Meet Karen – Service Designer at KRING
Get to know Karen, our Service Designer with over 10 years of experience, thriving at the intersection of design, strategy, and storytelling. Driven by a passion for creating positive impact, she has collaborated with global organizations like United Colors of Benetton, UNFPA, USAID, SNV, UAEU, amongst others, addressing complex challenges from energy accessibility to women’s empowerment, disabilities, sanitation, family planning, and more.
Karen’s strategic acumen and innovative thinking have led to significant successes. She spearheaded the user experience and content design for the UAEU pavilion at Expo Dubai 2020; conceptualized the Bokator campaign in Cambodia, aiming to prevent the spread of COVID-19, reaching 6.4 million people and leading to a 2.5-point increase in the belief that handwashing is important. Karen’s design solutions have also demonstrably improved lives, resulting in over a 2x increase in sales of improved cookstoves in Kakuma refugee camp, providing over 1000 rural farmers in Malawi with the necessary tools to understand, use, and claim drought insurance, and her community activations in Cambodia directly led to the identification of 60 tuberculosis cases.
Karen’s expertise spans qualitative research, ideation facilitation, concept development, rapid prototyping, and strategic analysis. Proficient in design thinking, her ability to navigate diverse landscapes ensures our ventures not only meet market needs but also contribute to a more sustainable and inclusive world. She enjoys connecting with people and unearthing insights by deeply listening, observing, and connecting the dots. Passionate about the well-being of entire ecosystems, she’s keen to move beyond human-centered design and embrace a species-centered approach.
Karen enjoys spending time outdoors, whether swimming in Copenhagen’s waters, rock climbing, or simply exploring nature. Her love for mountains fuels her spirit, and she often seeks them out, which poses a challenge in Denmark’s flat landscape.
Looking ahead, Karen is particularly excited about projects focused on bolstering women’s health in Denmark and beyond. She aims to leverage her skills and experience to develop innovative solutions that address the specific challenges faced by women and envisions a future where she can continue driving positive change through design.
