At Hoku Labs, I translate research into the design of more human-centered robotic products and services.

Since 2016, I have been doing projects for clients, ranging from small robotics startups to large tech companies as well as philanthropic organizations. When needed, I bring in colleagues who can help us tackle bigger projects (e.g., UX designers, illustrators, animators, human factors experts, hardware prototypers).

 

Start with people, not robots.

People are much more complex than robots. By developing empathy with customers and users, we can design more useful and usable robotic products and services.


Stand on the shoulders of giants.

Learn from others’ successes and failures, making use of lessons learned from prior work, analogous application domains, and other disciplines.


Develop the team.

Work as part of the client’s team, not separate from it. Support the team in developing their own in-house user research capabilities.

Hoku Labs Services

  • UX Research Strategy

    I work with clients to articulate their UX research questions. Then we develop research plans that can be run at the rapid pace of a startup, with the rigor of publishable academic research, and everything in between. I can run studies myself or train an in-house team on the research protocols.

  • Design Strategy

    Collaborating with designers is one of my favorite things to do. If a client does not yet have a design team, I enlist the help of professional design colleagues in to support translating research into concrete design directions (e.g., storyboards, animations, UI wire frames).

  • UX Research Skill Development

    I coach client teams through developing their own in-house UX research skills, including qualitative and quantitative research methods, data analysis, and presentation of results. I also help with recruiting, screening, and hiring in-house UX researchers.

  • Literature Reviewing

    Sometimes we raise human-robot interaction research questions that have already been explored by others. Sometimes we don’t have the time or resources to conduct our own research. That’s when I do a dive into the research literature to bring back design recommendations for clients.

  • Stakeholder Management

    I lead and facilitate workshops for engaging stakeholders in the early, middle, and final stages of developing a human-centered design strategy for robotic products and services. I host in-person and online workshops, providing all of the prep and follow-up materials for workshop participants.

  • Communication with Stakeholders

    Persuading others in your organization that your design strategy is the best way forward requires a thoughtful approach to presenting your recommendations. I work with clients to craft communication materials that will resonate with their stakeholders.