Kritika Kushwaha, IDSA has been honored with the prestigious Red Dot Award for excellence in Interaction & User Experience Design and two esteemed San Francisco Design Week Awards for excellence in Conversation Design and Internet of Things. The awards recognized Spark for its ground-breaking innovative design and commitment to thought leadership in meeting the needs of a positive future for society.
Kritika was recognized for designing a novel product concept that gives people the confidence to overcome speaking challenges and become better communicators. Spark (Speech Pattern Analysis and Remediation Kit) is a smart wearable device and app that monitors and helps overcome habit-induced speaking challenges like filler words, clarity, pace, and energy. The Spark pin learns your unique voice patterns during onboarding and on-the-go. As you wear the Spark pin throughout the day, it identifies and gives feedback on any recurring errors such as volume, filler words, and pace in real-time through subtle haptic feedback, as well as an end-of-day summary and personalized interactive exercises to help improve focus areas.
Spark is inclusive; it uses AI, Natural Language Processing, and geolocation to identify and understand the subtleties of cultural speech patterns and phonetics. It helps to bring out the best in your authentic speech, no matter which part of the world you are from or which language you speak. By making speech improvement accessible for all, Spark strives to be socially responsible, and celebrates diversity.
"Being a member of this esteemed community has provided me with countless opportunities to connect with and be inspired by fellow designers, enabling me to expand my network and gain insights from diverse perspectives."
Kritika credits her membership in IDSA for cultivating her design skills and expertise, stating, “iDSA has been immensely beneficial for me both personally and professionally. Being a member of this esteemed community has provided me with countless opportunities to connect with and be inspired by fellow designers, enabling me to expand my network and gain insights from diverse perspectives. IDSA has served as a platform for continuous learning and growth for so many designers, offering access to industry events, conferences, and workshops that enhance your skills and knowledge. Moreover, the association has provided a supportive environment for exchanging ideas and fostering innovation, ultimately fueling my creativity and pushing the boundaries of my design practice.”
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More about Kritika
An award-winning product designer based in San Francisco, Kritika Kushwaha currently leads design for growth initiatives at Asana. Her design philosophy centers around creating products that contribute to a sustainable and equitable future. Her work for Uber’s safety and sustainability initiatives has been featured in several publications including TechCrunch, Forbes, The Verge and The Independent for its positive social impact across over 80 countries. Kritika’s work has also earned several prestigious awards including two Communicator Awards of Excellence, several Indigo Awards, and two San Francisco Design Week Awards, among others. As an active contributor to the design community, she serves as the Mentorship Chair of the Interaction Design Association’s Seattle board and has been invited to share her design insights as a guest speaker at prestigious academic institutions, including the California College of the Arts and Princeton University.