Meet Diana.
Understanding human behavior has been a prevalent pursuit in my career.
Starting with my college education in Cognitive Science, I learned about how people make decisions, their memory accuracy and attention span. My first job out of college was designing and conducting therapy sessions for children with autism. During these sessions I noticed how intrigued and captivated kids were while using applications. This opened my curiosity to understanding human interaction with technology and led me to the world of user experience design — a field where I could finally apply my quest for understanding human behavior into something tangible.
My design process is guided by this pursuit. For the past 4 years, I’ve been applying a user-centered design process to create empathetic experiences.
Education.
I graduated from UC San Diego with a B.S. in Cognitive Science and a minor in Business. At Carnegie Mellon University, I graduated with a Master of Human-Computer Interaction, and expanded my skills in research, design, programming, and business. Through my well-rounded knowledge of the field, I hope to bring forth a more balanced and informed design approach.
Background.
I was born and raised in Honduras, but was brought up with my family's Chinese traditions while exposed to the Honduran culture. I then moved to the U.S. for college. My diverse background has taught me to be keen of cultural differences, flexible in understanding other’s perspectives and has made it easier for me to identify with the people I design for.
My Process.
My process to problem-solving is based on the Double-Diamond model. I’ve roughly visualized my own version below. Each stage has different goals, ever-changing when tackling a challenge. This is best explained through the mindsets I embody at each phase.
Exploratory
The Discover phase requires a deep-dive into the problem space — empathize with users, uncover assumptions and pain-points. My mindset here is openly and immensely exploratory! I’m curious and intrigued to learn about the ecosystem shaping the behaviors and mental models of users.
Analytical
The Define stage involves synthesizing research into informative outcomes. My mindset here is analytical as I unearth insights and opportunities. I also reframe the problem to help me focus and ask myself: “Is this the right problem to solve and what design opportunities do I see?”
Generative
During the Design stage, I generate a multitude of ideas. I transform design opportunities into testable concepts. If working in a team, I like to encourage Parallel Design — the practice of individually creating multiple solutions for a single problem and then converging on a mashup of those designs.
Receptive
The Refine stage changes based on where I am in the product roadmap. If iterating, I conduct tests to probe assumptions and incorporate feedback to improving designs. If preparing for delivery, I collaborate with developers and product managers by listening to their goals and concerns.
If you would like to learn more about my work or chat about opportunities, please contact me: