About me
I’m a Senior UX Designer with 8+ years of experience in different industries, currently at Disney and formerly at Google. With a BS in Computer Science and a Master’s in Interactive Media, I sit comfortably between design and engineering, and genuinely enjoy both sides.
My career has taken me from the fast-paced newsroom at The Washington Post to complex, large-scale platforms at global tech companies. That range taught me how to jump into unfamiliar problems and quickly find what connects everything. While I have a strong foundation in data visualization, I thrive most at the intersection of design and technology, building clean, intentional systems that actually move the needle.
I bring the same mindset to AI: not just experimenting with tools, but looking for practical, strategic ways to integrate them into real workflows. I’m naturally proactive, constantly curious, and always looking for the next complex puzzle to solve.
WORD ON THE STREET
״Resonates with executive leadership״
Maria is a highly valued visual designer and critical production partner who consistently elevates the quality and clarity of high-stakes communications, especially for the Google Distributed Cloud (GDC) team.
Her primary value is in transforming complex or rough information into professional, visually compelling narratives that resonate with diverse audiences, including executive leadership.
Aideen S., Sr. UX Researcher at Google
״Key cross-functional partner״
Maria led the UX for Google Distributed Cloud, driving the design from concept to MVP. She also facilitated a highly praised AI innovation sprint that fostered deep collaboration across the organization. Beyond her product work on Storage and Marketplace, Maria’s ability to partner with cross-functional teams was essential in bridging knowledge gaps and delivering strategic value to the business.
Phoebe Z., Direct UX Manager at Google
״Consistently demonstrated strong ownership״
As the UX lead for our GDCH services, Maria demonstrated strong ownership and a knack for solving complex challenges. I was impressed by her proactive research and ability to draw inspiration from existing products, which had a huge positive impact. It resulted in a more intuitive experience for our enterprise customers, and her weekly design reviews ensured our team stayed aligned and moved forward efficiently.
Eric L., Software Engineer at Google
״Cutting through complexity״
Maria is an incredibly valuable UX designer and an absolute pleasure to work with. During our high-impact innovation sprints, she stood out for her exceptional communication and organizational skills. Even with quick turnarounds, she was instrumental in keeping our planning focused and moving forward. Maria has a rare talent for cutting through complexity and translating decisions into tangible action items. Any team looking for a highly collaborative, results-oriented, and communicative UX designer would be lucky to have Maria. I recommend her without reservation.
Daisy B., Sr UX Designer at Google
״Aligning PM, UX, and Engineering״
Maria's always demonstrated leadership and influence by planning and driving workstreams where we've collaborated together: she's always been the first to set up weekly syncs, proactively identify areas of weakness, and call out expectation mismatches between PM, UX, and eng. Maria's work is always impeccable: for example, when we worked together, even on tight timelines, she consistently met the needs of all users by always including greenlines.
Katherine H., Sr Front-end Engineer at Google
״Significant impact on our projects״
Maria, it was truly a pleasure working with you. I always appreciated your passion for user experience, which was evident in your active contributions during our workshops. Your insights and dedication to enhancing the GDCag Marketplace experience were particularly valuable and made a significant impact on our projects.
Rasheed A., Sr Product Manager at Google
My experience
The Mastermind Tour(2016- Present)
01
The Google Era
Google | UX Designer
Oct 2021 - Dec 2025
The "Mastermind" phase. I led 0→1 design for core enterprise services (Monitoring, Billing, Storage) within Google’s private, air-gapped cloud.
The Hit: Secured $48M+ in contracts and won one of Google's highest-stakes bids by achieving platform-wide VPAT accessibility certification for 3M+ users. I also initiated the AI Innovation Sprint, training 18+ designers to bridge the gap between prompt engineering and high-fidelity UX.
02
The Newsroom Sessions
The Washington Post | Graphics Reporter
Feb 2021 - Sep 2021
A focus on visual storytelling and "vibe" coding. I leveraged my CS background to pitch, report, and build complex multimedia news graphics.
The Hit: Transformed dense, high-profile stories into interactive maps and data visualizations that made complex global news feel personal and intuitive.
See my published WaPo news
03
The Social Edit
Univision | UX & Graphics Designer
Aug 2020 - Feb 2021
Redefining how a Spanish-language audience consumes data. I designed animated, mobile-first sequences and data-driven graphics to translate political and social stories for a new generation.
See my published Univision news
04
The Virtual Lab
UM UX Lab | Research Assistant
Mar 2019 - May 2020
The experimental B-Side. While earning my MFA at The University of Miami, I executed mixed-methods research to drive the redesign of a Virtual Reality application, proving that immersive tech still needs human-centric logic.
05
The Core System
Scotiabank | Credit Cards Analyst
Apr 2016 - Jul 2018
My origin story in Lima, Peru. I used technical data analysis to revamp credit card interactions, coordinating complex changes across core banking systems, web, and mobile applications.
There's a reason I lean into the aesthetics of the past: those eras were defined by a sense of wonder for what technology could be. Today, I bring that same curiosity to AI and emerging tech. My goal is to bridge the gap between complex logic and human emotion, ensuring the next generation of AI products doesn't just work efficiently, but feels human-centered by design.
I'm always looking for the next big era, let’s connect.
