THE WORLD wasn’t DESIGNED for our BRAINS.
We design for a Standard Human that doesn't exist. Dr. Kati Peditto uses behavioral science to create environments that actually work for all kinds of minds.
BOOK KATI FOR SPEAKING
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Kati has a way of making the complex simple. She’s brilliant and approachable. You want her voice in the room.
Leigh Stringer / Global Director of advisory services, Perkins&Will
you aren’t broken
The room is.
For years, I left "normal" workdays and school days feeling completely exhausted and burnt out. It felt like a personal failure. It wasn’t until I started my doctoral studies at Cornell that I learned an important truth: This wasn't a personality flaw. It was a design flaw.
I am now a design psychologist at a leading global design firm, sitting at the intersection of design practice, behavioral science, and lived experience. As an autistic woman with ADHD, I know what it feels like to pay the "psychological tax" just to exist in a space that wasn't built for you.
My work bridges the gap between rigorous science and human experience. Whether I’m consulting on a new campus or speaking to Fortune 500 leaders, my goal is the same: to help you stop fighting the room and start making the room work for you.
MORE ABOUT Kati
EVIDENCE, not ANECDOTES.
After an hour with KATI, your audience wilL…
First, feel validated. Exhaustion isn't a personal failure; it's a design flaw. Learn to identify the "Hidden Curriculum" of a space and fix the sensory friction points.
Then, think divergently. When a space fails a neurodivergent brain, it fails everyone. I show you how to design for the edges to improve the experience for everyone.
And leave ready to create high-performance environments. Move beyond "awareness" into evidence-based design psychology. No design experience needed - we’ll discuss strategies to make measurable improvements in focus, retention, and well-being anywhere.
Everyone can benefit from the power of design.
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“The first time I heard Kati speak, I was hooked. She was a bright light of relevance, humor and intellect. It was clear the audience was captivated.”
Erin Peavey | Health and Well-Being Design Leader, HKS
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"Kati takes decades of research and explains it in a way that engages a range of audiences – business, academic or industry-specific. She’s brilliant, approachable, and I would recommend her in a heartbeat as a keynote speaker."
Leigh Stringer | Director of Global Advisory Services, Perkins&Will
KATI in ACTION
Interested in working with me?
KATI’S KEYNOTE TOPICS
THE COGNITIVE TAX:
Why Your Office is EXHAUSTING
For corporate leaders and HR professionals: Burnout isn’t always about the workload. Sometimes, it’s about the walls. Moving beyond generic DEI buzzwords, this talk offers a "sensory toolkit" to stop the energy leak and reclaim productivity (and joy!) at work. Stop designing for a Standard Human that doesn't exist, and create a workplace where your team can do their best work.
THE HIDDEN CURRICULUM:
How Spaces Teach Us to Learn
For superintendents, district leaders, and educators: Every classroom teaches an invisible lesson. Dr. Peditto demonstrates how simple design shifts can reduce behavioral incidents, lower cognitive load, and signal safety to the students who need it most. Shift the narrative from 'fixing the student' to 'fixing the space,' and turn your facilities into an active partner in education.
AGAINST THE GRAIN:
Designing for the Future of Human Experience
For industry leaders and visionaries: We design for a "Standard Human" that implies everyone else is an outlier. But neurodivergent people aren't outliers; they are the stress-testers of the built environment. Dr. Peditto demonstrates that when we solve for the most sensitive nervous systems, we don’t just accommodate a few; we remove the invisible friction that slows down everyone.
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