I’m Maria

I’m a UX designer and accessibility advocate with 10+ years of experience designing and improving digital experiences in higher education and complex organizational environments. I combine user-centered design, accessibility strategy, research, analytics, and cross-functional leadership to improve complex digital products and the systems behind them.

I love playing ice hockey, camping, hiking, yoga, and generally just being outside. I would love to work with small businesses that could benefit from my experience.

I believe in creating designs that everyone can use.

You’ll find my education, work history, and other engagements below. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. I hope we’ll get to collaborate soon!

Skills

  • UX Strategy & Research
  • UX & Interaction Design
  • Accessibility & Inclusive Design
  • AI-Assisted Design
  • Web Analytics & Evaluation
  • Cross-team Collaboration
  • Project Management

Experience

UI Design Engineer | Digital Accessibility Strategist, LSA Technology Services, University of Michigan — Ann Arbor, 2020-Present

Partner with developers and multidisciplinary project teams on user experience and interface design, web analytics, and implementation across complex digital applications.

Translate user needs, project goals, and stakeholder requirements into information architecture, user flows, wireframes, prototypes, and other design artifacts.

Use Figma AI and other AI-assisted design workflows to accelerate UX exploration and workflow development while critically evaluating outputs for usability, accessibility, information architecture, and technical feasibility.

Develop and maintain a reusable Figma design system and component library for Rails application developers.

Lead LSA’s web accessibility strategy and continuous improvement initiatives, developing scalable systems for accessibility training, testing, remediation, monitoring, and support across 1,500+ College-wide websites and web applications.

Collaborate with institutional partners to advance accessibility readiness, clarify requirements, and translate organizational and user needs into sustainable solutions.

Hire, supervise, onboard, and mentor accessibility staff and interns to align with the LSA mission and goals.

2x Outstanding Staff Team Award Winner for Web Accessibility / UX Design contribution: LSA Technology Library Self-Service Portal Project (2026); LSA SpaceReady (2025).

Web Designer, LSA Technology Services, University of Michigan — Ann Arbor, 2014-2020

Designed wireframes, mockups, and visual enhancements for AEM site templates, translating content and stakeholder requirements into usable, accessible, responsive web experiences aligned with institutional branding and user needs.

Analyzed Google Analytics and SEO data to identify user behavior and inform content, marketing, and UX decisions; trained unit staff to use web analytics to evaluate digital experiences and measure outcomes.

Managed digital communications for a community of 450+ users through Mailchimp.

Maintained WCAG AA compliance across supported digital experiences, incorporating accessibility requirements into web design and implementation.

Digital Manager, Waste & Recycling News, Crain Communication — Detroit, 2013
Web Coordinator | 2011-2013

Designed and managed user experiences for a national publication’s website, balancing content, navigation, visual presentation, and business requirements.

Created compelling visual assets, print layouts, and digital graphics to support weekly news broadcasts and editorial content.

Increased digital revenue by creating new ad space and expanding reach on social media.

Core Expertise

  • UX/UI Design
  • Interaction Design
  • Responsive Web Design
  • UX Strategy & Research
  • Wireframing & Prototyping
  • Design Systems
  • Accessibility & Inclusive Design
  • Web Analytics & Evaluation
  • Information Architecture
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Developer Handoffs
  • Project Management

Tools & Technologies

  • Figma
  • MIRO
  • Google Analytics / Crazy Egg
  • WCAG
  • Bootstrap
  • HTML / CSS
  • Adobe Creative Suite
  • WordPress / Adobe Experience Manager / Omeka
  • Asana / JIRA
  • Siteimprove

Education

  • Northwestern University
    M.S. Information & Design Strategy
  • Wayne State University
    B.A. Journalism

Professional & Institutional Leadership

  • U-M Library Anti-Racist Digital Research Institute
    Planning Committee
    (2023-Present)
  • U-M Library Digital Scholarship Advisory Group
    Communications Subcommittee
    2022-Present
  • U-M LSA Digital Accessibility Advisory Team
    Co-Chair
    2022-2023
  • U-M LSA Technology Services Newsletter
    Editor/Writer
    2019-2023

Conference Presentations

Anti-Racist Digital Research Institute
Workshop: Designing & Presenting to your Audience
June 2025, June 2026

Critical Digital Humanities Initiative
Panelist: DIY Anti-Racist DH Initiatives: How to Get Started at Your Institution
October 2022

Awards

Outstanding Staff Team Award
LSA Technology Library Self-Service Portal Project Team
Web Accessibility / UX Design
May 2026

Outstanding Staff Team Award
SpaceReady
Web Accessibility / UX Design
May 2025

HighEdWeb Conference
Poster Presentation: UX Methods for Digital Humanities Projects
October 2021

Achievements

  • General Assembly
    User Experience Design: 10-week Bootcamp
    2021
  • Adobe
    AEM Developer Training
    2018
  • Higher Ed Experts
    Certificate: Advanced Web Analytics for Higher Ed
    2016
  • Higher Ed Experts
    Certificate: Web Analytics for Higher Ed
    2014
  • American Business Media Neal Award
    Winner for Weekly Newscast
    2011