About Emily O'Neal

Emily O'Neal at a balcony table, mountains behind her

I came to design through behavioral biology, studying how the technology around us shapes the way we think and act. For the last decade, I've been building immersive experiences for theme parks, waterparks, classrooms, hospitals and games. I want to design experiences that add to our sense of presence and wonder instead of pulling us away from what's around us. Technology should adapt to us, not ask us to adapt to it.

In my free time, I've been deep in music history, using AI to build my own data collection and visualization tools that map the connections between the albums I'm listening to.

I came to design through behavioral biology. For the last decade I've built immersive experiences for theme parks, waterparks, classrooms, hospitals and games.

I believe technology should adapt to us, not ask us to adapt to it.

Experience

Flat2VR StudiosCreative Lead · Game Director2024–now
Forward StudioExperience Designer · Universal Studios2024–2025
LighthausCreative Director · Nano2020–2024
Ballast TechnologiesExperience Designer · Waterpark VR2020–2021
Stanford VHILResearcher & Designer2018–2020

Recognition

Education

Stanford UniversityMA, Communication · Media Studies2020
Stanford UniversityBA, Human Biology · Phi Beta Kappa2019
ELVTRCertificate, UI/UX for Gaming2024
New York Film AcademyCertificate, 3D Animation2019
University of Cape TownCertificate, Graphic Design2018

What I do

  • Creative direction
  • Experience strategy
  • Spatial design
  • Narrative design
  • Game design
  • Systems design
  • Interaction design
  • User research
  • Prototyping
  • UI/UX

Leadership

  • Team building
  • Hiring + mentorship
  • Design standards + process
  • Creative reviews
  • Cross-discipline collaboration
  • Client + partner relationships

Tools

  • Unity
  • Unreal Engine
  • Figma
  • Adobe Creative Suite
  • Maya

Get in touch