Who's Luz?
Profile
I'm passionate about the interaction of the material and psychological. I love design because it's the point of contact between the two. A good designer makes something functional. A great designer (and I'm a great designer) makes an interface and experience that users feel. Sometimes that's a delight, sometimes it's a smooth interface they barely notice is there. And sometimes, for actions we want to discourage, it can even be friction. If you need to bridge the gap between what your engineers build and what your consumers experience then I'm the designer for you. I'm especially interested in projects that design for BIPOC, Latino/a, LGBTIAQ++, or women audiences.
Experience
2017-Present, Senior UX/UI Designer
Fribush Technology
I began as a contract designer and was promoted to project manager and design lead of teams of other designers. I worked with the team to deliver over a dozen apps and websites.
2017-2018, Freelance Graphic Designer and UX/UI Designer
Freelancer in Upwork
After being evacuated to the US, I built up a freelancing customer base from zero to one that allowed me to earn a total time income. Served dozens of clients on projects from logos to hyper-realistic digital paintings.
2017, Hurricane Maria Disaster Relief, Psychological Aid
University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus
Remained behind in a state of emergency to provide full-time psychological and material aid to the victims of Hurricane Maria in underserved and remote communities.
2012- 2017, Behavioral Psychology Researcher
University of Puerto Rico, Cayey Campus
Published author as a primary researcher and dozens as secondary on themes ranging from industrial psychology to government user experience to the effects of racism on perceptions of technology.
Education
Masters in Academic and Research Psychology
University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus
B.A. Psychology and Community Mental Health
Minor in Organizational Sociology and Anthropology
University of Puerto Rico, Cayey Campus
Certificates
Google UX Design Certificate
Google, Coursera
Business in Society Certificate
Harvard Business School
Multidisciplinary Approaches in Psychology Research, Mental Health Research, and Mindfulness
University of Cantabria, Spain
Skills
Product Design, Project Management, UI Design, UX Design, Web Design, Mobile & App Design, Customer Psychology, Visual Design, Wireframing, Prototyping, Branding, Feature Translation, Design Systems, Design Thinking, Design Strategy, User Research, User Flow Analysis, Moderated and Unmoderated Usability Research, User Research Data Analysis, Task Analysis, Exploratory Research, Engineering Handoffs, SPSS, basic HTML and CSS
Tools
Figma, Webflow, Zeplin, InDesign, Sketch, Procreate, Invision, Miro, Krita, Photoshop, Trello, Notion, Adobe Cloud, AdobeXD, Illustrator
Publications
Vázquez, L.; Castillo, J. (2017) An encounter between art-therapy and psychiatric patients. Interdisciplinary Researches. University of Puerto Rico.
Castro, V.; Vázquez, L.; Serrano, V.; Saldaña, K. (2017) University access in communities with low socio-economic resources. Interdisciplinary Researches. University of Puerto Rico.
Godreau, I.; Franco, M.; Vázquez, L.; Díaz-Colón, F.; Dominicci, H.; Ortiz, M.; Sánchez, A. (2017) Skin color, racism and health in Puerto Rico. Interdisciplinary Researches. University of Puerto Rico.
Maldonado, G.; Vázquez, L. (2017) Effects of meditation practices on depression symptoms, anxiety and stress levels in university students. Interdisciplinary Researches. University of Puerto Rico.
Maldonado, G.; Vázquez, L. (2017) Final results on the exploratory study on perceptions, attitudes, and knowledge towards the person with disabilities. Interdisciplinary Researches. Cayey.
Vázquez, L.; Vázquez, V. (2016) Social struggles, activism and leadership in La Perla community in Old San Juan. Symposium of Interdisciplinary Researches. University of Puerto Rico.
Vázquez L.; Caraballo, J. (2016) Gender constructions in Wiccan and Pagan religions. Interdisciplinary Researches. University of Puerto Rico.
Vázquez, L.; Castro, V. (2016) Learning a second language through games in adolescents with low socio-economic resources. Interdisciplinary Researches. University of Puerto Rico.
Awards
2021: Rising Talent on Upwork
2019: Top 3% on Toptal
2018: MAVA Innovation Award
2018: National Chamber of Commerce Innovative Small Business Award 2018: WeWork Creator Award - Arts
Contact
email - luzcristal1498@gmail.com