Kernel Neurotech
Case Study: BCI, Data Visualization, and the Future of Cognitive Insight
At Kernel, I worked at the intersection of neuroscience, product design, and cutting-edge hardware—helping turn raw brain data into usable, interpretable tools. Our mission was ambitious: make cognition visible and actionable.
My work spanned multiple touchpoints across the platform, from study participant onboarding to real-time cortical visualizations and researcher dashboards. The goal was to make complex neural signals legible, interactive, and insightful—whether for a neuroscientist in the lab or a user experiencing their brain for the first time.
MindsEye: Visualizing Brain Activity Across Space and Time
Purpose
To give researchers access to rich, time-based visualizations of cortical activity captured by Kernel Flow, a non-invasive optical brain imaging headset.
Contributions
Designed the MindsEye interface, enabling researchers to explore hemodynamic data across brain regions and timeframes.
Developed tools to view time-series heatmaps, composite activation states, and side-by-side comparisons between sessions or participant groups.
Created workflows for filtering by experiment type—such as music, meditation, alcohol studies, and memory recall—and toggling between real-time and post-session views.
Collaborated closely with neuroscientists and engineers to ensure the visualizations reflected accurate data while remaining accessible and intuitive.
Impact
Enabled researchers to visualize shifts in attention, emotional resonance, and engagement.
Balanced scientific integrity with UX clarity, leveraging intuitive overlays, motion design, and color theory to reveal underlying patterns.
Participant Portal: Streamlining Study Enrollment and Onboarding
Purpose
To design a smooth, transparent experience for participants enrolling in neuroscience studies.
Contributions
Built a user portal for sign-up, consent, eligibility screening, scheduling, and reminders.
Emphasized transparency and accessibility in all flows, ensuring participants clearly understood the study purpose and their rights.
Integrated logistical support: transportation details, compensation tracking, and session reminders.
Created pathways for study coordinators to manage incoming participants and fill sessions based on real-time availability.
Impact
Increased participant retention through thoughtful onboarding and clear expectations.
Improved study diversity by lowering friction in the enrollment process.
Ensured legal and ethical compliance through intuitive digital consent flows.
Study Management Dashboard: Internal Tools for Researchers and Coordinators
Purpose
To provide internal teams with real-time visibility into study progress, device data, and participant compliance.
Contributions
Designed dashboards to monitor session progress, device health, study parameters, and environmental conditions.
Created interfaces for filtering sessions by date, protocol, participant type, and experimental condition.
Integrated export tools for research teams to easily extract data summaries or visualize trends over time.
Balanced complexity with clarity, enabling technical users to drill into data without compromising on usability.
Impact
Improved cross-functional collaboration between hardware, research, and operations teams.
Supported longitudinal studies with tools for tracking participant sessions over weeks or months.
Provided a flexible foundation for future integrations with analytics and third-party tools.
Reflections
Working at Kernel required both scientific empathy and design precision. The tools I designed had to respect the seriousness of neuroscience while remaining approachable, elegant, and human. This wasn’t just product design—it was cognitive cartography.
My time at Kernel helped refine how I think about data as experience, tools as translation, and the brain as interface. It's one of the most rewarding design challenges I've ever taken on.