One mindset
multiple skills
I connect the dots between people, systems, and technology.
Welcome.
Explore projects across
UX Research · UX/UI Design · Machine Learning · Data Science
Although the projects vary in discipline, they share the same foundation: understanding people, solving problems, and combining research, design, and technology.
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About me
Understanding complex systems starts with understanding people.
Hi, I'm Paula and my work is currently a combination of UX research, design, and machine learning. Whether I'm studying user behavior, designing interfaces, or building intelligent systems, I'm driven by the same question:
How can we better understand people to build better technology?
My journey: how I got here
This wasn't a planned career path, it was a series of questions that kept leading me toward new disciplines.
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Design
I completed a Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design in Brazil, where I developed a strong foundation in visual communication, design thinking, and creative problem solving, together with different design methodologies. These skills continue to shape how I approach every project today.
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UX & UI Design
I transitioned into UX/UI design to create digital experiences that are not only visually engaging, but intuitive, accessible, and grounded in user needs.
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UX Research
As my curiosity shifted from designing interfaces to understanding people, I specialized in UX Research, completing a few Nielsen Norman Group (NN/g) certifications in user research methods, usability testing, and evidence-based design.
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Research Operations
Recognizing the need to make research more scalable, I completed the NN/g's ResearchOps training and helped implement ResearchOps practices, including research repositories, governance, documentation, and operational processes that enabled teams to reuse insights and make more informed product decisions.
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Machine Learning
Seeking a deeper understanding of intelligent systems, I completed a two-year Machine Learning Analyst diploma in Canada, building practical experience in data science, predictive modelling, computer vision, and AI development.
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Applied AI
Today, I enjoy bringing these disciplines together. I'm currently experimenting with applied AI, exploring how research, design, and machine learning can work together to build intelligent products that remain deeply human-centered.
Everything is connected
One mindset
Graphic Design
UX/UI Design
UX Research
Research Ops
Machine Learning
Applied AI
This portfolio is part of the experiment.
This portfolio is an ongoing experiment exploring how people discover, evaluate, understand, and connect with professional projects online.
Introduction
I've always been fascinated by how people discover information, make decisions, and form first impressions. Building this portfolio gives me an opportunity to better study those questions.
Rather than treating this website as a finished product, I'm treating it as an ongoing experiment, that will continue to evolve as I learn from the people who visit it.
Why I built it this way
The interface is intentionally simple, while the system behind it, is not.
Every project, interaction, and design decision on this website reflects how I approach research and product development.
I defined the information architecture, content structure, navigation, project taxonomy, visual direction, and overall experience. The interface stays deliberately restrained so visitors can focus on the work rather than on the website itself.
1. Behind the interface
Public and protected work
The portfolio presents public projects while keeping confidential case-study details securely restricted.
Flexible access
Different visitors can receive access to specific projects or to the complete protected portfolio for a defined period.
Private administration
A private admin area supports access creation, expiration, revocation, and permission management.
Research-ready experience
The website is being prepared to support voluntary questions and research into how people explore and evaluate professional work.
2. How AI supported the build
OpenAI Codex was used to support implementation, troubleshooting, and iteration. Codex helped translate those decisions into a functioning system and I remained responsible for:
The experiment was not about asking AI to design the portfolio for me, but about understanding how to direct an AI coding assistant while retaining ownership of the experience.
3. An ongoing project
Rather than waiting until everything was finished and polished, with all projects I intended to add here, I published an early version so I could learn from real visitors and improve it over time. And, in some ways, this portfolio follows similar processes as the projects it presents.
What I'm curious about
This experiment explores questions such as:
- How do recruiters actually navigate portfolios?
- What helps someone understand a project quickly?
- When is a summary enough, and when do people want the full story?
- Which projects communicate the strongest signal?
- How differently do UX recruiters and AI or data science recruiters explore a portfolio?
- How can a portfolio be improved over time?
As I collect enough observations, I plan to share some of these findings here.
Want to contribute?
From time to time, you may notice some questions while browsing.
Answering them is optional, but every response helps me better understand how professional work online is explored and helps shape future versions of this portfolio.
What you'll find here
As the experiment grows, this page will include:
- Visitor patterns
- Most explored projects
- Topics people are most curious about
- Design decisions influenced by the research
- Reflections on building this portfolio
Let's chat!
Always open to discussing how research, design, and AI can make technology more useful for people.
Connect on LinkedIn
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Based in Canada
Open to remote and in-person conversations, projects, and collaborations.