THE WORLD wasn’t DESIGNED for the HUMAN BRAIN.
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SIGNATURE KEYNOTE
DESIGN in MIND: The Science of Where You Are
DESCRIPTION:
Our buildings have always affected us. In 400 BC, the architects of the Asklepion, the world's first hospital, oriented the facility for maximum sunlight and fresh air. Germ theory wouldn't be established for another 2,000 years. They didn't know the science, but they knew the design somehow made a difference.
Dr. Kati Peditto completely changed the course of her Cornell dissertation after a similar observation. While running 2,000+ miles across the United States, she noticed that adolescents and young adults receiving cancer treatment were doing so in facilities designed for infants and little kids. That gap between science and design is now the foundation of her work.
This keynote follows design from ancient healing environments to modern airports, offices, schools, and hospitals. What did we know then? What does the research confirm now? What can we do about it?
Every place you live, work, learn, and play is shaping your cognition, your mood, and your health. Audiences will never look at a room the same way again.
AUDIENCES:
One keynote with research tailored directly for your audience, including: Corporate Leaders, Healthcare Clinicians and Researchers, Human Resources Professionals, Office Designers and Architects, Diversity and Inclusion Officers, Team Managers.
Key Takeaways:
Understand why the room matters. Every space is running a mini-experiment on the people inside it. Audiences leave knowing the science behind what they've always felt but couldn't quite place until now.
See the environment differently. From ceiling height to window views, the built environment is full of decisions made without the research. Audiences learn to see those decisions.
Know what to do next. No design background required! The talk closes with concrete strategies for improving focus, performance, and wellbeing in the spaces you already have.
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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 | Global Director of Advisory Services, Perkins&Will
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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’S OFFICIAL BIO
Dr. Kati Peditto is a design psychologist who translates complex behavioral science into actionable strategies for human experience.
With a PhD in Human Behavior and Design from Cornell University, Kati moves beyond the "awareness" phase of neurodiversity to offer rigorous, evidence-based solutions. She combines academic authority with active industry practice at a leading global design firm.
But she also brings something you can’t learn in a school: lived experience. As a woman with autism and ADHD, Kati knows what it feels like to navigate a world that wasn't built for her brain. She uses that expertise to help organizations stop designing against the grain of human biology and start building for reality.
Her work has been featured in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, the BBC, and Financial Review.
