Introducing the Team- Part 3
My name is Cristina and I’m a service designer from Colombia. As SJOG’s Impact Lead, I’m involved in developing a framework to measure and report impact across all areas of the charity. Before this, I worked as a Service Designer, creating and redesigning service models to fulfil user and stakeholder needs. Service design involves understanding the bigger picture, including end-to-end solutions and user-friendly experiences.
In the Here to Help project, I serve as a user experience (UX) designer. Collaborating with platform developers, I ensure a seamless and functional user experience. My role also involves analysing data, spotting patterns, and gaining insights from the platform’s use and impact.
What I enjoy most about my job is seeing ideas come to life. From concept to a fully developed support platform, the journey has been exciting and, hopefully, impactful. We began by identifying a clear need to support autistic individuals during crisis moments that can lead to suicide. We then crafted a concept, designed the platform, created a low-fidelity prototype, tested it, and now have a fully developed support platform.
I believe this project is essential because we must raise awareness about suicide and mental health. As someone working in a charity supporting autistic individuals, I’m aware that these topics need more exposure. Our goal is to prevent people from reaching crisis points and provide safe spaces for seeking help or assisting others.
My top three skills include being detail-oriented, managing UX/UI processes, and conducting research and analysis, all useful for effective service design and impact assessment. Outside of work, I enjoy dancing, practicing yoga, spending time outdoors, museums, and sharing good food with friends and family.
An interesting fact about me is that I danced ballet for 20 years, not professionally, but I’m so passionate about it that my undergraduate final project focused on designing a business model canvas for the dance sector in Bogota.