Kathleen Chao

Design & Strategy

About Me

I am a Product Strategist, Community Builder, and Design Educator.

Having worked and lived across 3 continents, I translate what I learned from people of all walks of life into products and services that integrate business objectives, customer needs, and technical feasibilities ... very often beyond the digital touch points.

One of my favorite quotes that drives my design decisions:

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel" — Maya Angelou

My Approach

In the ideal world, we can go through d.school's design thinking process in every project but that is just NOT how it works in the business world.

Empathy is the quintessence of human-centered design but there's limitation to it. Over the years of my design practice, I've learned the key to success is to Co-Create. It is only by including diverse voices, you can truly design a solution that works for all — whether it be your end user, your front stage staff, or your back stage staff / support system!

I don't believe in methods, I believe in the mindset! Once you have the right problem-solving mindset, everything else will come along.

Capability & Passion

I can

identify upstream opportunities
facilitate conversations through workshops
execute product roadmap & go-to-market strategy

I love

working with people with diverse background
tackling problems beyond the front stage
making prototypes to test assumptions

Please note, I am NOT a visual designer, software developer, or marketing strategist.

VIEW CASE STUDIES

Design Community Involvement

"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."

— African Proverb

Sharing is the most powerful way of learning. I love building, supporting, and simply just being involved in different communities where I get inspired by people from all walks of life!