Serious done silly

Hey! I'm Lissy, the play-centered designer. I teach tech and corporate teams how to put play to work. Every week (or less...😅), I send out a newsletter for people who want to play at work, full of stories, tips, games, and resources on how to do it.
Serious done silly
30+
years playing games
15+
years working in tech
∞
Games in my brain
100%
serious silly bean
What I do

Bespoke game design

I convert learning outcomes into unforgettable games or activities with unexpected ROI. I've created games for onboarding, sales pitching, and soft skills.
Learn more

Consulting

I'll work with you one on one to integrate playfulness into your work team that delivers engaged, appreciated, and energetic teams. Workshops, game facilitation and more
See examples

Templates and resources

I write a weekly newsletter to help people learn how to do what I do. Get on in here and start making value, connection, and purpose at work through games and fun.
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About me

I've worked as a user experience designer and strategist for enterprise, start-up, non-profit, SAAS, and small businesses. My experiences have taught me that people do good work in places that give them purpose, connection, and space to be themselves. My approach mixes design thinking, game design, and facilitation methods, like storytelling for business and liberating structures.

I hold a master's from MSU in Human-Computer Interaction and a certificate in Serious Games Design.

Why play?

You'd be surprised how far back adults have been playing at work. The idea that play is good for working adults has been around for a long time, with tons of supporting evidence, but playful teams are still hard to find.

What I do is design tangible ways of applying play so teams get the purpose, connection, and even the friction they need to thrive.

"Play has gained increasing interest among progressive-minded managers as an important driver of motivation and productivity in work contexts."

"Workplace play has been positively associated with job satisfaction, engagement, and learning, as well as reduced employee burnout and stress."

"Psychological safety is positively related to creativity, innovation, work engagement, and performance — particularly in software engineering contexts."

"People who play more at work report higher job satisfaction, better performance, less stress, and greater organizational commitment."

Who do you work with?

Basically anyone who has engagement, innovation, and satisfaction goals to reach, like tech leads, managers, program coodinators, facilitators, or founders. My ideal client imagines a better working team and believes play is part of the answer, but asks how does it work? You need to know how to put play to work on the individual, project, and team level.

I want to learn for $free.99

Subscribe to newsletter! It's a once a week thing, sometimes less. I share tips, resources, and stories about integrating play at work. Sometimes I share paid stuff, but that's always optional.

This website doesn't scream fun

Not everything has to be confetti and clowns to be considered fun! Playfulness is a way of being. We can be serious and be silly. Those two things aren't mutually exlucisve and they show up in a thousand different ways, including confetti...And clowns.

What people say

"Lissy showed me one on one how important having fun is and how playing with people can build the intangible elements of better communication, skills, and relationships."

Brad S. — Product Manager

"Thank you so much for such an inspiring, engaging, and interactive presentation! The Miro board you created was amazing! It really demonstrated how thoughtful delivery can elevate impact and create meaningful audience engagement. I left feeling truly inspired."

Martha D. — Software engineer

"I'm used to just simple run of the mill 'conversation starter' style games with coworkers, but this provided more experiences that gave a refreshing forum with others."

Jeff M. — Software engineer
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