Kathryn Ulrich is a passionate human-centered design researcher, lifelong student, and continuous explorer. She is currently a Design Researcher at Keurig Dr. Pepper in the Chicagoland area.
When not delving into the world of research for work, she expands her horizons in design through woodworking, photography, writing and painting. Each medium allows her to explore art and design from a new angle, bringing fresh perspective and ideas into her daily work.
Additionally, Kathryn is passionate about connecting with the Chicagoland community. As a Big Sister in the Big Brother Big Sister of Chicago program, she is a mentor to her Little, Amora. She has also aided in the funding of the local program as she raised money by means of running the Chicago Marathon.
Prior to her tenure as a Design Researcher, Kathryn was driven to seek higher education by her desire to understand and connect with the world around her. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with a Master of Science degree from the College of Engineering in Design Innovation with a focus on User Research and Design Strategy.
Congruent to her studies, Kathryn also worked as a Graduate UX Research Assistant for the UW-Madison Library Services. Her research work with the Web Services Usability and Assessment Team directly impacted the development and improvement of the library website to better serve the students, professors, and community members. With the newly presented challenges of conducting user research during a pandemic, Kathryn and her colleagues successfully designed new testing protocols and procedures on a minimal budget to continue to improve the website.
Prior to the pursuit of a graduate degree and work with WSUAT, Kathryn spent three years as an Assistant & Associate Category Manager for PCNA; a promotional product company. It was here that she uncovered her true love for research and design that prompted the journey to Madison. Kathryn worked alongside ardent industrial designers to successfully launch a wide variety of unique products that exceeded the needs of their customers. With each launch, Kathryn’s innate curiosity for people, design and products grew into an obsession that ultimately led to her pivoted career path.
