Mark Hurst founded Creative Good, the world’s first online customer experience firm, in 1997 – a time when few people had heard the term “customer experience” and even fewer knew why it was so important. Since then Creative Good has worked with hundreds of clients, from Fortune 500 to startups, on becoming more customer-centered and improving business metrics in the process. Mark runs Creative Good and the Councils with business partner Phil Terry.
Endorsements. Seth Godin wrote, “Mark practically invented the science of simplified web design.” Douglas Rushkoff wrote, “Mark Hurst is the smartest person thinking about ways technology can make our lives easier rather than harder.” The Chicago Tribune wrote that Mark is a “guru” of “taking control of email.” And eons ago, InfoWorld wrote that Mark “has done more than any other individual to make Web-commerce sites easier to use.”
Other projects. Mark tries to advocate for better experience design in a number of ways. He teaches in SVA’s MFA in Interaction Design program; writes the Creative Good email newsletter and blog, which reach tens of thousands of readers; and runs the annual Gel conference to spotlight the people creating great experiences. He also wrote a book on information management called Bit Literacy, wrote ten years of annual Uncle Mark gift guides, and created the world’s first online to do list. (Try it – especially the iPhone app.)
Hurst began his Internet career as a graduate researcher at the MIT Media Lab, then worked with Seth Godin at Yoyodyne. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science from MIT and lives in New York City with his wife and son.
He’s also on Twitter: @markhurst.