Designing clarity for complex systems

OVERVIEW

I’m a product design lead helping teams turn ambiguity into aligned product direction & scalable systems.

Over the last 15+ years I’ve worked across startups and global enterprises including IBM, NTT, and Hitachi Digital Services. Trained at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), I approach product challenges through a systems lens—clarifying complex problem spaces, aligning stakeholders, and designing solutions that scale.

My work often begins where teams feel stuck: fragmented decision-making, unclear strategy, or complex systems that are difficult for users to understand. By addressing the underlying system—not just the interface—my work has driven 3x revenue growth, 80% efficiency gains, and 30% reductions in bounce.

WHEN TEAMS BRING ME IN

I help teams clarify the problem space, align stakeholders, and design systems that enable teams to move forward.

Problem framing

A product opportunity is clear, but the path to delivering it is not.

Cross-functional alignment

Teams are making fragmented decisions without shared principles or direction.

Complex systems → clear experiences

Technical capabilities need to become understandable, usable products.

Design systems & scalable foundations

Organizations are scaling but lack the systems needed for teams to ship consistently.

Menaka Thillaiampalam, Former CMO, Hitachi Digital Services

"Sylvia excels at bringing clarity to complex, chaotic environments. She organizes and sequences the work thoughtfully, helping teams move forward with focus and confidence.”

IMPACT AT A GLANCE
  • Helped grow division revenue 3x

    Revenue growth, NTT cybersecurity

  • Achieved 80% reduction in manual effort

    Less manual effort, Context Nature

  • Achieved 50% faster production cycles

    Faster production, Hitachi DS

  • 30% bounce rate reduction

    Bounce rate reduction, Hitachi DS

  • Scaled user experience team from 3 to 30

    Scaled user experience team at SocioFabrica

  • from ) to 3M in revenue

    Studio revenue grown as CDO & Co-Founder

HOW I WORK

My work sits at the intersection of product design, strategy, systems thinking, and organizational alignment.

Reframing complex problems

Synthesizing research, data, and stakeholder perspectives into clear product opportunities.

Aligning teams around shared principles

Creating frameworks that help product, design, and engineering teams make better decisions together.

Designing systems that scale

Developing product experiences, design systems, and decision frameworks that allow teams to ship consistently and evolve over time.

EXPERTISE

Product & Experience Design

Complex systems, experience architecture, data-rich interfaces, AI-enabled product UX

Design Systems & Scalable Foundations

Design systems, reusable patterns, governance models, design operations

Strategic Design & Alignment

Problem framing, stakeholder alignment, product discovery, decision frameworks

Domains

B2B SaaS, enterprise platforms, climate fintech, cybersecurity · Native Spanish speaker

Manish Hebbar, Chief Executive Officer, CapeZero

"From understanding the role we play in this industry, and how our brand strategy needs to bring this to life, to helping narrow what customers segment we should be focusing on given the stage of our product, Sylvia has added a lot of value."

WHO I AM

A bit about me

Background

I grew up in Puerto Rico, an experience that shaped how I approach problem solving. Living on an island teaches resourcefulness, curiosity, and optimism — qualities that continue to influence how I work with teams facing complex challenges. I’m particularly interested in work that helps organizations build more thoughtful systems — whether in technology, climate solutions, or the way teams collaborate.

Outside of work

I regularly mentor early-stage founders and designers and speak about the evolving role of design in business and product development.

Let’s collaborate! Drop me a line or connect with me via LinkedIn.

RECOGNITION

–    ERA Accelerator — 1 of 16 startups selected, Context Nature (2024)

–    DMN 40-Under-40 — UX contributions for marketing audiences (2017)

–    Silver Davey, Communicator & Creativity Awards — NTT Global Threats Platform

–    Shorty Social Good Award — Farm From A Box (2019)

–    Featured in: Webbys, Ad Age, Communication Arts, GDUSA, Rebrand

SPEAKING & MEDIA APPEARANCES

–    Y Combinator Startup School Climate Startups — Lightning Speaker, “3 Lessons from a Startup that went Bust” (2022)

–    Horasis Global Meeting — Panelist, “Being Determined to Meet Net-Zero by 2030” (2022) & “Creating a Legacy of Giving” (2019)

–    Más Cartagena — Keynote, “Design’s Evolving Role in Business” (2019)

–   Television interview at Univision’s Despierta Área de la Bahía 2019, San Jose, CA

–    Stanford University Breakthrough Conference — Keynote, “Leveraging Your Personal Brand to Effectively Lead” (2018)

–    Talent Land — Keynote, “Key Elements to Start a Business: Vision, Talent & Energy” (2018)

–    San Francisco Design Week / SheLeads — Organizer & Facilitator, “Prototyping Leadership: A Workshop for Women in Design” (2017)

–    America’s Summit, Women Entrepreneurs Day — Facebook HQ — Keynote (2016)

–    Wonder Women Tech — Panelist, “Design Engineering: How Innovators Create Solutions” (2016)

AWARDS & PRESS