a culture of continuous learning.

  • Trigger - The XR Agency (7 yrs 8 mos)
    • VP XR / AR Innovation
      Feb 2022 - Mar 2023 · 1 yr 2 mos

      Led the XR Innovation department from the ground up — building and managing a cross-functional team covering new business development, client relationships, and conceptual innovation. Delivered award-winning AR/VR solutions for Google, Disney, Amazon, LEGO, Niantic, and Bose. Established Trigger's European office in Denmark. Mentored designers who went on to senior roles at Meta, Snap, and Google.

    • Director XR / AR Innovation
      Feb 2021 - Mar 2022 · 1 yr 2 mos

    • Senior Concept Director
      Apr 2019 - Feb 2021 · 1 yr 11 mos

  • LEGO Group (8 yrs 6 mos)
    • Senior Design Manager / Creative Lead
      Jan 2013 - Mar 2015 · 2 yrs 3 mos

      Managed large design teams across product, graphic, innovation and 3D disciplines, overseeing 150+ SKUs for worldwide distribution. Personally designed over 100 LEGO sets and elements, earning multiple patents and global design awards. Drove innovation on both proprietary and licensed IP including The LEGO Movie and Toy Story.

    • Design Manager / Creative Lead
      Jan 2010 - Jan 2013 · 3 yrs 1 mo

    • Designer / Senior Designer
      Oct 2006 - Jan 2010 · 3 yrs 4 mos

      Product, Concept, and 3D Element Design