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More about me

When I look back at the last decade of my research, one thing keeps surfacing: curiosity about who gets left behind as technology changes.

My master’s thesis focused on the privacy worries of people who are blind and visually impaired. My PhD studied what makes older adults feel confident that their privacy and safety are protected when using healthcare technology. Many of them talked about fear and doubt around AI, which I wasn’t expecting. It just kept appearing. When I moved from academic research into industry, the form of the work changed. The curiosity did not. I bring that focus on the people who are most affected by technology into my work as a UX researcher.

Outside of work I like to explore technology hands-on. Recently, I built a Claude skill for heuristic evaluations and open-sourced it. I write on Substack about what I’m learning. Not just what people need from AI tools, but how AI fits responsibly into research practice itself, so the work continues to support the ones who need it most.

If any of this resonates, I’d be glad to hear from you.

Photo of Daniela wearing glasses and smiling

Testimonials

Thank you to the amazing team at CIHI who generously gifted me this mural filled with gratitude after working together during 2025/2026.

Illustrated thank-you mural from the CIHI team. On the left, a cartoon of Daniela flying like a superhero in a purple cape and UX t-shirt, holding a notebook, beside the words "You are amazing". On the right, dozens of colourful sticky notes from colleagues thank her for her user advocacy, research skills, collaborative spirit, and sense of humour, and wish her well in her next chapter.Click the image to see it full size in a new tab.