Strategic Designer & Design Consultant

Fluent in
business.
Native in
design.

I bridge strategy and design for organisations that want both to work — turning complex challenges into coherent, human experiences.

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Max Steinhauer

Selected experience with

IBM Consulting BMW Group Mercedes-Benz HEYDAY AG Intervivos AG FOM Hochschule IBM Consulting BMW Group Mercedes-Benz HEYDAY AG Intervivos AG FOM Hochschule IBM Consulting BMW Group Mercedes-Benz HEYDAY AG Intervivos AG FOM Hochschule IBM Consulting BMW Group Mercedes-Benz HEYDAY AG Intervivos AG FOM Hochschule

Design as a
strategic lever.

I'm Max — a Design Consultant who sits at the intersection of business strategy and design practice. My work focuses on making that connection deliberate and productive rather than accidental.

Over the years I've worked with organisations navigating growth, transformation, and the question of what they actually stand for. I translate between the language of business and the logic of design — so neither side gets lost in translation.

I believe good design is a consequence of clear thinking. And clear thinking is a discipline that can be taught, scaled, and embedded.

Design Strategy Brand Systems Service Design Org Design Facilitation Innovation
2024 — Now
Associate Consultant, Experience Design
IBM Consulting

Leading design strategy and experience design workstreams for enterprise clients across Germany. Responsible for translating complex business requirements into coherent service and digital product experiences, and for shaping the design direction of large-scale transformation programmes.

2025 — Now
Lecturer, Interaction Design
FOM Hochschule für Oekonomie & Management

Teaching Interaction Design to working professionals at one of Germany's largest private universities. Bridging academic design theory with applied practice — covering UX methodology, prototyping, and human-centred design principles.

2022 — 2024
Consultant, Experience Design
IBM Consulting

Embedded within cross-functional IBM Garage teams to deliver human-centred design across transformation engagements. Facilitated discovery workshops, synthesised research into actionable insights, and shaped product strategy for clients in financial services and public sector.

2022
User Interaction Designer
Mercedes-Benz AG

Developed UX concepts for in-vehicle interfaces including instrument cluster, head-up display, and general car functions. Produced and analysed UI concepts for next-generation vehicle interaction, with a focus on the driver–vehicle dialogue. Thesis: conceptual steering wheel interface design.

2020 — 2021
Designer (Freelance)
Steinhauer Design

Worked with multiple early-stage start-ups to design solutions across packaging design, corporate identity, vehicle wrapping, and UX design. Focused on translating brand concepts into clear, user-centric visual and product experiences that support market entry and growth.

2020
Design Strategist
BMW Group

Contributed to BMW's design strategy function within the Customer, Clinic, Benchmark and Innovation unit. Involved in customer experience research, competitive benchmarking, and the development of future mobility design concepts.

2021 — 2024
M.Sc. Technology & Innovation Management
FOM Hochschule für Oekonomie & Management
2018 — 2022
B.Sc. Industrial Product Engineering
Fontys Venlo University of Applied Sciences

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