Led a central team of 3 senior product designers; developed a company-wide product design career framework, progressions, and a competency matrix; provided strategic product design direction and process optimization across cross-functional teams; guided design discovery methods and value creation; built and shared knowledge across teams; created educational content, templates, and presentations.

Freelance UX Designer / UX Researcher / Product Designer / Service Designer / Advisor at Self-Employed (Remote & Berlin)

September 1, 2019 - December 1, 2023

Contributed to the growth and success of established businesses and scale-ups such as Contentful, Depot, Nuri, Grover, Taxfix, and various startups; demonstrated versatility across Education, Social Commerce, Software, Fintech, Healthcare, Mobility, SaaS, Design and Consulting firms; delivered inclusive design training to product and marketing teams.

UX Instructor at Springboard

December 1, 2022 - October 1, 2023

Mentored aspiring UX designers in design principles, user-centered methodologies, and industry best practices to develop their skills and confidence.

Domain Expert (Design and Research) at Domain Expert

November 1, 2020 - October 1, 2023

Evaluated skills of over 100 applicants to facilitate optimal freelancer-client matches; consulted on effective specialist design roles and competencies, ensuring alignment with project requirements and industry standards.

UX Mentor at Career Foundry

May 1, 2019 - December 1, 2021

Mentored students in UX/UI design; authored influential articles on inclusive design; contributed to industry knowledge and advocacy; delivered engaging training materials.

Senior Experience Designer (Strategic Design) at Mobimeo

October 1, 2018 - September 1, 2019

Led exploration of potential areas of innovation with a focus on horizontal design topics; collaborated with product leadership, UX researchers, and market researchers to drive successful outcomes.

Interaction Designer at Cliqz, Munich

June 1, 2015 - March 1, 2017

Designed the start page of Cliqz browsers; participated in design sprints for early-stage concepts; improved information architecture of search results; supervised tasks assigned to external collaborators.

Product Designer at Zalando, Berlin

June 1, 2015 - March 1, 2017

Drove value proposition and collaborated with product management to define goals, plan, and prioritize product development; contributed to the first B2B product discovery efforts.

Education

Master's Degree in Communication Design at NABA - Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti, Milan

November 1, 2012 - May 1, 2014

Summer School in Event Design at HKU University of Applied Sciences, Utrecht (The Netherlands)

July 1, 2012 - July 1, 2012

Summer School in Service Design at Maastricht University

July 1, 2013 - July 1, 2013

Bachelor's Degree in Communications and Media Studies at IULM University, Milan

September 1, 2006 - March 1, 2010

Specialization in UI and Conversational Design at CareerFoundry

January 1, 2020 - December 1, 2020

Mini MBA in Business Design at D.MBA / SUX Academy

October 1, 2024 - November 1, 2024

Specialization in Coaching Skills for Managers at UC Davis

June 1, 2025 - June 1, 2025

Qualifications

Master's Degree in Communication Design

November 1, 2012 - May 1, 2014

Summer School in Event Design

July 1, 2012 - July 1, 2012

Summer School in Service Design

July 1, 2013 - July 1, 2013

Bachelor's Degree in Communications and Media Studies

September 1, 2006 - March 1, 2010

Specialization in UI and Conversational Design

January 1, 2020 - December 1, 2020

Mini MBA in Business Design

October 1, 2024 - November 1, 2024

Specialization in Coaching Skills for Managers

June 1, 2025 - June 1, 2025

Industry Experience

Financial Services, Travel & Hospitality, Education, Software & Internet, Media & Entertainment, Professional Services, Transportation & Logistics, Non-Profit Organization, Other