Hello! I’m Clarissa, a Bay Area based UX designer.

I graduated with a Psychology degree from UCSC, which jumpstarted my interest in understanding how people work and why they may make certain choices in their lives as well as introducing me to basic research methods. During that time, I worked in a STEM summer camp and, after I graduated, in an after-school program at a middle school.  As an educator, I developed skills that enabled me to empathize and connect with my students. Along with that, I collaborated with other educators to create an experience for all of the students in the program to feel welcome and supported at an age that could feel the most alienating.

While working with students, I became more and more interested in that design area myself (more than my fellow teachers who found it to be a bit of a drag to teach) and this lead me to learn about UX and UI design once I had left the field.

Nowadays, I use those skills to understand how to improve the quality of life in many circles of my life along with theorizing on why certain design decisions were made in real life products. As I’ve learned more about design, I’ve come to understand that what can seem to be inevitable and unchangeable are actually design challenges just waiting to happen.