Otto Williamsottowilliams
Otto leads a talented, cross functional team responsible for industrial design, physical interaction design, and human factors / UX research. Rooted at the intersection of art and science, his group envisions novel user experiences and brings them to life in the form of award-winning products created to make life at work more collaborative and inspired.
After joining Cisco in 2012, Otto led the design of the flagship immersive video conferencing room system, IX5000, where he was able to apply his passion for workplace design, new material technology, and sustainable design - leading to the first Red Dot Best-of-the-Best design award for Cisco. After joining the UC ID group in 2015, he jumped into device design for the WebEx platform, creating the first physical manifestation of the voice AI WebEx Assistant in new Voice, Video, and Sharing devices.
Before joining Cisco, Otto held numerous creative leadership roles in the workplace design industry that included collaborative workplace environments and all the discreet products contained within - seating, casegoods, lighting and desking systems. As a senior lecturer at the California College of the Arts, Otto led senior level interdisciplinary design studios exploring and envisioning the future of collaborative behaviors, technology, and workplace design.
Otto holds a B.F.A. in Industrial Design from the Rhode Island School of Design. He is a named inventor on several US patents for Cisco and Steelcase. His designs have been published in Abitare, Azure, Contract, Fast Company, ID Magazine, Interior Design and Metropolis. He has received numerous accolades for innovation in design including “Best-of-the-Best” Red Dot Award and several “Good Design” awards from the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Design. He currently resides in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, USA.
