Karen Wang brings a deeply human-centered approach to her work, specializing in empathetic perspective-taking and co-creation methodologies. With over five years at Blink and more than 33 projects under her belt, she’s known for her thoughtful, collaborative mindset and her ability to uncover meaningful insights that drive exceptional design.

We’re thrilled to feature her on our latest CM Spotlight series.

Describe what you do, make, or create in one sentence.
I create safe spaces for people to share openly, uncover new ways of being and expressing, and ultimately empower themselves through reflection and self-care.

What are the top creative challenges that you face in your day-to-day?
As a UX researcher and aspiring designer, each project contains its own creative challenges. Namely, designing a research protocol that captures the nuances of stakeholder objectives, orchestrating an insights report that tells a compelling story, and nurturing the bridge between research and design through creative tools and collaboration.

How do you define creativity and apply it in your career?
Creativity is the embodiment of an individual’s authentic self inspired by their experiences, relationships, and emotions. I have the honor of hearing stories from countless research participants and translating these stories into headline-worthy insights and actionable recommendations. Everything I do, from my wellness podcast, “The LifeofKare Podcast,” teaching aerial yoga, and decorating homes and retail spaces, helps me better understand people and why we do what we do.

What’s one piece of creative advice or a tip you wish you had known earlier in your career?
Just because someone has tried an idea and “failed” doesn’t mean you can’t try it yourself… and do it better. As a researcher, I often get in the way of my own creativity in fear of failure, wasting time, or looking dumb. A trait I admire most in others is the ability to move past what we think we know and to create more resourceful ways of achieving a goal.

What are you reading these days?
A little bit of everything! I like to keep a rotation of psychology, spirituality, and fiction books. Right now, I’m reading “Women Who Run With the Wolves” by Clarissa Pinkola Estés, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” by J.K. Rowling, and listening to “A New Earth” by Eckhart Tolle. I just finished reading “I Who Have Never Known Men” by Jacqueline Harpman for my book club and loved it.

If you had 15 extra minutes each day, what would you do with them?
If I had 15 more minutes each day, I would meditate for 10 of those minutes and give my partner and kitties an extra long 5-minute hug afterwards