Paula Guagliardi

.Background

I started my career in 2005 in Buenos Aires, after graduating as a web designer. I began working in digital advertising, where I learned about design, code, branding, and how to think and communicate creative concepts.

I worked at various agencies with different structures and sizes, where I learned different things.

• In a small digital agency, I learned to wear different hats and to code everything I designed.
• In the bigger digital agency, I learned to work in a cross-functional team.
• In the traditional multinational agency, I learned how to integrate campaigns from other mediums into digital formats.
• In the global media network, I learned about strategy and how to lead projects.

While I enjoyed working in a creative environment, I was highly motivated when thinking about the user and their goals, content quality, and usability. However, the nature of the industry often meant these priorities weren't always at the forefront.

Although I enjoyed working in a creative environment, I was highly motivated when thinking about the user and their goals, content quality, and usability. Still, due to advertising nature, this was never a priority.

Aiming to work with other like-minded persons, I started my design studio, Furycat 😾. We developed digital strategies, social media campaigns, design websites, and e-commerces for companies like Herbalife, Kraft Foods, and Nespresso but also with small businesses and entrepreneurs. I found it rewarding to help small businesses thrive.

I was also a digital partner to graphic design studios doing front-end development, interaction design, and consulting. These were long term relationships that continued throughout the entire time I had my studio.

Furycat was a great experience for personal growth as well. I developed new skills to deal with the operational side of the business, like developing processes for managing projects and clients, and putting together flexible teams.

During this period, I started learning about User-Centered design processes and UX methodologies, discovering a whole new world, a magical world. ✨

I realised how my clients could benefit from these methodologies, so I proactively began applying them to the projects getting a better response from both users and businesses. I used the feedback from the projects to find new topics and techniques to learn.

As I continued to learn UX, I became more interested in experiencing the full process of product design by being part of a product team where I could share and learn from others.

I started doing this at Blockinar, a startup developing blockchain-based products. I worked in a cross-functional team using agile methodologies to reach our goals. I defined the design brief and the projects' objectives and designed the UI and UX for our apps. I also outlined the design process for the company.

The same year, my husband and I took the opportunity to move to Berlin. I saw this as a great chance to challenge myself, continue learning product design in a more mature context with broader applications, and explore different opportunities for my career.

In the five years since, I've immersed myself in the UX and startup community. I earned a UX certification from the Nielsen Norman Group and have been focusing on complex applications for specialized domains, working for Hasty.ai, an end-to-end platform for vision AI.

As a seed-stage startup, my work at Hasty involved wearing many hats, with the company's primary goal being to achieve product-market fit.

Crafting interactions for a Graphical User Interface (GUI) was one of the most fun and interesting experiences so far in my career.

After two years at Hasty, the company was acquired by CloudFactory, which gave me valuable insight into how businesses evolve during such transitions.

In my current role at CloudFactory, I lead design efforts from concept to execution, including implementation oversight. This involves collaborating with stakeholders to define requirements, create interaction designs, apply patterns to solve complex workflows, and scope initiatives according to the product roadmap.

These efforts also include conducting user interviews, usability testing, and desk research to inform design work. I also helped establish design and research practices for my team and the company.

During this long journey, my curiosity has led me to continuously explore side projects, particularly in visual arts like photography and cyanotypes. I also have a list of future interests I'd like to pursue, including creative coding, data visualization, and playing the drums.

Yes, this is a lot, but everything I've learned, and every interest I've pursued, has broadened my view of the world, improving my life and what I do. So, why not keep going?

If, by any chance, you managed to get to the end of this, thank you.