Kelly Dern

Kelly Dern is a Lecturer in the Department of Advertising, Public Relations and Design at University of Colorado, while also serving as a Senior Product Designer and illustrator at Google. She leads the Video AI team, focusing on inclusive design for Google Workspace products like Meet and Duo, and contributes to design systems across Google Payments and Nest. Beyond Google, she advises Boost Thyroid app and ILLA, and co-founded the Old Girls Club think tank.

• 14+ years experience in product design
• Specializes in AI-driven inclusive design
• Advocate for women in tech

Research interests center on inclusive design systems, AI-assisted creativity, and accessible UX for health technology. Her work emphasizes emotional design in wellness apps, ambiguity navigation frameworks, and scalable design processes through Figma variables.

Recent publications explore AI productivity, modular type scales, and design under uncertainty. Her articles highlight practical applications in energy simulation, debt management systems, and chronic illness UI.

Scientific contributions include:

• Google Product Excellence Award for Inclusive Design Works

Advising & speaking includes teaching with Girls Who Code, advising Boost Thyroid, and keynotes at UXDX, SXC2023, and DesignOps Summit. She advocates for design ethics and cross-functional collaboration.

Labs & teams include Google's Video AI team, Nest hardware team, and renewable energy design initiatives. She also mentors through platforms like Medium and LinkedIn, promoting design education and systems thinking.