Kate Ronkainen
About Kate Ronkainen
Kate Ronkainen is the UX Research Director at Blink in Seattle, Washington, with a background in product management and expertise in generative AI and voice assistants.
Current Role at Blink
Kate Ronkainen is the UX Research Director at Blink. She began this role in 2022 and is based in Seattle, Washington. Blink is well-regarded for its focus on user experience and Kate’s role integrates her extensive background in UX research to lead projects and contribute to the company’s goals.
Past Experience at Blink
Before taking on her current role, Kate worked as a Sr. UX Researcher at Blink from 2021 to 2022 and as a UX Researcher, Independent Contractor from 2020 to 2021. Her time at Blink has spanned various capacities, contributing significantly to the team with projects including VR productivity benchmarking and contextual AI for AR glasses.
Previous Experience as Product Manager
Kate has a robust background in product management, having worked with several notable companies. She was a Product Manager at Rover.com (2017-2019), Zillow Group (2015-2016), and Trulia (2013-2015). Her earlier roles included being a Principle Product Manager at moovel Group (2012-2013) and holding a Graduate Internship at The Purpose Institute (2011-2012). At Zillow, she also worked in Business Development & Account Management from 2009 to 2010.
Educational Background
Kate holds a diversified educational background. She studied Human-Computer Interaction for User Experience Design at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s CSAIL Alliances, completing the program in 2022. She earned her MA in Communications Studies from The University of Texas at Austin from 2010 to 2012, and earlier, a BA & BFA in Art History & Studio Art from the same institution.
Additional Skills and Interests
Kate has developed expertise in several areas, including generative AI and voice assistants. Her work has involved projects on mobile advertising and online shopping behaviors. Outside of her professional life, Kate enjoys rock-climbing, skiing, and making art. She is also passionate about reading, cooking, and creating costumes. Kate owns a chihuahua named Yahtzee and is a fan of playing Beat Saber.