Hi! I'm Kat RichardS.

I create user-centered solutions that challenge the status quo in design thinking & strategy.

From maker to thinker, pivoting from UX design to strategy, I have over a decade of experience in making sense of contradictions. I thrive in finding clarity from chaos through empathetic listening and being able to communicate it to others, with a clear goal that drives teams forward.

At Digitas, my leadership philosophy centers on fostering a collaborative and inclusive environment. I encourage the unique contributions of each team member so that their diverse perspectives shine through in our work.

I am a systems thinker, new mom, inclusive advocate, foodie, and thinker. I value…

A SPACE FOR CURIOSITY

Not just asking the hard questions, but having the time to go down rabbit holes and boldly play.

DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES

An inclusive place that encourages different ideas and cultures together to embrace our unique point of view.

INTERESTING CHALLENGES

A good problem I can really untangle, with a team to grow and challenge. A team who also appreciates good snacks and bakeries.

What I can do for you

Teach a person to bake, and you never have to feed them again. I coach by example and help diversify the Advertising industry by helping marginalized groups (AAPI, Black, Latine, LGBT+, people with disabilities) grow their UX, CX, and strategy careers through mentoring.
I also help teams expand by establishing design-op systems and frameworks for ongoing team success.
CX work is a lot like baking. You start small and iterate as you go, always testing along the way and observing how people engage.
Through quant and qual research and active listening, I distill holistic insights to communicate to the rest of the team with a more focused target to hit.
With a visual and product design background, I also help provide guidance to the creative team and align research insights to support design executions.
Sometimes, I’ll even roll up my sleeves and create brand design assets when needed. I’m known to bring in baked goods to encourage team bonding.

Let's collab

A TASTE OF THE CLIENTS I've COLLABORATED WITH:

Want to see case studies? Let’s chat.

SIDE HUSTLES

SPEAKER

SMALL BUSINESS OWNER

Let's partner

In my free time, I

Go on food adventures with my family

Give back and mentor internationally

Lead Asians in Motion Nationally (Digitas- BRG)

Push initiatives with Accessibility (Digitas- COE)

Productize solutions for Multicultural strategy (Digitas- COE)

Drive changes to the UX Curriculum at MSOE

Co-lead partnerships for Asians in Advertising

WHAT OTHERS SAY

INTERNAL TEAMS

“You are walking the talk. Way to freaking go! Thank you for facilitating and having a great discussion on Asian Representation in Media”

— Ali Amarsy (CSO - Digitas)

“You’re really good at listening and wrangling people to deliver on the work. I saw you actively listen to our clients and it’s reassuring to see defend your thinking.”

— Angela Brown (SVP - Account)

“This is awesome. Thanks again for pulling together this accessibility x strategy playbook. Super impressive, comprehensive and important thinking!”

— Josh Teixeira (Head of Experience Strategy)

“Great job on the discovery workshop. The findings and presentation were smart and well received by the clients, but the real surprise was how engaged the client team was with the prioritization investing game. In the two years I’ve worked on the wealth team, this is the most engaged client call I’ve been a part of.”

— Ashley O'Dell (VP, Account Director)

“You are a super great partner. I think others would be watching designers design by now, but you’re in there pitching in. Always helpful when you have a collaborator with a POV!”

— Michael Pasco (Experience Designer)

“Left brain? Right brain? Kat is ambidextrous. She flawlessly balances strategic, analytic and methodical thinking with inspiring, creative and experiential ideas. She brings order to chaos and innovation to the norm. I thoroughly enjoyed every opportunity I’ve had to collaborate with Kat.”

— Tyler Anderson (Account Director)

“You kept the ‘wind in our project’ by moving it along, while organizing everything. You not only played the role of UX Lead, but also project manager and motivator of this project to keep us all on track.”

— Addie Palin (Client Service Manager)

“Kat and I worked together for several years on multiple different projects throughout our time at GMR. Her ability to juggle multiple projects at the same time, with tight deadlines, while still delivering quality outputs, is only one among many of her special skills.

Kat’s also very passionate about what she does that she always look for things that she can improve. She’s very detail oriented and is not afraid to be adventurous with her idea. Her ability to communicate well with the developers ensures that her idea always translate to the final product.”

— Rio Dwipayana (FE Dev Manager)

CLIENTS

“I am so pleased. There’s so much amount of detail and work put into this. Thank you guys.”

— Nancy Brennan (CXO- Strategic Marketing Iniatitives)

“These personas are well-rounded to depict the enterprise as a whole. Appreciates that they all come from different points vs one forced and centralized gated experience on this Women’s Ecosystem”

— Rachel (SVP Marketing at BofA)

“So impressed with your team’s thinking about this massive undertaking! I’m seeing a lot of change recommendations from all our conversations, so thank you… thank you for listening and hearing us.”

— ANTONIO (CLIENT LEAD ON MSK)

“So fantastic! Thank you so much. This is exactly what we need. It’s so insightful to help us move forward. It’s really impressive to see how on point the pain points are visualized. I’m jumping out of my skin with excitement. ”

— Karli (BofA Marketing Chief Executive)

“I am very impressed with how this team has translated my hours-long ramble into a cohesive presentation backed with current, credible and quantitative research. Absolutely great work on this.”

— Joe (Napoleon Marketing Director)

“...We’re building on what went right on the old site and removing or fixing what went wrong. This is all looking great. Thank you for the new design and for conducting all the user testing that went into guaranteeing that we have a beautiful and user-friendly website.”

— Norm (Montana Tourism Digital Director)

“Thanks for great work and for all the great discussion. Your research, professional approach and frankly, awesome work transformed our product.”

— Robert Carter (Microsoft Product Owner)

LET’s CREATE life-changing solutions together.

Have an idea or just want to grab coffee/beer? I'm actively pursuing work that disrupts the social space and brings more diverse perspectives to the forefront.

Let's Collab!