# Nicole S. > Lead Product Designer | B2B SaaS | Systems Thinking | Data Tools | Sustainability & Clean Tech Location: San Francisco, California, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/nicoles1 I'm a product designer with a systems mindset and a soft spot for messy, complex problems. I have a background in Design Engineering at Stanford University, I’ve worked across early-stage startups and mission-driven teams to bring structure to ambiguity—translating big ideas into products that are intuitive, scalable, and actually get used. My approach combines storytelling, systems thinking, and visual clarity. I’m just as comfortable mapping user flows and setting up design ops as crafting UI that feels sharp and purposeful. Whether building a design system from scratch, working hand-in-hand with engineers, or designing tools for deeply technical users, I bring both the zoomed-out vision and the pixel-level care. I care most about designing for impact—tools that make people’s work easier, more efficient, or more meaningful. ## Work Experience ### Lead Sustainability Designer @ Electro Scan Inc. Jan 2024 – Present | Sacramento, California, United States Sole designer responsible for end-to-end product design across mobile and web. Define the product roadmap and design timeline from scratch, translating storyboards into Figma prototypes and React-ready components. Co-built and managed a scalable Jira ticket system to streamline design-to-engineering handoff. Craft the product’s UI foundation—including design language, typography, and system components—as the first design hire, setting the visual and functional tone for the brand. ### Sustainability Intern @ Starbucks Jan 2024 – Jan 2024 | Seattle, Washington, United States - Conducted data tracking over 150 nationwide energy efficiency building mandates to support pilot projects, testing, and refining solutions. - Led a team to develop a sustainability tracking internal data tool - Published a white paper for the Department of Energy, showcasing Starbucks’ commitment to sustainability through supporting pilot projects for energy and water solution refinement ### Web Designer @ DREAM CATCHERS YOUTH ACADEMY INC Jan 2024 – Jan 2024 | Palo Alto, California, United States - Built and scaled a new EdTech website, enhancing user experience by integrating design systems and thinking, resulting in a 4.5x increase in monthly traffic resulting in increased enrollment and decreased friction between parents and the program ### Site Manager @ DREAM CATCHERS YOUTH ACADEMY INC Jan 2024 – Jan 2024 | Palo Alto, California, United States - Managed site overseeing seven Classroom Directors, set benchmarks, developed a strategy for increasing test scores using live data adjusting as we met benchmarks, met with stakeholders in the Department of Education resulting in increased test scores ### Classroom Director @ DREAM CATCHERS YOUTH ACADEMY INC Jan 2023 – Jan 2023 | Palo Alto, California, United States Led a diverse middle school classroom of 10-15 students collaborating with program staff and directors to execute impactful life skills and team-building activities. Developed and delivered social and emotional learning lessons, fostering a positive environment. Utilized data-driven decision-making for continuous improvement. Effective communication with stakeholders, showcasing strong interpersonal skills. ### Design Intern @ ojje Jan 2023 – Jan 2023 - Designed captivating, educational narratives using AI technology and Adobe Photoshop for eight stories, generated 70 unique and diverse character avatars resulting in launching a MVP for beta testing within a month -spearheaded a cross-functional initiative to integrate user feedback into design processes, significantly enhancing product usability and customer satisfaction through empathetic, user-centered design resulting in launching on the App Store ### Resident Assistant @ Stanford University Jan 2022 – Jan 2023 | Stanford, California, United States Roadmapped community standards for a vegetarian student-run co-operative housing that allowed 45 residents to hold each other accountable in a respectful, inclusive, safe, and secure community Managed administrative tasks - kitchen financial budgeting, weekly ordering of food, weekly planning collaboratively with students to help ideate ethnic and culturally meaningful dinner menus 5x per week, ### Product Design Engineering Intern @ Indrio Technologies Jan 2022 – Jan 2022 | San Jose, California, United States - Developed precise and detail-centered optical lens paths for a sensor using design thinking and CAD - Strategized and collaborated with engineers to successfully improve sensor accuracy by 18%, through testing and iteration in agile iterative response to stakeholder feedback resulting in a smaller and more efficient sensor ### Product Designer @ Hyundai Motor India Ltd. Jan 2022 – Jan 2022 - Collaborated as a UX lead on a cross-functional team to execute a sustainable car proposal, using Agile Framework - Conducted in-depth User Experience Research through ethnographic interviews with 11 users and survey data from 32 users - Presented to a 6-person international panel at Hyundai, receiving high praise for design and research methodology and winning second place in the evaluation ### Design Researcher @ Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford ( d.school ) Jan 2021 – Jan 2021 | Stanford - Conducted qualitative data analysis for 300 survey responses about post-grad education using NVIVO and Excel - Contributed key insights published in Decades of Alumni: Designing a Study on the Long-Term Impact of Design Education ### Basser Fellow @ Stanford University Jan 2020 – Jan 2020 | Stanford, California, United States - Proposed, road mapped, and executed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives to increase electric vehicle accessibility - Conducted User Experience Research using surveys, quantitative and qualitative data analysis, and ethnographic research ### Data Analyst @ Stanford University Graduate School of Education Jan 2020 – Jan 2020 | Stanford, California, United States conducted data analysis research for education equity in Canadian Universities through the Stanford Graduate School of Education. Data came from multiple Canadian Universities. communicated efficiently and frequently with teammates and supervisors conducted analysis in English and French data was compiled for future York vs. Access Copyright's appeal ### Archeology Research Assistant @ Stanford University Jan 2019 – Jan 2019 | Venice, Veneto, Italy Performed archaeobotany lab analysis at Ca' Foscari University directly alongside professors. Additionally assisted in the excavation of a new finding in the roof Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta on Torcello, data cataloged findings, and helped prepare an exhibit at the museum where it was displayed. ### Archeology Research Assistant and Field School Intern @ Stanford University Jan 2019 – Jan 2019 | Sarajevo, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina Worked directly with professors, undergraduate and graduate students from Stanford University, Reading University, Ca' Foscari University, and Ljubljana University. Excavated ancient burials and used Geographic information system (GIS), 3D modeling, data cataloging, and photography to prepare and record findings. ## Education ### Bachelor of Science - BS in Product Design Stanford University ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/nicolesalazar - Website: https://nicolesalazar.site/ --- Source: https://flows.cv/nicoles1 JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/nicoles1/resume.json Last updated: 2026-04-08