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.
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.
Researchers
Market Researchers
Trend Researchers
Ethnographers
Futurists
UX Researchers
Insight Specialists
Designers
Design Methods Experts
Design Thinkers
Service Designers
Systems Designers
Design Strategists
Visual Communicators
Video Storytellers
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
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
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
Hardik Makhija
design Researcher
Hardik is a Design Researcher who excels in using user research to inform clear, actionable direction that informs growth and operational decisions. He uses research-driven storytelling to foster empathy and structured thinking.
Hardik brings a multicultural perspective to every research challenge. He holds a Master of Design in Human-Computer Interaction from the IIT Institute of Design and a Master of Business Administration in Innovation & Strategy from Stuart School of Business, Chicago.
Spoken languages: English, Hindi, Sindhi, Gujarati
Sonia Redon
RESEARCHER & STORYTELLER
Sonia blends cognitive science and industrial design to lead rigorous, human-centered research that informs innovation, product development, and strategic decision-making. Passionate about understanding how people think, feel, and behave in real contexts, she translates qualitative and quantitative insights into inclusive, actionable opportunities that strengthen connections between organizations and the people they serve.
Spoken languages: English, French
We thrive alongside people who are curious, inspired, and eager to make a meaningful impact.
partners, collaborators & Mentors
Brooke Anderson
Business Developer
Design Researcher
Sonia Redon
Leadership + Collaboration
Specialist
Cris Beilstein
Communication specialist
Kriti Kumar
Ketshi Bavishi
Project Strategist + Researcher
Nicole Ciminello
Experience Designer
mentor, Dean of ‘Institute of Design’ (ID), Illinois Tech
Anijo Mathew
