About Liz Sanders

Liz Sanders is the founder of MakeTools, a company that explores new spaces in the emerging design landscapes. She is a visionary in pre-design research, having introduced many of the tools, techniques and methods being used today to drive and/or inspire design from a human-centered perspective. Liz has practiced co-designing across all the design disciplines. Her current focus is on bringing participatory, human-centered design thinking and co-creation practices to the challenges we face for the future. Liz speaks about and offers learning experiences in human-centered design research and innovation for clients, colleagues and students around the world.  She has a Ph.D. in Experimental and Quantitative Psychology and a B.A. in both Psychology and in Anthropology.

MakeTools offers consulting services and education to people and organizations that see the 

value in using collective forms of creativity to address the environmental, social and cultural 

challenges we face today. For the past 25 years, Liz Sanders, the founder of MakeTools, has been exploring and practicing:

• co-creation
• co-designing
• generative design thinking
• human-centered design
• participatory design tools, methods and mindset

In consulting services, MakeTools can:

• facilitate hands-on learning experiences for interdisciplinary teams through project work
• become a member of transdisciplinary teams that are facing significant challenges for the future
• advise on the theory and/or practice of co-creation and human-centered design

In education (for industry and/or academia), MakeTools can conduct:

• Presentations
• Seminars
• Workshops
• Hands-on learning experiences