working with and for people
I am a designer with over a decade of experience at the intersection of design, research, and human-centered innovation. My background spans product design, human factors, and mindful design, with academic and professional work in both Germany and Brazil. In recent years, I have focused on UX research, usability evaluation, and the development of digital platforms in interdisciplinary projects. My work combines empathy, analytical thinking, and design expertise to create solutions that make complex systems accessible, meaningful, and user-friendly.
ELISE — Civic Engagement Platform for Informal Care
Project: ELISE – Relieving the Care Infrastructure through IT-based Integration of Spontaneous Civic Engagement
Institution: Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg
Funding: BMBF (German Federal Ministry of Education and Research)
Role: UX/UI Designer and Research Associate
The ELISE platform was developed as part of a research initiative to support informal care by integrating spontaneous civic engagement into a digital, web-based solution.
In this interdisciplinary project, I was responsible for the conception, organization, and implementation of UX/UI and research activities. My role included coordinating project partners, leading team meetings, supervising student assistants, and managing project documentation and presentations for both internal and external stakeholders.
The design process focused on user-centered methods, including stakeholder workshops, persona development, user stories, and workflow modeling. I created functional mock-ups that evolved into a working demonstrator and conducted usability tests both remotely and in person. Special attention was given to universal design principles to ensure accessibility for diverse user groups.
Additionally, I developed communication materials, prepared visual presentations for conferences and partner meetings, and conducted market and competitor analyses to align the platform with current technological and social trends.
This project demonstrates my expertise in UX research, stakeholder management, universal design, and applied digital product development, bridging academic research with real-world societal impact.
Project ELISE
Project ID
The color palette of the visual identity was carefully selected to evoke care, prevention, safety, and wellbeing for those receiving support through the platform.
The Icon with the hand and holding the heart symbolizes the people offering help, while the diverse colors reflect inclusivity and community.
Design System
To ensure consistency, accessibility, and usability across the platform, a unified design system was implemented for ELISE. The typography was updated from Open Sans to Nunito Sans, with a font weight of 600 to improve readability, especially for older adults.
Web-app
In the BMBF-funded ELISE project, I led UX research and design to develop a web-based platform connecting people seeking care support with volunteer helpers. Through workshops, user journeys, and iterative prototyping, workflows, and eight Figma design versions before the final implementation in HTML/CSS and Python. The platform was built with Universal Design principles to ensure accessibility and usability.
Mindful Design — Doctoral Research Project
Institution: TU Dresden
Focus Area: Mindful Design in Industrial Design Education
Duration: Doctoral Research
Role: Researcher and Design Method Developer
My doctoral research focused on Mindful Design and its role in raising awareness through design, based on principles from socio-cognitive mindfulness theory.
Throughout the research, I investigated how mindfulness-based strategies can be systematically integrated into industrial design education. My work involved developing teaching methods, design criteria, and evaluation tools that support students in understanding and applying mindfulness principles within their design processes.
The project included the creation and testing of structured learning approaches that guided students in reflecting on social, cognitive, and contextual aspects of their design decisions. Particular attention was given to how design tools can foster awareness, perspective-taking, and responsible decision-making during concept development.
The results demonstrated that integrating Mindful Design approaches significantly increased students’ awareness and supported the development of more socially and cognitively mindful design solutions.
This research highlights my expertise in design methodology, human-centered design, and educational innovation, combining theoretical foundations with practical design tools to support reflective and responsible design practices.
Mindful Design
Mindful Design
Mindful Design is an approach that integrates socio-cognitive mindfulness theory into product and interaction design.
It aims to raise user awareness by disrupting habitual behaviors and encouraging reflection during use.
The method combines design tools, criteria, and evaluation strategies to foster more meaningful user experiences.
Applied in education and practice, it helps designers create products that support attention, engagement, and behavioral change.
Workshops
The investigation methodology was focused on verifying the applicability of the developed design and teaching tools, designed to find out how to introduce the socio-cognitive Mindfulness theory to the design context, in an effective and understandable way to design students in higher education.
Mindful Design Visual Cards
The Mindful Design Visual Cards were developed as a teaching and evaluation tool to help design students apply mindfulness principles in their projects.
They guide students in linking theoretical constructs such as engagement, novelty, awareness, and attention to practical design examples.
Used in workshops, the cards foster critical thinking, collaboration, and active experimentation throughout the design process.
Personas
As part of a Mindful Design Workshop, I developed personas representing people living with dementia to help students better understand the challenges associated with cognitive decline. These personas supported empathy-building and guided students in designing mindful products and services tailored to realistic user needs.
Travel Planning Mobile App
This design system was created to support a travel planning mobile application, providing scalable UI components for booking flights, accommodations, and transportation. It includes reusable components such as input cards, destination tiles, navigation tabs, and search interactions. The system defines typography, color tokens, spacing, and interaction patterns to ensure consistency, usability, and efficient development across multiple travel-related workflows.
Mobile App
This design system was developed to support a scalable and consistent user interface for a travel planning mobile application. It defines visual foundations such as color, typography, spacing, and iconography, along with reusable components including navigation tabs, input cards, buttons, destination tags, and content cards.
