Bio
Over the years, I have called myself an experience designer, a label largely inspired by my academic background and my combined experiences practicing at the intersection of inter and trans-disciplinary design and research. I have been a digital designer, an educator, and a social entrepreneur, leading in diverse professional experiences across user experience, digital visualization, systems thinking, strategy and design leadership in non-profit, for-profit and academic institutions. My own design focus has been on formulating “what if” questions that challenge the brief and navigate ambiguity in the process to drive change.
I have always been an advocate of ethical design, encouraging others to generate purposeful concepts and impact-driven solutions that are conscious of our socio-politico-economic circumstances. I believe that curiosity and creativity flourish in collaboration, and I enjoy working in innovative research and development environments that adopt these design thinking principles. In 2016, I founded The Welcome Card, a digital solution to re-imagine immigration services for migrants and asylum seekers.
I come from a small town in Italy, mentioned once in a Hemingway's book. I enjoy traveling, hiking with my partner and dog, reading dystopian literature, playing piano, and talking about Italian art and history. My favorite place to be is Rome (Italy), but I love getting lost in the mountains.
Experience
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November 2018-Now
I am a senior digital designer, leading UX Research and Design in consumer-facing upstream and innovation digital products. In this role:
I have established Research and Design Operations that enable 60+ Digital Design practitioners, piloting new capabilities that incrementally impact business growth.
I have implemented a phased design approach that starts with strategic discovery rooted in deep consumer understanding, translates research into design requirements, validates decisions through testing and accelerates implementation with critical handoff deliverables.
I have been advocating for Universal Design and Digital Accessibility, producing accessible digital solutions that meet WCAG standards and codified best practices across Digital Design studios through training, guidelines, and templates.
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May 2016-Now
I am the co-founder and design lead of Sprig Design Ekonomisk Förening, the startup non-profit overseeing the development of The Welcome Card proposal. I am leading the venture in creative direction and design research, social impact measurement, budget proposals and funding applications, community outreach, and volunteer engagement.
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ID 346, “Professional Practice”, College of Design, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY (USA), 2019
ARC 599, “Design Innovation in Systemic Challenges”, College of Design, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY (USA), 2018
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Youth For Understanding, Stockholm (Sweden), 2014-2017
I led the YFU design team in the implementation processes and rebranding efforts of YFU’s 50 National Organizations, working with marketing experts and strategic developers, managing interns and volunteers to produce printed material, web platforms, and educational toolkits.White Orange, Architecture and Design Studio, Stockholm (Sweden), 2014
I consulted the studio in the preliminary research and design prototypes for improving wardrobe space and modular storage boxes.Daladräkt, Fashion Brand, Stockholm (Sweden), 2013-2014
I collaborated with a group of fashion designers and entrepreneurs to revitalize the traditions of Swedish folk costumes, creating visual branding solutions, and directing the production of print and digital material -
IxDA, Cincinnati, OH (USA), 2020
EUROMED Migration IV (EMM4), European Union + Government of Portugal + Estonian Presidency, Lisbon (Portugal), 2017
What Design Can Do + UNHCR + IKEA Foundation, Amsterdam (The Netherlands), 2017
College of Design, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY (USA), 2016-2017
Hult Prize, Stockholm School of Economics, Stockholm (Sweden), 2016
Konstfack University, Stockholm (Sweden), 2015
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Virtual Buddy Program, Cincinnati Public Schools, Cincinnati, OH (USA)
“ELLIPSIS: Creating Space for Expression and Healing”, Capstone, College of Design, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY (USA)
Sonder, Hult Prize, Stockholm (Sweden)
Mentorship by Design, College of Design, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY (USA)
“Advocating Health: A Community of Support”, Thesis, College of Design, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY (USA)
Architecture 151 1st year studio, Jordan Hines, College of Design, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY (USA)
Interior Design 3rd year studio, Rebekah Radtke, College of Design, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY (USA)
Architecture 355 3rd year studio, Greg Luhan, College of Design, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY (USA)
Stockholm School of Economics, Stockholm (Sweden
Industrial Design, Jenny Althoff and Rochus Hinkel, Konstfack University, Stockholm (Sweden)
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“How might we rethink the system of accommodating refugees in Sweden?”, Human-Centered Design and Prototyping, Stockholm School of Entrepreneurship, SSES Campus, Stockholm (Sweden), 2015-2016
“Berättande som Förändringsverktyg” (Storytelling for Change), Sundsgården HBV, Ekerö & Impact Hub Stockholm, Stockholm (Sweden), 2016
“Human-Centered Design: Learning the Toolkit”, Stockholm Impact Hub and Stockholm School of Economics, Stockholm (Sweden), 2016-2017
Academics
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Konstfack University College of Arts Crafts and Design, Stockholm (Sweden), 2014
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University of Kentucky, College of Design, Lexington, KY (USA), 2012
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University of Kentucky, College of Design, Lexington, KY (USA), 2012
Leadership and Community Engagement
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I joined the board of Heartfelt Tidbits to serve the local asylum-seeking and refugee community, establishing a mechanism for measuring board roles and meeting effectiveness, translating insights into a clearer agenda and cadence. I supported the organization's digital goals, creating templates for Board meetings, Executive Director reports, new member onboarding, and feedback. Lastly, I participated in key programs, such as the Virtual Buddy program, meeting weekly with my mentee, M., to do homework and plan extracurricular activities.
