My Story
I am a UX researcher and natural collaborator on a mission to share users’ stories and inspire product teams to empathize and create behavioral change.
How did I develop this mindset? Here’s my story:
I started my professional career in architecture and interior design grounded in environmental psychology. I wanted to design experiences that could empower and transform lives. As a Global Health Corps fellow in Rwanda, I had the privilege to design and construct environments for communities living in poverty. I loved the time I spent there as a designer, but most of all, I loved the connections with the people for whom I was designing.
During my time in Rwanda I realized that I am passionate about understanding user needs. This led me to a career in design strategy at Gensler. There I focused on applying various methodologies and tools to drive workplace transformation and innovation design. Because my clients were so unique, I became an expert at tailoring my research approach and communication style to meaningfully connect with stakeholders and end users alike.
I now focus my research expertise to study human needs in the digital space. I question what drives users to make one choice versus another, and how designs should adapt as users’ needs evolve. My goal is to create impactful user experiences by empowering product teams to actively participate in all phases of the research process.
User Research & Engagement Snapshots
Resume
Experience
UX Researcher
Prolific Interactive
04 / 2019 to 07 / 2019
Design Fellow
MASS Design Group
07 / 2015 to 07 / 2016
Design Consultant
Cepods
12 / 2012 to 05 / 2013
Design Strategist
Gensler
07 / 2016 to 03 / 2019
Graduate Teaching Assistant
University of Miami
09 / 2011 to 04 / 2014
Architectural Intern
Brillhart Architecture
09 / 2012 to 03 / 2013
Education
M. Architecture
University of Miami
Spring 2014
B. Design
University of Florida
Spring 2011
Skills & Tools
Design Thinking
Workshop Facilitation
User Interviews
User Surveys
User Personas & Journeys
Adobe Creative Suite
Validately
Workplace Strategy
Purpose Leader Training
English & Spanish
People are saying…
“Marcela is very thorough in her approach and research methods...She’s been great to collaborate with and has had a great impact on improving the overall end to end physical and digital experience for a new WeWork offering - [WeWork Now].”
“Marcela is able to marry strategy with tactics with here ability to translate high-flying concepts into purpose-driven actions that are approachable for clients and employees, alike.”
“...Care and concern for others is characteristic of Marcela’s personality and lends itself naturally to her interest and work in user research and engagement.”
Say Hello.
Ask me about my UX research work.