Design system
This design system was developed to support a scalable and consistent user interface for a travel planning mobile application. It defines visual foundations such as color, typography, spacing, and iconography, along with reusable components including navigation tabs, input cards, buttons, destination tags, and content cards.
User Flow
This booking flow was designed to create a simple, intuitive, and seamless travel booking experience from search to confirmation. The flow guides users through key steps including trip search, result comparison, flight details, traveler information, payment, and booking confirmation.
Smart City Dashboard — City in Charge Project
Client: City of Dresden
Company: T-Systems Multimedia Solutions
Duration: 3-month project
Team: 2 Designers, 1 Frontend Developer, 1 Backend Developer
The City in Charge Dashboard was developed as part of a Smart City initiative for Dresden, enabling city stakeholders to monitor urban mobility, energy usage, and environmental conditions in a centralized interface.
During this three-month project, our interdisciplinary team collaborated closely to design a scalable, data-driven dashboard that supports informed decision-making. My role focused on UX/UI design, including dashboard structure, data visualization patterns, and the development of a reusable UI library to ensure visual consistency across modules.
The dashboard integrates key urban indicators such as charging infrastructure usage, energy demand, environmental data, and shared mobility metrics. Special attention was given to clarity, modularity, and accessibility, allowing complex datasets to be easily interpreted by city administrators.
A dedicated UI Library and Design System was created to standardize components such as KPI cards, charts, and layout structures, improving development efficiency and supporting future system expansion.
This project demonstrates my experience in data visualization, design systems, and Smart City interfaces, working within an agile, cross-functional team environment.
Smart City Dashboard
Project Design System
This project establishes a modular design system for a Smart City dashboard focused on mobility, energy, and environmental data. It defines reusable UI components, chart patterns, and visual tokens such as color, typography, and spacing. The system ensures visual consistency, scalability, and efficient development while supporting complex data visualization and responsive dashboard layouts.
UI Library
This UI library was developed to support a Smart City dashboard for monitoring mobility, energy, and environmental data. It includes reusable components such as KPI cards, charts, status widgets, and layout patterns. The library standardizes colors, typography, and spacing to ensure consistency, scalability, and efficient development across complex, data-driven interfaces.
Product Designer — Furniture Design Project
Company: Devant Móveis
Location: Santa Catarina, Brazil
Role: Product Designer
Focus: Furniture Design and 3D Visualization
At Devant Móveis, I worked as a Product Designer, contributing to the full design lifecycle of furniture products—from early concept development to manufacturing and client presentation.
Throughout my role, I was responsible for developing product concepts, technical drawings, and 3D visualizations that allowed clients to preview furniture within their own spaces. These visualizations supported decision-making and improved communication between designers, clients, and production teams.
Close collaboration with clients was a central aspect of my work. Regular interaction helped me understand user expectations and reinforced the importance of advocating for user needs throughout the design process—especially when balancing input from multiple stakeholders involved in product development.
This experience strengthened my skills in product development, client-centered design, and 3D visualization, while deepening my understanding of how design decisions translate into manufacturable, real-world products.
Authentic Collection — Sofa
The Authentic Collection was designed as part of a contemporary furniture line developed for commercial and lounge environments. The Authentic Sofa and Authentic Table combine clean geometric forms with durable materials, creating a modern aesthetic suitable for public and hospitality spaces.
The design emphasizes structural clarity and visual lightness through the use of chromed steel frames paired with upholstered seating and laminated surfaces. The modular proportions allow flexible arrangements, supporting both individual seating and group compositions in reception and waiting areas.
Authentic Collection — Side Table
The Authentic Sofa and Authentic Table were designed as part of a contemporary furniture collection for reception and lounge environments at Devant Móveis. The design features clean geometric forms and durable materials, combining chromed steel structures with upholstered seating and laminated surfaces. The collection emphasizes visual lightness, modularity, and long-term usability. My role included concept development, material selection, technical detailing, and 3D modeling in Autodesk 3ds Max to support visualization and production.
3D Visualization — Hotel Hall Restaurant, Via Catarina (Brazil)
This visualization represents the hall area of a hotel restaurant at Via Catarina, Palhoça, Santa Catarina, Brazil, originally modeled and rendered using Autodesk 3ds Max. The project focused on defining lounge and dining zones, material selection, and natural lighting to create a welcoming and elegant atmosphere. The original renderings were recently refreshed using AI-based visualization tools, enhancing realism, textures, and lighting quality while maintaining the original spatial concept.
3D Visualization — Hotel Restaurant, Palhoça (Brazil)
This visualization represents a hotel restaurant interior in Palhoça, Santa Catarina, Brazil, originally modeled and rendered using Autodesk 3ds Max. The project focused on spatial organization, lighting design, and material definition to communicate the dining atmosphere and support architectural decision-making. The original renderings were recently refreshed using AI-based visualization tools, enhancing realism, lighting balance, and material quality while preserving the initial design intent.
3D Visualization — Food Court Interior
This visualization presents a large-scale food court interior originally modeled and rendered in Autodesk 3ds Max as part of a commercial architectural project in Brazil. The scene focuses on spatial atmosphere, lighting, and material composition to communicate design intent to stakeholders. Recently, the original rendering was refreshed using AI-based visualization tools, enhancing realism, lighting quality, and material detail while preserving the original architectural concept.