Kurt Vander Wiel
Partner & UX Strategist
Kurt, founding partner of Visual Logic, loves thinking about and solving hard problems. He has been a founding member or early leader of four startup companies and on the executive team of two others. Kurt spends much of his time on the road interacting with clients and end users when learning new domains. On former projects, he worked as groundskeeper for a professional baseball team and trained as a soldier, all to understand the finer details of those jobs.
Kurt graduated from University of Northern Iowa with a degree in communications media. While working on his master’s degree, he was introduced to a research department investigating the use of media and interactive displays to assist assembly line operators. Visual Logic was created to turn that research into reality, delivering interactive systems used for assembly lines, dealer training, strategic and tactical marketing, and new product introductions. After some years in various web and media companies, Kurt restarted Visual Logic to pursue user experience consulting.
When not thinking about client solutions, Kurt inhales the fresh air of the great outdoors—biking, kayaking, golfing, cross-country skiing—any excuse to sport his abundance of Eddie Bauer gear. Occasionally, he disappears into his woodworking shop to “make cabinets,” but we have yet to see proof of said cabinets.
Latest insights from Kurt
Your AI Strategy Needs More Than a Chatbot: Three Levers to Guide Your AI Strategy
Define how your AI should behave before choosing interfaces. Learn the three levers—user intent, agency, and presence—that shape a trustworthy AI strategy.
Most Teams Make Personas. Few Build Worlds.
Most UX teams stop at deliverables. Learn how worldbuilding turns personas, journeys, and systems into believable, testable models that guide better design.
The Tradeoff Every Product Team Faces: Global vs Local Optimization
Product leaders face a constant tradeoff; scale with global consistency or move fast with local wins. Here’s how to reduce user mental load.