Hi! I’m Katriena. I’m a design thinking expert living and working in Jordan and the Netherlands.
Do you know that feeling when suddenly everything makes sense? It happened to me when I first heard of design thinking. FINALLY a name for the mindset I had always had and the things I had always done.
From my very first job producing theatre 12+ years ago, my core values always centered around diverse teams, deferring judgement, rapid prototyping, user centricity, common sense and feedback, feedback, feedback.
Since then, my career has taken some funky twists and turns working in the non-profit sector, for government, for a big multinational, and for a smaller studio. Wherever I went, my values went right along with me.
“Great leaders always make a difference, and Katriena made a difference here. We really appreciate all her support, whether professionally, mentally or emotionally. She has helped us all develop our skills in different ways.”
- The Twelve Degrees team
I am fundamentally human centered, confidently iterative, courageously committed and a respectful instigator*. I thrive when I can help bring the best out in people and in business. There’s really no shame in not knowing where to start with including your users, or not feeling secure in your prototyping skills; together we’ll get there. I come with years of experience, a solid network, great dance moves, and certificates from IDEO, Nielsen Norman group, Impact Week, and HPI d.school.
Let’s start our work together!
xxx,
K
*terms coined in “Mindsets of Design-Minded Intrapreneurs” by the Design at Business community
P.S. curious about my dance moves? During NigeriavsCovid19 I danced with my team, being 100% sure the entire team would be recorded instead of just me…
Recent Projects
Finding inspiration in the Middle East
Twelve Degrees for OXO
A research project for one of the world’s leading manufacturers of kitchen utensils and houseware products to learn more about the habits of cooking, food prep and space organization in the Middle East, specifically the Gulf.
Role
Project lead.
I served as OXO’s point of contact within Twelve Degrees. I designed the study’s setup and supervised the team throughout the study. I conducted interviews and lead the team’s synthesis and reporting.
Method
Generative user research through diary studies, in-person observations and shop-alongs with 10 users in Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
“Twelve Degrees is an extremely thoughtful and highly skilled group whose passion for user research and design thinking further elevates their work. They are an engaging and inspiring group and we thoroughly enjoyed our research collaboration!”
Innovating finance
Twelve Degrees for BeyondCapital
Co-design of the IFADA program that aims to help entrepreneurs redesign finance products to solve the Middle Eastern region's challenge of access to capital.
Role
Project lead and facilitator.
I co-designed parts of the IFADA program with the BeyondCapital team and designed and delivered the design thinking module. Mentorship continued with fellows who requested it after the module was done.
Method
Help fellows ideate, adapt, (re)design and test their ideas in a safe environment by using human-centered design methods. Using an interactive, collaborative and hands-on approach, fellows finished our module having a solid - user tested - prototype to further continue their prototype-test loop with.
“The mentorship provided [...] has directly contributed to new financial products entering the market in Jordan and MENA. These products (which our fellows have launched) have already fundraised millions of dollars; the full multiplier effect has only just begun to unfold.”
Examples of products that have successfully launched after IFADA are Amam Ventures, Propeller Inc.’s fund, and Verity.
Including employees in intranet redesign
Twelve Degrees for Client
User testing and research project for one of Jordan’s largest companies as they undertook a full redesign of their employee engagement platform. The goal was to find out what employees are looking for, what matters to them, and how the client could help take away obstacles.
Role
Project lead.
I served as the client’s point of contact within Twelve Degrees. I designed the study’s setup and supervised the team throughout the study. I conducted interviews and lead the team’s synthesis and reporting.
Method
Interviews with 8 users and a mix of moderated and unmoderated card sorting with a total of 52 users using Optimal Sort.
Adventurers’ light in the dark
Twelve Degrees for JordiLight
Design of the app that goes with the JordiLight device. The app helps users manage their device, change the color and intensity of the light and synchronize multiple JordiLights with each other.
Role
Project manager.
I translated the client’s wishes to the team designing the app’s UI. I created an as-is wireframe, and supported the design team with my UX knowledge. I made sure we tested early and iterated based on that. I also supervised the team as they went through final user testing and synthesis.
Method
UI & UX design, wireframes, prototyping, and user testing with small samples.
Cross-company training program
Nestlé for Design at Business
Design a cross-company design thinking program to grow the mindset within companies from the Design at Business network. Making sure that it would fit the actual business reality.
Role
Working group lead.
I ensured that our working group - made up of colleagues from SAP, Hugo Boss, Swisscom, BASF and Siemens - met regularly and made progress. Together we created what a possible program could look and work like.
Method
Desk research, empathy mapping, ideation and prototyping.
What people say about me
“Katriena is one of the most creative people I know. I like how she secures buy-in from team members - she has a beautiful personality that is able to connect with all kinds of people and engage them in dialogue and brainstorming.”
Rasha Manna - General Manager at Flat6Labs Jordan
“As a designer, Katriena supported my growth journey in every aspect! Her leadership style is friendly yet very professional. She is the queen of time management; her expertise helped our team efficiently design innovative solutions. Her work ethics are pristine, and easily adjusts to any situation. Her patience and willingness to help made me motivated to do the best job I can.”
Joy Georgi - Industrial Designer at Twelve Degrees
“Katriena always bumps up the energy in the room 💪.”
Tambi Jalouqua - Managing Partner at Propeller Inc.
“Good taste in music amongst other things, and an uncanny ability to visualize or conjure physical manifestations for concepts that are most abstract… a rare talent indeed!”
Mohammed Aljafari - Director, Intellectual Property Commercialization Office at iPark/Royal Scientific Society
“It has been a great pleasure working with Katriena. She is a true self-starter. Katriena listens carefully to input provided, proposes a plan, seeks buy-in and takes action accordingly. She works fast and accurate. She has a positive and can-do mindset. Friendly team-player. Strong communicator and is open to others and willing to learn.”
Laura Ostendorf - Founder at TIQ2Sports
“Without Katriena’s efforts, initiatives such as the old Dutch master Rembrandt’s exhibition at Chateau des Penthes, the New Dutch Masters lecture series and many side events on the margins of official meetings at the UN and the WTO would not have been as successful - and well known amongst a large and diverse public - as they were. We will miss Katriena’s ‘can-do-everything’ attitude, her creativity, as well as her always happy mood.” Read full post here.
Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the UN and WTO
Let's work together!
Let me know what you need and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
I work Sunday - Thursday.
You can also reach me through LinkedIn.