Taking your product to the level where users say “thank you”

I am a design consultant and strategist specializing in XR, AI, IoT, and blockchain companies. 2D, 3D, software, hardware - I’m here for you. I work as a contractor or interim Design Director.

Services

A good UX never happens by chance.
It happens by design.

Courses and speeches on Gen AI, user-centric design, and spatial computing/XR

I teach, speak, and keep hands-on workshops on Gen AI (ChatGPT, Bard, Google Duet, Midjourney, Runway) tools; I tailor every speech and training according to the audience so the use cases are relevant to their needs.

Deep tech sales support

Deep tech is my bread and butter. I update my knowledge of web3, metaverse, and AI every day. I continuously test the newest tools and hardware. Two of my latest assignments have included supporting sales to learn about the possibilities and use cases of the latest tech solutions. I don't go with the hype; I am looking after the real value for end users.

User Research

Field research is the basis for understanding your customers and their wants. The research plan is custom-made for each case with a client. Typically, the research project takes two weeks:

  1. Making a research plan - what the client wants to research and why
  2. finding and booking relevant representatives of the target group
  3. COnducting 5-6 interviews, 60-75 mins each
  4. Making analyses and writing a report for suggested next steps, usually slide show presentation
  5. Optional additional work - making a plan and UI wireframes to implement the findings in product development.

Usability evaluations / UX Teardowns

Click-through analysis of the product:

  • Are the visuals and workflow consistent?

  • Does the User Interface follow the known common conventions?

  • How much friction is involved?

  • What kind of emotions does the product evoke?

  • How easy is it to navigate?

  • Are the labels and buttons and other copytexts descriptive?

  • Does the search take you where you want?

  • Does the user have to keep many things in their mind?

The outcome of a usability evaluation is a PowerPoint/pdf presentation where I present current challenges and make suggestions for improvements. The teardown + report usually takes 2 days.

Interim Design Director / Product Development Lead

New feature demands can come internally from the business's side, or the users may demand it. It is often hard to decide which features should be implemented next and which should be left out.

I have led multi-national teams operating in different time zones I understand financial numbers, the costs and time of coding work, and the amount of design and research work it takes.I work fluently at the intersection of design, tech, and business and understand the nature of creative people; they are not the easiest ones to lead.

Benchmarking analysis

Do you want to know where your product stands compared to your competitors?

I don't evaluate only the UX of the product, I make a profound analysis and put data from different sources together. I excel at finding information from the corners of the internet. AI cannot yet read between the lines what your users are saying about your product.

Interface prototypes - sketching and wireframing

I make UX wireframe concepts and flow charts, but I also take them to the end - to UI app sketches with Adobe XD or Figma. I can also do voice app sketching.

Krista has been incredible to work with. As an early team member to Varjo she helped me get started and energized me to become a contributing member of the company. She has been integral in making our product what it is today.
— Geoffrey Bund, Head of BD Americas, Varjo
“Krista worked as a vendor for Sulava full-time. Her main role was to help and guide our customers and us in our metaverse journey. Krista is super skilled and is truly focused on getting things done. Her knowledge, attitude, and personality are second to none. Our whole organization loved working with her, and so did our customers.”
— Aki Antman, CEO of Sulavaurce
Krista is an exceptional design leader. Her ability to inspire and influence people cross-functionally was something that I saw critical in the groundbreaking immersive design research and creation that we did at Varjo. Krista brings empathy, clarity and positive energy in everything she does
— Jussi Mäkinen, CMO of Varjo