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I am passionate about design because I believe it improves human experiences.

That is why I help product teams solve UX problems and deliver user-friendly, visually appealing, and accessible digital products.

Hi, I’m Mariya! It’s like Maria but with {y} because the ‘why’ is important 😉

My background in design is diverse: I went from painting and printmaking to interior design to multimedia design and landed in the world of UX and product design after college graduation. I enjoy having my hands in all aspects of the UX process.

Currently, I am a Brand & Product Designer at a hospitality group in San Diego working on ideas and strategies to grow a small restaurant business. Previously, I worked in the health care space, specifically a clinical research organization designing digital products and helping in the modernization of the industry. I believe product design methodologies and processes apply in the same manner to any business product and my goal is to apply my knowledge and at the same time expand it across different industries.

I am very enthusiastic about design systems and I believe they are one of the core components of a product’s success, contributing to the product consistency and efficiency across all teams involved.

UX Design

User research, wireframing, prototyping, interactions, usability testing

UI Design

High fidelity visual mockups, design systems, responsive design, branding

Front-End

HTML, CSS, currently learning JS

Some of my favorite things to do are...

Design-ing

Using my design skills to improve people’s experiences always feels very fulfilling.

“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”

– Steve Jobs

Nature-ing

There is nothing more relaxing, inspiring, and humbling than immersing myself in nature.

“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”

– Albert Einstein

Ukulele-ing

Recently I started learning to play the ukulele and it has been a great way of unwinding.

“If everyone played the ukulele, the world would be a better place.”

– Jake Shimabukuro