Donald Rickert, Ph.D., IDSA

Owner & Managing Partner of Wiederholt & Rickert Partners, LLC, (DBA) Don Rickert Research & Design and its subsidiaries

I am an owner, CEO and Managing Partner of Wiederholt & Rickert Partners, LLC, (DBA primarily as Don Rickert Research & Design), is a diversified New Product Development firm with several lines of business. As CEO, I have overall responsibility for ALL lines of business, which are summarized below:

1) User Experience (UX) research and design Consulting related to INTERACTIVE and TRANSACTIONAL systems AND things (i.e. physical products)

2) Self-funded Invention and Product Development of specialty/niche products:

* Rickert & Ringholz Musical Instruments: A well-developed portfolio of internationally acclaimed innovative musical instruments
* Adventure Rowing: High-performance rowing craft in development
* MusiqElectroniq: Electronic musical instruments and gear

3) Manufacturing (through joint ventures), marketing and selling our own products. The products of Rickert & Ringholz Musical Instruments are sold through www.FiddleandBowStore.com, as well as resellers. The products of Adventure Rowing and MusiqElectroniq will be sold in a similar manner.

I have over 20 years' experience as an expert and senior manager of the "people side" of invention, consumer products and technology, including positions with AT&T Global Systems (now NCR), Bell-Atlantic (now Verizon), the George Washington University and S1 Corporation (top provider of financial and CRM systems for financial institutions, consumers, small business owners and large corporations).

I am Professional Member of the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) and an Adjunct Faculty Member in the Industrial Design Program at Georgia Tech, where I teach NPD (New Product Development), Design Research and Ethnography.
Specialties:
• Extensive experience in qualitative & quantitative research; including planning, execution, and analysis—wide variety of products and services, including manufactured products, computer-based systems and services
• Actual (and extensive) experience and skill in doing observational field research (e.g. consumer ethnography)
• Well-developed interviewing and group facilitation (e.g. ideation sessions) skills
• Strong and well-refined ability to identify and summarize qualitative (e.g. ethnography, interviews, focus groups, etc.) research findings as they relate to business goals
• Proven track record in working cooperatively with other teams such as usability, design, engineering, marketing and market research
• Extensive knowledge of consumer psychology and behavior
• Excellent communication, persuasion, problem solving, leadership, verbal, presentation and organizational skills
• Leader in business and research ethics