Welcome back to Interview With an Engineer! This week, we sat down with Lindsey Stancliff, one of our phenomenal design engineers, to get a little more acquainted with her and to learn about her prior experiences as a design engineer. Lindsey is a master at taking the most functional aspects of several products and systematically designing a new product through extensive experimentation. She joined DECO in June 2016 and has already devised all-new variations for Ronde series of architectural LED luminaires. Lindsey has proven herself to be a force to be reckoned with in the design arena and has become a valuable innovator at DECO Lighting.
DECO: What are some tasks you manage here at DECO and what is one of your favorite things to work on?
LINDSEY: I am mainly in charge of working on the Ronde architectural LED fixture and figuring out variations that improve its functionality. I also am very systematic in my approach to working, so if it involves standardizing and problem-solving then I tend to be more in my element.
DECO: What different projects have you worked on in the past?
LINDSEY: I’ve worked on camera stabilization systems, high-speed cameras, luminaires, and rollercoasters.
DECO: What drove you to become a design engineer and why do you enjoy working in this role?
LINDSEY: I was driven to becoming a design engineer when I would repair older cars. I would get pretty involved in fixing these older vehicles, and found the correlation with engineering. I enjoy this role the most because it allows me to exercise my problem-solving skills.
DECO: What has been your most significant accomplishment as a design engineer?
LINDSEY: My most significant accomplishment has been merging the internal components of four different products into one cohesive system. I enjoy improving products and reducing the cost of their related manufacturing and overall purchasing costs.
DECO: What are some hobbies you hold outside of engineering and the lighting industry?
LINDSEY: I belong to a Maker Community, which is a network of individuals who do woodworking, welding, and metal work on their free time. I also like to write, perform comedy skits, and enjoy learning programming languages (HTML, VBA, etc.)
DECO: In the LED lighting industry, what do you see as one of the most exciting developments in the near future that will make a large impact?
LINDSEY: I am attracted to the LED lighting industry because it will infiltrate all aspects of society, in other words it is becoming pervasive.
DECO: How do you typically go about starting a project and working to meet the customer’s specifications?
LINDSEY: I typically tend to start by looking at what products are already out in the market, and evaluating them for what works and what doesn’t. I then monitor the entire process, from fabrication and assembly to installing with a focus of best practices.