Hello!
My career has been driven by a deep interest in community-centered design and how technology can support human flourishing. This focus is rooted in a lifelong appreciation for art, craft, and the everyday rituals that give life meaning. I believe this perspective, shaped by a diverse design journey, could bring something valuable to your founding team.
I studied Painting and Art History at the Academy of Art in Florence IT, followed by a master in Interaction Design under professors Gillian Crampton Smith and Phil Tabor at IUAV University in Venice IT.
Over the past 17 years, I’ve worked across many areas of design: from fashion at Dolce & Gabbana and Benetton’s Fabrica to OS design at Nokia. My time at IDEO and Fuseproject sharpened my focus on community-centered work. I applied service design principles to tackle complex challenges like homelessness and mental health, mapping comprehensive user journeys to identify key intervention points. This process involved live prototyping and data analysis, allowing me to iteratively refine and shape effective solutions.
Most recently at Google and YouTube, I have led and mentored a team of designers on initiatives aimed at improving digital literacy and upskilling in emerging markets, as well as enhancing the discoverability and utility of complex local information in Search through the application of AI technologies. In both cases, my focus has been on creating meaningful, tangible benefits for local communities.
Beyond my professional work, I have been a dedicated student of Chado (Konarai 小習) at the Urasenke school in New York and have recently begun studying Japanese.
While art and the traditional tea ceremony might seem distant from technology both contributed to shaping my interest in moving beyond conventional design roles to address societal issues with a transdisciplinary and participatory approach. This is also reflected in my experience as a certified Google Sprint Master, where I design and lead workshops to foster collaboration and innovation among cross-functional teams.
I’ve spent my career working closely with engineers, product managers, researchers, and international teams and I hope to offer students a grounded, practice-based approach to design that blends technical understanding with cultural and human empathy.
Happy to connect!
Clients
Channels