Who you'll work withAbout Karl
I started Desire Path in Chicago in 2025 and run every study, review, and workshop myself.
I started Desire Path in Chicago in 2025 and run every user research study, AI evaluation, and workshop myself
I studied music cognition and psychology at McGill. Outside work, I play guitar and I’m a regular at the Green Mill jazz club.
Before Desire Path
- Fortune 500 consultingFor healthcare clients with ZS Associates
- From 0 to >100k usersLed UX research at Kooth Digital HealthLed UX research at Kooth Digital Health and sat on its Global AI Ethics Committee
- App store ratings from 3.2 to 4.6 starsResearch-led design changes at Kooth Digital Health, on iOS and Android
- Scaled Seed to Series BEmployee #8 at Memora Health, a Y Combinator conversational AI startup. Evaluating AI since 2019
- Peer-reviewedPublications & talksBMJ Innovations publication and Quant UX Con 2026 talk on what expert panels catch that AI evals missBMJ Innovations paper on testing a postpartum chatbot before it reached patients. Plus 2026 Quant UX Con talk on what expert panels catch that AI evals miss
- 3 of the top 10 US health systemsDesigned over 20 patient journeys with them at Memora Health
How I work
- Find it, then fix itI find what’s in the way, rank the fixes, and review each build while your team makes them
- The experience starts with your messagingEvery review covers how you describe the product in ads, on your site, and in the app, since that sets what people expect before they sign up
- Review before researchI look at your messaging, site, product, and analytics first, so any research goes to the biggest open question
Talks & writing
- Disagreement is the Signal: How Expert Panels Reveal What LLM Evals Can’tQuant UX Con 2026 talk
- Development of a practical training method for a healthcare AI chatbotBMJ Innovations paper, with Penn Medicine and Memora Health
- Digital Health as a Tool to Support Health EquityLead author, Memora Health whitepaper, 2022
- AI + Bias Analyses of a Postpartum Chatbot JourneyQuant UX Con 2023 talk
Desire paths reveal what people wantshow what people actually doare the routes people chooseshow where people want to goshow what people actually do
The desire path
The sidewalk
In urban planning, desire paths are the trails people wear into the grass when the sidewalk doesn’t go where they want to go. In a product, they show up in places like these.
I find the paths people want to take so you can build those routes for themI find the gap between how your product was built and how people use it, so you can close itI find the routes people take through your product, so you can build around themI find where people leave the route your product lays out, so the next version follows theirsI find the gaps between what was built and how people useI find the paths people are trying to take in your product, so we can build those routes for themI find where people are trying to go in your product, so we can build the routes they’ll actually useI find the shortcuts people are trying to take in your product, so we can pave themI find the shortcuts people are trying to take in your product, so we can build those routes for themI find the shortcuts people are trying to take in your products, so we can build those desire paths for them
In products, desire paths show up as
- The steps people skip
- The words people look for
- The pages people open first
Let's connect
- 30 minutes, free
- You tell me where things stand
- I take a first look at your product
- Within 48 hours, you get a scoped proposal with pricesWithin 48 hours, you get a scope & approach with the price
Or email karl@desirepathux.com
After the call, you get a written scope & approach with timelines, options, & prices within 48 hours.
- Intro call30 minutes, free
- Scope & approachTimelines, options, & prices within 48 hours
- KickoffQuestions, first impressions, & quick wins