Katja is an Industrial Designer with a strong focus on conceptual and "out-of-the-box-thinking" product design. She started her creative career as an interior decorator, before she studied Industrial Design at the University of the Arts Berlin, and at the California College of Arts and Crafts in San Francisco. She used to work with frogdesign in the area of Interface and Interaction Design, which triggered her interest in digital products, usability, and human factors. Finally she founded her own design consultancy "Thoring Design", where she develops product concepts, corporate identities and interface designs. Katja loves to talk about her work and ideas, which is why from time to time she gives speeches and workshops about creativity, innovation, and design methods at conferences or in companies.

Katja works as a lecturer at the University of the Arts Berlin and at the Anhalt University of Applied Sciences in Dessau, teaching Product Design at both schools. Moreover she is part of the teaching team of the HPI School of Design Thinking (short: D-School) in Potsdam. At UdK she is also part of several Industry-Cooperation projects, for example with OPEL.

Katja finds most of her inspiration in travelling, visiting european metropolises, watching people, and taking photographs of everyday-objects such as trash cans or door handles.