Boston’s Meena Kothandaraman Returns to CanUX in 2025

 WORKSHOP T1: Building Connection: Enhancing Research Engagement Through Creative Protocols
} Oct 2, 2025   9:00am – 12:30pm

Traditional research often relies on direct questioning, but what if we could elicit deeper insights through creative engagement? This interactive workshop focuses on activity-based protocols that enhance participant engagement.
Discussion guides can feel like interrogations, limiting reflection. This workshop reimagines research as an immersive, creative process using playful prompts, tactile activities, and reflective exercises to foster meaningful insights.

Through hands-on exercises, attendees will:
• Shape engagement by defining the engagement arc
• Challenge the notion of the “right” question and reframe inquiries
• Integrate activity-based protocols into research methods
• Test creative engagement techniques
• Enhance note-taking, analysis, and insight generation

This approach creates a natural, immersive exchange where insights emerge organically. Ideal for researchers, designers, and facilitators—no artistic experience required, just curiosity!

 Speaker Bio: Meena Kothandaraman
 UX Research

With 25+ years of experience in consulting, Meena Kothandaraman emphasizes the strategic value of customer experience across product, space and service. She truly believes that businesses can achieve greater focus by better understanding the behaviors of their customers, as well as those who create the products from within the business. Passionate about studying customer realities and aspirations, Meena believes that the journey of conducting research acts as inspiration to the business both internally and externally.

Originally from Ottawa, Meena is the co-founder of twig+fish, a research and strategy practice based in Boston, MA, that espouses these research beliefs, while maintaining a utopic work-life balance. Previously, Meena managed the Customer Experience Innovation Center for the Scient Corporation in Boston, worked as a Managing Director with Human Factors International, and led the Human Factors Competency in the Midwest region for Cambridge Technology Partners.

Apart from her core consulting practice, Meena has been a key contributor to the Bentley University Human Factors and Information Design (HFID) graduate program in her 15 year tenure. She has helped evolve the course offerings to stand as one of the top human factors/user experience programs worldwide. She also was involved with the launch of Bentley’s HFID Extension Campus in the California Bay Area in January 2013.

Somehow, Meena also finds time to teach Indian classical music, write children’s books, and used to have her own cooking show.

For more info, you can follow Meena on LinkedIn

Prior Presentations:

DETHRONING RESEARCH METHODS: REFLECTIVE ALTERNATIVES TO STUDY DESIGN (CanUX 2017)
Nov 4, 2017 2:20pm / 40 min

WORKSHOP W2: DESIGNING (N)CREDIBLE RESEARCH STUDIES (CanUX 2017)
Nov 3, 2017 9:00am / Full Day

DESIGNING (N)CREDIBLE RESEARCH STUDIES (CanUX 2016)
Nov 12, 2016 3:40pm / 30 min /  Slide deck (PDF) / i Sketchnotes

*Image credit: Meena Kothandaraman