We started with a
simple observation.
People are never just one thing.
People are never just one thing. They are parents and professionals.
Students and caregivers. Leaders and learners. Experts in one moment and beginners in the next.
Yet many of the products, services, experiences, and policies we build ask people to show up as only one version of themselves.
That is where understanding begins to break down.
The room is bigger than it looks.
Every decision enters a room. Not just a physical room.
A room made up of relationships, routines, environments, emotions, expectations, responsibilities, histories, constraints, and possibilities.
When we understand only one piece of that room, we build for only one piece of reality.
When we understand the whole room, different possibilities begin to emerge.
That is why we exist.
The humans who human.
Whole Room Research exists to help people make better decisions by understanding more of the world those decisions will enter.
Sometimes that means conducting research from the ground up. Sometimes it means looking at existing research through a different lens. Sometimes it means asking questions no one thought to ask. Our work is less about collecting information and more about creating understanding.
Whether you are building something new, improving something existing, or trying to understand what is next, our goal is the same:
Help you understand your whole room before making your next decision.
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Our team's experience spans some of the most trusted names in training and development, ed tech, cognitive assessments and play, including Sesame Workshop, MIT Media Lab, Disney, and Khan Academy Kids. We bring that same rigor and care to every study we run and every insight we deliver.
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Our group is certified and credentialed across the disciplines that make research human: design thinking, UX research, psychology and cognitive science (including PhD-level researchers), play, art and design, and care fields.
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PLAYSTRUCK designs for all kinds of minds from the start. That commitment shapes how we recruit participants, how we write our questions, and how we listen: everyone belongs in the room, and every perspective helps reveal the whole picture.
What we believe.
People are never just one thing.
Every person carries multiple identities, responsibilities, relationships, and experiences that shape how they move through the world.
Context changes everything.
Every person carries multiple identities, responsibilities, relationships, and experiences that shape how they move through the world.
Better questions create better decisions.
Every person carries multiple identities, responsibilities, relationships, and experiences that shape how they move through the world.
Research should create value for everyone.
The people who participate should gain something meaningful, not simply provide information or time for monetary value. There needs to be some kind of true cognitive benefit.
Complexity is not the problem. Ignoring it is.
Understanding nuance does not slow innovation. It leads to decisions that last.
Who Built This
Two founders. One observation.
Christina Kaputsos
Founder
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Christina is an award-winning creative and product leader with 16+ years building products, experiences, multimodal ecosystems, and curriculum across education, technology, and wellbeing. Her work is grounded in behavioral and psychology-informed design and focuses on how products and environments shape how people learn, connect, and engage across ages.
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Her background spans product architecture and user experience strategy, along with illustration, interactive and game-based experience design, brand strategy, curriculum design, and R&D-led product development. She has built assessment and experience evaluation systems for Fortune 500 companies, startups, educational institutions, nonprofits, and government initiatives, including work for Capital One, the Federal Aviation Administration, and Make-A-Wish, across both domestic and international contexts.
"The room is the part nobody was measuring. Once you see it, you cannot design without it."
Sandra Cantu
Co-Founder​
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Sandra is a brand strategist, storyteller, and performer with over two decades of experience creating meaningful connections across digital spaces, learning platforms, and community-driven environments. She has led organic growth, community development, and educational media initiatives for big brands and small startups alike.
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Sandra began her community-centric career in partnership with Disney for their Virtual Magic Kingdom. She went on to serve as the first Global Community Manager of Sulake's flagship property, heading a team of 70 across five countries. At EdTech startup codeSpark, she built the Branding, Customer Service, and Community teams from the ground up. Her background in performance and character development informs her approach to building environments that invite participation, imagination, and connection.
"A room only tells you the truth when the people in it feel free to speak."
WOMEN-FOUNDED
Co-founded and led by two award winning women builders
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Childrens media, government, non-profit, startup, fortune 500, wellness, ed tech & higher ed.
CERTIFIED NY MWBE
New York State certified Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise
TWO COASTS
Offices in Rochester, NY and Los Angeles, CA
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Understanding globalization and localization.
40+ YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
with over 40 years combined experience in product design, experience design, education and community building across multiple industries.