Hi there! My name is

Katherine Root

I'm a Product, AI, and Experience Design Expert

Tell me more

I've been designing at consumer obsessed startups for 15 years.

I grew a lot in this early role learning about how companies run.

Simply Hired

I started at this small UX firm straight out of undergrad.

Launch Design

My latest role, founding designer, creating an app to help cancer patients navigate their diagnosis.

Manta Cares

I spent 10 YEARS building this product and team — I know it like the back of my hand.

Mighty Networks

I was part of the founding design team here when it was still called “Prosperworks”

Copper CRM

Wow cool

I combine design strategy with business acumen to help companies succeed.

#1

G2 ranking for Mighty Networks in online community management, praised for it's intuitive interface

4.9/5

Average store rating for apps I've designed and released, across iOS and Android

5x

Product engagement for Manta Cares after designing and releasing their flagship AI feature

Uh huh

My work is grounded in empathy and understanding. Always.

CASE STUDY First App Experience For years the experience of downloading the Mighty Networks app was crusty and abandoned, forever deemed a P2 not worth updating. Here I explore the business value of creating a great first impression. CASE STUDY Maturing the Manta Cares Brand As a seed stage startup, Manta Cares needed to evolve its brand language from "scrappy startup" to "heartfelt and reliable". This included the product itself, but also digital marketing, physical materials, and a lot more.
Interesting

That empathy also allows me to build thriving teams, systems, and cultures.

COMING SOON Building Remote Culture Scaling the design team at Mighty from 2 members to 10, all while navigating the new waters of working remotely — and building a collaborative, creative environment online.
COMING SOON Make Mighty Cool How do you build a product organization that not only understands the value of design, but actively contributes to delightful interactions? An initiative to get full org buy-in on the power of design details.
Show me some screens

Oh and I make things look pretty ✨

Manta Cares Find Your Map
Manta Cares iOS Widgets
Manta Cares Dashboard
Manta Cares Map Partial
Manta Cares Map Popup Info
Manta Cares Hope AI
Manta Cares Map Full
Manta Cares Nav
Mighty Networks Splash Screen
Mighty Networks Find Community
Mighty Networks Interests
Mighty Networks Network List
Mighty Networks Feed
Mighty Networks Profile
Mighty Networks Member List
Mighty Networks Member Bubbles
Mighty Networks Expanded Bubble
Mighty Networks Nav
Mighty Networks Subscribe
Mighty Networks Livewell
Mighty Networks Body Soul
Mighty Networks Optimistic Entrepreneur
Mighty Networks Modern Creator
SO PRETTY

Don't want to take my word for it?
Ask my co-workers.

She's just all-around great to work with: a creative but sensible voice during ideation, a doer who's ready to roll up her sleeves wherever needed, and someone willing to make decisions and cut through the endless “what ifs.”

Elisabeth Boonin Head of Engineering @ Manta Cares

She will be a true asset to any team, valued for her keen eye for design, sense of humor, and ability to see the big picture.

Erin Landis Clinical Content Manager @ Manta Cares

Katherine is everything you'd hope for in a design manager — supportive, thoughtful, and a true advocate for her team.

Giada Sun Product Designer @ Mighty Networks

Katherine is driven, hardworking, curious, and fun-spirited. She brings the kind of positivity that teams thrive on.

Christopher Edlin Lead Technical Recruiter @ Mighty Networks

Katherine is that rare combination of natural leader, top-notch designer, and reliable teammate — the kind of person you jump at the chance to work with.

Mike Beverley Sr. Director of Software Engineering @ Mighty Networks

Because of Katherine, I learned a lot about what makes a great design lead truly outstanding.

Bruno Ribeiro Product Designer @ Mighty Networks

She struck a perfect balance of giving me the freedom to run with projects, making them my own, and helping guide the project with thought provoking questions and discussions.

John Welch Product Designer @ Mighty Networks
But what about AI

How do I feel about AI?

Ah, the question of the hour. AI is incredible. It's allowing us all more freedom to express and explore our ideas in real time, and has the capacity to take a lot of burden out of our processes and workflows. In fact, I built this site using Claude Code. But it has its limitations, and there's still a lot of the creative process I prefer to do by hand. Whatever work you see from me, my ideas and fingerprints are still all over it, even if I used AI for help.

Here are some posts from other people that sum up my thoughts pretty well:

You Need Time to Stare Into Space

Heidi Phelps

The Design Paradox

Ethan Eismann

Our Interfaces Have Lost Their Senses

Amelia Wattenberger
Anything else?

I do design because I love it, and I bring that passion to all of the work that I do 💖

Let's talk

Feel free to say hi some time.
I'd love to chat 👋

Is this the end?