The Scott-Morgan Foundation
Design Team
Meet the team:
Esther Duran
As Chief Experience, Design, and Product Officer, she brings over two decades of guiding organizations through digital and cultural transformation to amplify the Scott Morgan Foundation's mission. Since childhood, her passion for enhancing lives through human-centered design has driven her work solving complex challenges—creating meaningful, sustainable products and services for society.
Esther has been integral in shaping the Foundation from its
inception, joining the team in a founding role soon after
designing an initial communication solution for Dr. Peter Scott-Morgan. As a founding trustee board member, she leverages her deep expertise in experience and inclusive design to inform the Foundation’s vision and strategy for empowering the ALS/MND community.
When she’s not innovating industry-wide change, you’ll find
Esther enjoying nature and adventures with her family. Her
vibrant spirit and drive to make a difference stem from treasuring everyday moments together.
Rodrigo Maia
Rodrigo is a Product Design leader passionate about impacting people’s lives through design. He has been involved in innovation and strategy for 16 years, helping to develop disruptive product and service solutions. Rodrigo believes in the power of human-centered design methodology, designing "with" people instead of "for" them.
For the Foundation, Rodrigo supports the design team in shaping brand and UI across solutions, including the circular keyboard concept. Additionally, Rodrigo maintains the foundation's website, keeping the platform intuitive and accessible for all users and audiences. He states that "I believe design has a vital role in developing a sustainable future, and I strive to incorporate sustainable methods and accessibility best practices in all my creations."
Lynn Esther Chung
Lynn is a design and innovation leader who catalyzes
organizational and community change through transformative service design. Leveraging research, branding, and an inside-out approach, she creates the necessary conditions for progress.
Decision-making with integrity guides Lynn’s work, especially in developing systems and experiences that uphold human values alongside advancing technologies. She currently leads research at the Scott-Morgan Foundation to deeply understand the needs and goals of those living with ALS/MND. By taking an ethnographic, human-centered approach, her insights inform the Foundation's efforts to design equitable assistive solutions for this community.
Ioannis Karlis
Ioannis is a senior user experience designer based in London. In 2023, he joined the design team at the Scott Morgan Foundation, where he has contributed to projects such as an eye-gaze circular keyboard used by ALS patients and others with limited mobility.
Ioannis has spent over a decade crafting intuitive, accessible
digital products and services with cross-functional product teams. He takes a particular interest in inclusive design, user research, and collaborating across disciplines. Seeking inspiration beyond design and media conferences, Ioannis finds creative energy through quality time with his two young kids, often enjoying simple moments together in nature.
Damien Hypolite
Damien brings over a decade of experience in illustration, video creation, and motion design to his new role supporting the Scott-Morgan Foundation's video communication efforts. As a senior art director based in Paris, he has specialized in simplifying complex concepts for client deliverables using dynamic motion strategy.
Damien’s avant-garde skills now lend themselves to amplifying the Foundation's messages to the ALS/MND community in moving new mediums. When not designing or directing, Damien enjoys running along the Seine, bicycling Parisian streets, or taking in art shows with his two children.
"We all share a strong passion for designing solutions that truly empathize with a fulfilling
human experience. We are dedicated to utilize our skills and expertise in order to comprehend the challenges and barriers that people with disabilities face, and create
solutions that address these issues with care and consideration," says Esther Duran, the Director of Design and Innovation at SMF.
United by Esther’s vision, the team makes it a priority to approach each project with compassion. They consistently put themselves in the users’ shoes, dedicating time to grasp unique needs and goals firsthand. This grounds the team in the practical realities users face daily. Their ultimate goal is to co-create support systems that effectively uplift users’ autonomy and sense of joyful purpose.
By cementing empathy as a core value, the Foundation’s design team hopes to build trust and community with those they serve. They want users to feel heard, understood, and appreciated through solutions designed specifically for their needs. Together, the team believes the fusion of compassion and innovation can profoundly expand possibilities.
