Karen Zwart Hielema is an architect and strategic thinker focused on human experience in large, complex environments. She is interested in how people experience and engage with places, and in how the many elements shaping that experience—space, information, operations, and diverse human needs—connect to support a coherent user journey. She is particularly interested in where those connections break down, creating friction for users, and in the opportunities to address them.
Karen brings these perspectives together to understand what people need throughout their journey, recognize moments of disconnect, and help teams determine how best to respond. The solution may be architectural—it may also be found in information, digital tools, operations, signage, wayfinding, public art, accessibility, or design standards. Her strategies guide projects from design through operation, helping teams create more coherent experiences and establish a benchmark for understanding the environment once it is in use.
Drawing on more than two decades of experience across healthcare, transportation, aviation, public art, cultural environments, and large-scale communities and developments, Karen brings an interdisciplinary approach to analyzing complex environments, combining architecture, visual thinking, and experience design to connect the many elements that shape how people experience a place. She works through Zwart Studio and in her role as Principal, Strategic Projects at DEXD. She currently leads the human-centred wayfinding strategy for Waterloo Regional Health Network and has led major wayfinding initiatives in transportation.