We love turning complexity and ambiguity into clarity, always working to minimize risk.

As an industry-agnostic team, we seamlessly integrate at any stage of the development cycle and in any business domain. Driven by curiosity, we build a deep contextual understanding, always anticipating new opportunities with your organization’s future in mind.

A risk assessment chart displaying four risk categories from left to right: Market Risk in black, Business Risk in pink, Technical Risk in orange, and an orange segment. Below the categories, a tangled line graph shows the transition from high to reduced risk, indicating increasing confidence and clarity from left to right.

OUR expertise

With 18+ years of experience, our multilingual team partners well with product innovation, marketing, and engineering teams across industries. We bring global insights and cross-cultural expertise to help your projects succeed in any market.

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Researchers

Market Researchers

Trend Researchers

Ethnographers

Futurists

UX Researchers

Insight Specialists

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Designers

Design Methods Experts

Design Thinkers

Service Designers

Systems Designers

Design Strategists

Visual Communicators

Video Storytellers

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FACILITATORS

Project Managers

Workshop Facilitators

Harmonizers & Catalysts

Research Recruiters

khōj . खोज in Hindi

(to) search, discern, discover, and explore. ‘Discovery’ is the essence of a better future.

our leadership team

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Shilpi Kumar

founder of khoj lab, innovation catalyst

Shilpi Kumar is a seasoned design strategist and educator with over 15 years of experience driving innovation and business growth for leading organizations. At GE Transportation Digital and Herman Miller, she partnered with executive teams to streamline product development and ensure that innovation initiatives directly supported strategic goals.

As an instructor of ‘Corporate Innovation Effectiveness’ at the Institute of Design at Illinois Tech Chicago, Shilpi empowers future leaders to harness inclusive, cross-functional approaches that unlock organizational strengths and accelerate market adoption. Her expertise lies in uncovering actionable insights, identifying high-impact opportunities, and aligning business priorities with evolving customer needs and market trends.

Shilpi holds advanced degrees in design methods and industrial design from Illinois Tech and IIT Bombay and a Bachelor of Architecture from BIT Mesra. She is passionate about helping organizations turn bold ideas into measurable business results.

Spoken languages: English, Hindi

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Catherine Pansard

dIRECTOR OF business strategy

Catherine has a background in both business and design. She specializes in identifying effective employee behaviors and scaling them across organizations. By integrating user perspectives and design methods into business strategy, she drives innovation and improves performance through better user experiences.

Catherine holds a Master of Design Methods from Illinois Tech’s Institute of Design and a Master of Management from EM Lyon Business School.

Spoken languages: English, Spanish, and French

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Helen Tong

research DIRECTOR

Helen is a design researcher with over thirteen years of experience, helping organizations innovate by uncovering human insights from user data and research. She uses visual storytelling to foster empathy among stakeholders at companies like SC Johnson, Steelcase, and Radio Flyer.

With global experience in China, India, and the US, Helen offers a multicultural perspective. She holds a Master of Design from IIT Institute of Design and a B.S. in Human Factors Engineering from Tufts University.

Spoken languages: English, Hindi, Cantonese, Mandarin

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Nyurka Fernandes

communications dIRECTOR

Nyurka blends her artistic and storytelling skills with trend spotting and human-centered approaches. Raised in Abu Dhabi and educated in journalism at Manipal University in India, she draws on diverse cultural experiences.

Passionate about learning, culture, music, and human potential, she aligns her life goals with her work as a design researcher, conceptualizer, and strategist, helping others realize their ideas.

Spoken languages: English, Hindi

We thrive alongside people who are curious, inspired, and eager to make a meaningful impact.

partners & collaborators

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Leadership + Collaboration
Specialist

Cris Beilstein

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Design Researcher + Visual Communicator

Hardik Makhija

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Ketshi Bavishi

Project Strategist + Researcher

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Nicole Ciminello

Experience Designer