I can tell that we’re going to be friends ♫

Hi! I’m Martina, a UX designer and artist who applies curiosity, care, and collaboration to make organizations and digital services more sustainable and human-centered. Through my experiences in civic tech, EdTech, and non-profit spaces, I cultivate a passion for service design, equity-centered design, and strategy both in myself and in others.

I take pride in being an approachable facilitator and leader, engaging teammates and stakeholders in an iterative design and research process that drives trust and maximizes business impact. I strive to use best practices in human-computer interaction (HCI) and inclusive design to enhance access, learning, and well-being for all people.

Let's talk sometime!

contact: email / linkedin
content: instagram / github / medium

A photo of Martina in a black dress with bright green floral patterns, holding a small pickle and smiling
helping people out of pickles and eating them too!

what else? I contain multitudes...

I'm a perpetual east coaster

I grew up in Mount Laurel, NJ and attended schools in Boston and Pittsburgh. If you ask me to choose Eagles versus Patriots, I’ll usually go with the team I think you like.

I'm an interdisciplinary learner

In undergrad, I studied Cognitive Science and Studio Art with some Computer Science on the side. I practiced film production and UX design through clubs and hackathons. This led to my time at the Master of Human-Computer Interaction program at Carnegie Mellon University.

A photo of Martina wearing a black graduation cap and gown, in front of a large elephant statue (Jumbo, the Tufts mascot)
I earned my degrees in 2021 (go ‘bos!) and 2022

I'm a data-driven designer

None of my work exists in a vacuum—it depends on frequent input from stakeholders and other humans, which I analyze using psychology & design research principles.

I'm a product strategist

My favorite thing to do is help others achieve goals and make things happen. If you bring up plans around me, you can count on me to start prioritizing and delegating tasks.

Martina points at a printout on a board filled with design notes, while her team listens attentively
Presenting research analysis to my MHCI capstone team

I'm a naturalist & artist at heart

As a kid, my dream job was zookeeper. As an adult, I take creative inspiration from the natural world around me. My BFA thesis even focused on tree bark and recycled paper!

I'm a sci-fi & fantasy devotee

I’m obsessed with how fictional worlds can reflect our understanding of society. Stories like Doctor Who, Parable of the Sower, and The Hunger Games really tickle my brain.

Martina in a woody area, drawing a tree's bark pattern on a sheet of paper wrapped around the tree itself
A still from a time lapse of an in-progress, site-specific drawing in Boston

what I'm up to now

listening

  • fran-co-fi-li-a – one of my many playlists
  • The Magnus Archives – horror anthology podcast
  • Various audiobooks on Libby - support your local library, use Libby and go for a long walk!

watching

  • Dídi (2024) - semi-autobiographical coming-of-age film about 2000s Asian American adolescence that makes me cry
  • Dimension 20 on Dropout - funny people playing Dungeons and Dragons with a delightful amount of emotional depth

reading

  • Dune by Frank Herbert – seeing what the fuss is about (honestly it's pretty good)
  • How to Tell When We Will Die: On Pain, Disability, and Doom by disabled essayist Johanna Hedva

playing

  • Inscryption - a very replayable rogue-like deck-building video game with spooky hidden plot
  • Wingspan - a board game that’s all about birds!

making

Spare time? Find me on some of my favorite products:

spotify / storygraph / strava / letterboxd