Helping mission-driven teams make bold, evidence-based decisions
Enabling those who care deeply to act wisely.
I help mission-driven organizations uncover authentic experiences from the people they serve and leverage that insight to make evidence-backed decisions, meaningful services, and strategic clarity.
Whether you aim to unlock new ways to bring value to your users, bring a product from good to great, or make a stronger case for funding your mission, I help connect the dots between real experiences and responsive, bold, actionable ideas.
WHO I WORK WITH
NON-PROFITS & PUBLIC BENEFIT
The need: Public service grounded in listening.
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Are you excited to design policies or programs to create a positive change in diverse communities but struggling to build trust, get meaningful input, or make decisions rooted in real-world experience?
Do you know whether your good intentions are having their intended impact?
Are you unclear about what exactly is working and not working in your program?
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With a strategic approach to community-based research and future planning, I help agencies connect more meaningfully with the people they serve and illuminate the best path forward to advance towards positive outcomes, not just outputs. This can look like this:
Providing guidance to recruit a diverse mix of individuals from your target community
Facilitating community conversations (1-on-1 interviews, group sessions, interactive workshops, virtual user testing, etc)
Translating insights into actionable program design and policy
Building buy-in and clarity among internal teams, partners, and community members for next steps that resonate with users
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Bias awareness and trauma-informed toolkit to apply in future work
User journey maps, service blueprints and impact measurement tools to anchor your work on real findings
Synthesis and storytelling decks to share to amplify community voice in your organization and beyond
WHAT CLIENTS SAY:
“Working with Keara has been a huge privilege. Her research knowledge is excellent. She has great empathy and awareness of social justice and the natural world, the complexities that underpin it, and the action required to make substantive change. Keara brings intelligence, humour and a truly sophisticated perspective to every conversation or project she's involved in.”
— Miriam Vaswani, Senior Content Designer
businesses for life & learning
The need: Real insights. Real users. Better decisions.
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Are you building a product that technically works—but doesn’t quite connect?
Struggling to figure out what your users actually need or figure out the future of what new things would bring them value and that they would use?
Want to differentiate in a crowded market?
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I help mission-driven startups and established companies in healthcare, edtech, and wellness move away from surface-level feedback into deep understanding—so you can make strategic decisions, improve what matters, and build offerings that people truly value. Whether you're choosing where to invest, seeking product-market fit, or making the case for your next round of funding, I deliver insights that move you forward. This looks like:
Moving from anecdotal feedback to a comprehensive user-centered strategy
Uncovering unmet needs and new opportunities
Translating nsights into product and service innovation
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Research-backed UX recommendations
Customer journey and opportunity maps and feature prioritization tools
Insight decks with clear, actionable takeaways
WHAT CLIENTS SAY:
“There was no guessing or wondering when working with her. I also appreciated how organized she was in sharing the outcome of her research. Not only did she deliver the raw findings in a digestible way but upon identifying some opportunities she also made insightful suggestions on product and marketing improvements.”
— Irene Koo Founder & CEO @ Mamakoo
MARKET & DESIGN RESEARCH FIRMS
The need: Expand your capacity. Deepen your impact.
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Are you a research or design firm juggling project timelines, funding constraints, and the need to stand out in a competitive field?
Trying to show your unique value while staying grounded in equity and real community insights?
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I partner with firms to enhance project capacity and bring trusted expertise in trauma-informed research, bilingual facilitation, and inclusive design. This looks like:
Joining project teams as a flexible, skilled collaborator
Conducting research and engagement with diverse, multilingual communities
Translating insights into clear, actionable, client-ready deliverables
Offering strategic support on how to frame, pitch, and present your HCD work
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Co-authored research reports and synthesis decks
Community-informed frameworks and recommendations
Presentation support and case study development
WHAT CLIENTS SAY:
“I was particularly impressed by Keara’s abilities to get people on board with ideas—even stakeholders who were initially on completely different pages—to understand and echo back the needs and wants of the team members, and to see things from others perspective. Keara is a great leader, a thoughtful supporter, and a passionate researcher.”
— Amanda Donavanik Design & Innovation Consultant | Architect
most popular Services
Work that listens, work that resonates. Here’s how I partner with teams to understand users and transform digital tools, services, and programs.
PROGRAM EVALUATION: Center lived experience to tell the story of a program’s impact and uncover insights that support growth, funding, and trust.
WORKSHOP FACILITATION: Design and lead participatory spaces that build skills, spark imagination, and invite meaningful input from teams and communities.
DISCOVERY RESEARCH: Surface needs and patterns early on to frame the right problems, align teams, and guide where to focus next.
DIGITAL PRODUCT RESEARCH: Uncover how users interact with digital tools to inform intuitive design, strengthen roadmaps, and guide confident product decisions.
SERVICE DESIGN: Co-create services that are clear, responsive, and grounded in user journeys—leading to better experiences and smoother implementation.
ready to work together?
Schedule a chat to discuss a project or connect professionally.
My approach
DESIGN THINKING METHODOLOGY
Through interviews, user tests, observation, contextual study, and a host of other creative research methods, I help uncover what real people need, think and care about.
COMMUNITY FIRST PRINCIPLES
I combine approaches like participatory design, asset-based community development, and appreciative inquiry to collaboratively explore how to better serve more people in reaching their goals. - blended approach
TRAUMA-INFORMED PRACTICES
I create safe, compassionate spaces that honor different lived experiences and prioritize well-being in all interactions.
INTERACTIVE WORKSHOP FACILITATION
I lead dynamic, hands-on sessions that spark ideas, foster collaboration, and turn big concepts into action.
BILINGUAL ENGLISH AND SPANISH SERVICES
I work seamlessly across English and Spanish, ensuring clear communication and cultural nuance in everything I do.
WHERE MY CRAFT COMES TO LIFE
❋ Early education & childcare settings
❋ K-12 education settings
❋ Healthcare
❋ Social services (private, public, & not-profit social benefit programs)
❋ Child welfare and family strengthening services
❋ Youth mental health services
❋ Hard to reach, sensitive populations
❋ International/multinational initiatives
❋ Food & travel
about me - bridging design + change
II’ve always been curious about the relationship between people, systems, and social change. My work blends research, design, and community insight to help mission-driven teams build with care and clarity.