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I collaborated on the establishment and development of the Stockholm chapter of the international non-profit organization Acumen. My responsibilities included visual design and community outreach, and the coordination and facilitation of +Acumen courses. My focus has been on training and equipping industry professionals with human-centered design and design thinking methodologies, prototyping toolkits and social impact measurement tools in the context of consumer-oriented solutions, poverty alleviation, integration, and immigration.
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I investigated the current role of sustainability and developed counter-strategies for greenwashing, in collaboration with the Yes Lab, University of Art and Design Cluj Napoca, Finnish Academy of Fine Arts, and Vilnius Academy of Arts.
Super Powers
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Qualitative Research
Exploratory Auditing and Benchmarking
User Interviews, Diary Studies and Field Studies
Stakeholders Interviews
Qualitative Usability Testing
Quantitative Research
Card Sorting and Tree Testing
Quantitative Usability Testing
Surveys
Task Analysis
Analytics and A/B Testing
Design Strategy
Design and Brand Sprints
Journey Mapping
User Stories
Personas and Consumer Identities
Human-centered Research
Trendspotting, Future Forecasting, and Backcasting
Roadmapping
Systems Theory
Inter and Trans-disciplinary Research
Design Thinking
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User and Task Flows Diagramming
Information Architecture Planning
Wireframing and Low-fidelity Prototyping
Low-fidelity Components Library
High-fidelity Prototyping
Copy Writing and UX Microcopy
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Qualitative and Quantitative Usability Testing
Digital Accessibility
Auditing
Task Analysis
Alternative Text
Web Guidelines
Documenting and Quantitative Benchmarking
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Design Systems (DSM and DSL)
Digital Accessibility Guidelines
Development Guidelines
Agile and Scrum Frameworks
Project Risk Management
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Versioning
Project and Task Management
Repository
Tools and Platforms
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Discovery
Mural and Miro
Maze, UsabilityHub, and Optimal Workshop
UserTesting.com
Project Management and Tracking
Asana
Jira
Trello
Digital Editing
Whimsical
Figma and FigJam
Sketch and InVision
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Maze, Usability Hub, and UserTesting.com
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Jira and Confluence
Asana
MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and SharePoint)
Teams and Slack
Certifications, Awards and Recognitions
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NN/g, UX Basic Certification
BOLD, Cincinnati Leadership Council for Non-profits
Accessibility: How to Design for All, Interaction Design Foundation
Conducting Usability Testing, Interaction Design Foundation
Web Design for Usability, Interaction Design Foundation
Design Sprint, AJSmart
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What Design Can Do + UNHCR + IKEA Foundation: The Refugee Challenge, 2016
Digital Media Award, 2012
suckerPUNCH Robot Shop, 2012
College of Design, University of Kentucly, Leadership Award, 2011
College of Design, University of Kentucly, Creativity Award, 2010
Oswald Creativity Award, 2011
Kentuckiana Masonry Institute, 2010
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Stedelijk Museum, “Solution or Utopia?”, Amsterdam (The Netherlands), 2017
“The Limits of Empathy,” Digitala Vetenskapliga Arkivet (DiVA), Konstfack University, Stockholm (Sweden), 2014
“Caravaggio and the Head of Goliath,” Kaleidoscope: Vol. 10, 2011
NCUR, Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY (USA), 2011
I have one too many hobbies—traveling, hiking, gardening, playing piano, and cooking. I enjoy spending time with my partner and my dog, discovering new places, forming memories and documenting as many as possible.