Carolyn Kao
About Carolyn Kao
Carolyn Kao is a Senior Product Designer with extensive experience in various design roles across multiple companies, including Robinhood and 23andMe. She holds a degree in Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley, and has a background in advertising operations that informs her design approach.
Current Role at Headway
Carolyn Kao serves as a Senior Product Designer at Headway, a position she has held since 2022. In this role, she focuses on enhancing user experience and product design within the company, leveraging her extensive background in design and marketing. Her work contributes to the overall vision and functionality of Headway's products, aiming to meet user needs effectively.
Previous Experience in Product Design
Before joining Headway, Carolyn worked as a Product Designer at Robinhood from 2020 to 2022. She also held the position of Product Designer at 23andMe from 2017 to 2020. Her experience in these roles involved collaborating with cross-functional teams to develop user-centered designs, which significantly influenced her design methodology.
Educational Background
Carolyn studied at the University of California, Berkeley, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the Haas School of Business, completing her degree from 2010 to 2014. Additionally, she pursued Graphic Design at Shillington Education in 2016, further enhancing her design skills.
Early Career and Internships
Carolyn's early career included various internships that shaped her professional development. She worked as a Visual Design Intern at 23andMe for three months in 2017, a Channel Sales Intern at Box for two months in 2013, and as a Marketing Designer at GreenCitizen from 2010 to 2013. These roles provided her with foundational experience in design and marketing within the tech industry.
Design and Marketing Expertise
Carolyn has a background in advertising operations from her time at Pinterest, where she served as a Partner Operations Specialist from 2014 to 2016. This experience informs her design approach, allowing her to integrate marketing strategies into her design work. She has also contributed to sales and marketing teams at startups, enhancing her understanding of user needs and market trends.