Mia Biehler

Mia Biehler, UX researcher and designer

Portrait of Mia Biehler

Designing AI patterns for expert workflows that center human judgment.

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UX/UI

Merlin An AI-augmented workspace for reviewing, coordinating and releasing intelligence across classification tiers. See more
Research question

How might an interface help reporters team with AI to sanitize and deliver sensitive information across classified tiers?

 Principle

Ask what new work analysts could do with AI as a partner, not which tasks it could take over.
User journey map Aisha's user journey map: nine scenarios across a senior report releaser's day, with color-coded workflow steps, touchpoints, pains and gains, a feelings curve, and design opportunities. Nine scenarios across a report releaser’s day, color-coded by six cognitive processes. Integrated Report Cards A report card turned into a list of five recommended actions, from updating coordination plans to assessing encryption compliance. Recipient communication and expansion requests are integrated and tracked through the report cards; smart tasks link to recommended actions. Node Views The peace talks report at the center of a network, linked to related reports by shared sources, customers and policies. Local view shows report history; global view shows how reports connect across initiatives. Multi-Tier View with AI Highlighting Synchronization Tier 2 and Tier 3 of a report open together, with Merlin AI's chat answering how the wording was sanitized at each tier. Open up to 4 tiers at once; AI querying with highlighted hover states links related wording across them. AI Review Flags A BLUF Misalignment flag noting that a diplomatic audience expects opportunity-forward framing, beside Merlin AI's suggested revision in the chat. AI scans across tiers for analytic and recipient-facing drift, providing suggested revisions with feedback.
3
designers
4
interviews
9
features
4
months
Your Butterfly Companion An immersive three-room exhibition for the Durham Museum of Life and Science, where visitors shape a butterfly’s life cycle. See more
Problem statement

How might we use an immersive experience to turn visitors from passive observers into active participants?

 Principle

Awe is an epistemic emotion. It’s triggered when people notice a gap in what they know that inspires them to learn (Jones et al. 2022).
Larva Room A visitor at the Food station in the projected forest, where a glowing milkweed has grown on a stump under a Great Choice! Milkweed sign. Discover the life of a caterpillar through five discovery stations. Bracelet The bracelet screen: Great Choice! Milkweed, with a note on why caterpillars that eat milkweed taste bad. The interactive bracelet records patrons’ actions throughout the exhibit. Chrysalis Room A visitor looks up at a giant glowing yellow chrysalis in the dark Chrysalis Room. A quiet, dark room for the slow part of metamorphosis. Emergence Room A giant blue morpho projected across the Emergence Room wall as a visitor looks up at it. In the end, visitors meet their companion before releasing it into the butterfly conservatory.
3
immersive rooms
5
discovery stations
1
butterfly per visitor
3
weeks to design

More projects being added soon

About

Researcher and designer working to define the future of human–AI teaming that augments human cognition and ability.

Student Spotlight graphic: Mia Biehler, Teaching and Research Assistant, former Experience and Graphic Designer
Student Spotlight View post ↗
Mia standing beside the Merlin poster, an intelligence platform for tiered reporting analysis and dissemination
Presenting Merlin View post ↗

I’m a graduate student at NC State University studying Graphic and Experience Design. I have a bachelor’s degree in GXD and a minor in psychology. My projects often explore where technology and design meet, like AI’s role in complex workflows that put human judgment and analytic reasoning first.

Thesis
My thesis researches how AI can support learning and grow analytical reasoning skills, helping young, developing users build their own thought processes and voice as AI tools become more common.
How I work
I ground my ideas within theory and user research, conducting interviews and literature reviews. Then I build a design system and use Claude Code and MCP connections to prototype quickly, so I can move fast into usability testing and final product refinement.
Tools
  • Figma
  • Claude
  • Cursor
  • Adobe Suite
  • Spline