Hi. I'm Maia.
I'm a product manager and human-centered designer. I love building digital and service experiences that delight users, and make an impact.
After working in the anti-human trafficking field for the past ten years of my career, my path towards design strategy, UX/UI, and human-centered design may seem a bit unconventional. Yet, a common thread remains: I thrive as a creative, an idea-maker, and a collaborative problem-solver.
MY APPROACH TO HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN
Streamlining the on-boarding process for law enforcement.
Re-designing a website for digital defenders of children.
A campaign to change the minds of a community.
Streamlining the on-boarding process for law enforcement.
Re-designing a website for digital defenders of children.
A campaign to change the minds of a community.
WHAT MY PEERS SAY
"Rarely does one find a supervisor who inspires and motivates on the level of a mentor. Maia Sciupac is this ideal supervisor. When Maia first hired me, I had little knowledge of human trafficking in the Bay Area, Maia quickly became my guide as she expertly navigated the complex network of agencies, law enforcement, government officials and service providers to coordinate a targeted response to combat child sex trafficking in California, the United States and the world. Maia’s creativity repeatedly impressed me as I watched her turn various forms of multimedia (e.g. a graphic novel, podcasts, and social media sites) into powerful tools to respond to human trafficking. Her actions exemplify both her strong leadership skills and her unwavering passion for fighting injustice. Human trafficking is a personal issue to Maia and her dedication to fighting it is readily apparent in all that she does. I have no doubt that Maia will play a critical role in bringing an end to this criminal enterprise in whatever projects she choses to undertake in the future."
-Alynia Phillips, J.D. Advocate for Racial & Social Justice (former staff I managed at the Alameda County District Attorney's Office)
"Maia's energy, knowledge, and compassion were inspiring. She brought her client-centered perspective to every seminar, and always enriched our discussions. I would be delighted to work with her on any future project."
- Jessica Dickenson Goodman, Outreach and Marketing Coordinator at Child Advocates of Silicon Valley (previous colleague at Polaris Project)
"It was great working with Maia on Spotlight. Her enthusiasm, ideas, and passion for understanding user needs were valuable to the success and growth of the product."
-Former Director of UX Design at Digital Reasoning
"Maia is a professional who dreams big and make things happen. I immediately noticed her global views, her sense of accomplishment and drive to contribute positive things to the world. Maia is the kind of person with vision and she is not afraid of moving forward to figure things out, including the smallest and biggest tasks."
- Marcela Cabrera Luna, Clean Energy Consultant at Arcadia Power (former colleague at UC Berkeley)
"All I want to say is, this was my first experience of a design sprint and I absolutely loved it. The best part was how we got a chance to really get away from our computers and let our thoughts flow. Everyone was really enthusiastic and participated to their fullest, and to top it all was your energy, which was truly infectious. Let's keep the same zeal throughout the rest of the project!! Thanks for all your effort in organizing and facilitating this design sprint!!! It was Awesome!!!"
- Nidhi Jain, Adobe Product Owner (part of the design sprint team at NCMEC for the "search missing kids" tool)
