Hi, I’m Stef! 👋🏼

I help teams navigate ambiguous product areas and build useful, usable products for anticipated markets.

I've led research for numerous 0-to-1 product launches in spatial computing (AR/VR/3D), including Adobe Aero, Adobe Substance 3D Suite, and Meta Quest 3. I established the design research function at AR start-up, DAQRI, leading the company’s first case studies on in-field use of enterprise AR hardware and software. I recently founded my own design research practice, Sendfull, providing fractional design research leadership to product teams building at the frontier of Extended Reality and AI. I'm currently also a mentor for early-stage companies at Berkeley Skydeck and C100.

I’ve published 16 peer-reviewed articles, hold several patents on augmented reality and brain computer interfaces, and speak about design, strategy and human behavior with industry, academic, and public audiences. Passionate about teaching, I’ve designed and taught user experience research curriculum for product teams and academia, including UC Berkeley’s School of Information and Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation.

I hold a PhD in Psychology from the University of Toronto, focusing on auditory cognitive neuroscience. I apply this background to inform neuroscience-based principles for multi-modal spatial computing design. My interests in human perception and cognition are rooted in my background as a musician. I hold an Associate Diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music in violin performance.

In my spare time, you can find me jamming on anything with strings, composing electronic music, or running full send on trails.

Photo credit: Erik Natzke