Pia Zaragoza

Education
I have a master’s degree in Interactive Technology (ITP) from New York University. From 2012 - 2014, I studied the intersections of design, research, engineering, and computer science. I’m well-versed with artificial intelligence and machine learning. I conducted advanced research on computer vision in the Movement Lab at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences led by Dr. Chris Bregler. In 2014, I had the opportunity to be a visiting researcher in the Civic Media group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab.

My thesis on emerging technologies for emergency response and disaster management became a startup, Lifeline Drones, that received pre-seed funding from New York University and UNICEF Innovation. I completed additional coursework in Interaction Design at Parsons Paris, the Life Sciences at the University of California Berkeley Law, and Venture Capital at Harvard Extension. I have a certificate in Strengths-Based Management from Stanford School of Continuing Education.

Inclusive Design
My grandmother taught me everything I know about inclusive design. She was a furniture designer who made it her mission to consider the needs of people of all abilities. As seen in the photo, she considered every interaction a person might have down to the birthday candles and did everything to ensure accessibility. This transcended into the work that I did as the Vice President of Accessibility Research and Insights at JP Morgan Chase and a White House Presidential Innovation Fellow.

Teaching
Springboard was founded in 2013 by Gautam Tambay and Parul Gupta. I came onboard in March of 2016 and have been a User Interface / User Experience Mentor ever since. I meet weekly with 3 - 6 students to review course readings, assignment, and portfolios. I’ve had over 350+ students throughout the years that have gone onto work at large tech companies and government agencies.

Since August 2023, I’ve been an Adjunct Professor in the Graduate Interaction Design Program at the California College of the Arts. I teach courses on the Foundations of Interaction Design, Systems Design, and Experience Design. I’ve been a juror for the 2024 California College of the Arts Impact Awards and the 2024 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.