About Me — Maria Slabiak

Hi, I’m Maria!

I naturally like to imagine other’s perspectives. I consider it my mission to design for specific needs. The “human-centered” design is what drew me into User Experience (UX) Design while I was still working as an interior designer.

I use design to make places and things work well, not just look good.

I design with a purpose, continually taking in physical and psychological information about users or personas. I consider how they might complete a skill or respond in a certain situation, and I adapt my approach for the desired outcome. I’m persistent, and like to see the big picture.

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I’ve designed for as long as I can remember.

When I was young, it was puppet shows, designing furniture, writing, and constantly rearranging my room. In college I studied both English Literature and Interior Design, while working as a figure skating coach.

photo of Maria working with a skater on the jump harness — I fell in love with figure skating after seeing a live show as a child. As soon as I started, I wanted to teach others what I learned. I became a coach as a teen, choreographing programs, teaching classes and individual lessons, and designing curriculum.

My interior design degree focused on safety, accessibility, and environmentally minded products and procedures. I worked as a commercial interior designer, mostly on offices, health care facilities, and schools. I learned to coordinate with cross-functional design teams, work within constraints, and separate the design process from myself.

Unexpected Turns

Part of my life’s journey has been as a parent to child on the Autism Spectrum. I experienced how needs differ by individual, and learned what types of therapies and interventions are used and why. I frequently get to practice perspective taking, since it’s so very different from mine. I’ve also worked with a variety of special needs in my years of coaching skating.