Meet Designer: Claudia Ciarpella

Claudia Ciarpella

Being the link between user research and product strategy, I try my best to match user and business needs.

My job title?

Senior Product Designer

What is your typical "day in the life of a designer"?

- Make a list of what I want to do today

- Quick check-in with the team

- Focus work (first, the things I like the least!)

- Cook something yummy and recharge

- Ask for feedback

- Help my colleagues out

- Remind myself that I need to make a shorter to-do list tomorrow 🙃

Design principles you live by?

1. Don't be afraid to ask questions

2. Build, test, repeat

3. Don't forget to play

4. Complaining never makes anything better

What problem can't you stop thinking about?

Fix pollution, limit the abuse of resources on this planet and fight inequality!

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

You can be the most capable designer but if you aren't a nice person, nobody will want to work with you.

When is "Design done wrong"?

Bad design makes people question their capability to use an object, a service or a technology. Personally, I often get frustrated at most train or metro ticket machines!

What skill do you wish you picked up really early on?

I wish I knew about design research and user testing back when I studied industrial design. I thought ideas would come out of a purely creative brain rather than investigating a problem to solve for a certain user group!

Design tools you can’t live without? (Physical and/or digital)

• Post-its (physical and digital)

• Figma

• Miro

What’s in your bag?

• Pen, paper and post-its

• A book

• Sunglasses and contact lenses

• Lip balm

• Tissues

• Wallet

• A refillable bottle of water

• Keys with a bottle opener keyring

Books you highly recommend for anyone pursuing a career in design?

Lateral Thinking - Edward de Bono

Two Designer friends you admire and we should talk to!

Francesca Terzi for always putting the team first as a lead and selflessly nurturing everyone's success while doing 300 other different things at the same time!

Aris Dotti for his meticulous attention to detail and its straightforward storytelling.

Plus, they are both really fun to work with!

Where and What did you study?

Industrial and Environmental Design (Camerino)

Universitá di Camerino, Italy

Interaction Design

Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design, Denmark and Costa Rica.