Who I Am

I’m a digital designer with a passion for transforming complexity into impactful solutions. With expertise in consumer-centered research, systems thinking, digital strategy, and organizational leadership, I thrive at the intersection of innovation and delivery. My practice focuses on asking "what if" questions that challenge the brief and spark meaningful change.

As an advocate for ethical design, I’ve led initiatives across non-profits, for-profits, and academia, including founding The Welcome Card—a digital platform reimagining immigration services for migrants and asylum seekers.

Originally from a small Italian town once mentioned in a Hemingway’s book, I’m inspired by history, art, and nature. Outside of design, you’ll find me reading dystopian novels, cycling, hiking with my partner and dog, or exploring the hidden gems of urban civilizations.

Experience

November 2018-Now
Leading Digital Research and Design in consumer-facing upstream and innovation digital products.
- Established 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.
- Codified Research and Design Operations that enable 60+ Digital Design practitioners, piloting new capabilities that incrementally impact business growth.
- Advocating and leading with Universal Design and Digital Accessibility mindset to produce accessible digital solutions for WCAG standards and codified best practices across Digital Design studios through training, guidelines, and templates.
- Managing team of digital practitioners across design and research.
2016-2024
I co-founded The Welcome Card, leading this non-profit idea in strategic thinking, creative direction and design research.
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
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
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)
“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

Konstfack University College of Arts Crafts and Design, Stockholm (Sweden), 2014
University of Kentucky, College of Design, Lexington, KY (USA), 2012
University of Kentucky, College of Design, Lexington, KY (USA), 2012

Leadership and Community Engagement

I am volunteering to support our local refugee and immigration community with welcome activities, fundraising and college preparation for high school students.
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.
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.
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

Versioning
Project and Task Management
Repository
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
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
Qualitative and Quantitative Usability Testing
Digital Accessibility
- Auditing
- Task Analysis
- Alternative Text
- Web Guidelines
Documenting and Quantitative Benchmarking
Design Systems (DSM and DSL)
Digital Accessibility Guidelines
Development Guidelines
Agile and Scrum Frameworks
Project Risk Management

Tools and Platforms

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
Maze, Usability Hub, and UserTesting.com
Jira and Confluence
Asana
MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and SharePoint)
Teams and Slack

Certifications, Awards and Recognitions

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
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
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, cycling, and cooking. I enjoy spending time with my partner and my dog, discovering new places, forming and documenting as many memories as possible.