Kathi Kaiser has spent the last fifteen years using design as a tool for pursuing happiness – for users, clients and fellow designers. As co-founder and partner of Centralis, Kathi leads a top-notch team in creating great user experiences for global clients including Sony, LexisNexis and Warner Bros., as well as Chicago area institutions like the Regional Transit Authority and the Field Museum. Kathi applies the principles of user-centered design to all aspects of her work, including growing a garage-based start-up into one of the industry’s most successful UX agencies. The heart of Kathi’s work is her curiosity about people: when she’s not in the lab or at the whiteboard, she may be found observing people on boats, in museums, at train stations, and anywhere else that the digital and physical worlds collide. Beyond her work at Centralis, Kathi serves as an adjunct faculty member at the Illinois Institute of Technology’s Institute of Design, where she teaches usability evaluation methods. Kathi holds a Master's degree from the University of Chicago and a BA from Georgetown University.