Levo League in partnership with Autodesk is publishing a series of articles highlighting influencers in design, engineering, and manufacturing. I was interviewed by Kathleen Harris about designing wearables:

What does your design process look like?

BS: We use a lot of high-­tech tools to collaborate. I’ll frequently take quick videos and upload to Instagram and share the link with colleagues whose help or input I need. Since we make open source projects, we’re not shy ab out publicly sharing ideas that are in development or otherwise “coming soon.” There are a lot of moving parts to my design process across many mediums­­ there’s electronics hardware, textiles, computer programming, as well as educational curriculum development through text, photo, and video. I take a holistic approach to my tutorial projects and try to first identify a target audience and learning objectives, then let those guide further decisions.

What is your ultimate goal with design?

BS: My goal is to inspire and teach creative people how to harness the power of technology for their own creations. If I’ve done my job right, my audience will feel motivated to try something new, knowing they can rely our guides and support forums for help. It makes me really happy to hear stories of parents making light­up princess tiaras with their daughters, who will grow up with the confidence to make technology their own.

What’s the biggest barrier women in your field face?

BS: In my experience, women are rarely judged solely on the quality of their work. Communication style and other social/visual cues play a bigger role for the success of my projects than it seems to for men in my field. The work needs to be really good and how I present myself matters, so I try to be five times better. My advice to other women in tech is to accept that while it’s certainly not fair, this disparity can and should be used to your advantage.

What advice do you have for the next generation of inventors and innovators?

BS: Iterate quickly. Fail faster. “Perfect” is the enemy of “finished.” Break apart your ideas into components and research them concurrently. Don’t let the haters get you down. Surround yourself with positivity and people who amplify and elevate you. Say no to most requests/opportunities that will draw you away from your focus and/or happiness. Eat protein at breakfast.

Every Wednesday is Wearable Wednesday here at Adafruit! We’re bringing you the blinkiest, most fashionable, innovative, and useful wearables from around the web and in our own original projects featuring our wearable Arduino-compatible platform, FLORA. Be sure to post up your wearables projects in the forums or send us a link and you might be featured here on Wearable Wednesday!