Mariana Salgado | Value of a designer in designing for participation | #50

UX Research Geeks

Mariana discusses her work in participatory design, focusing on immigration policies and public services in Finland. She shares how designers can improve public policy creation, support inclusive dialogues, and turn data into practical outcomes.

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🔎 Do you want to know more? Check out this episode at:

https://www.uxtweak.com/podcast/mariana-salgado-designing-for-participation/

Episode highlights

• 00:02:30 – Mariana’s move to Finland
• 00:05:11 – Using participatory design in Helsinki’s urban development
• 00:10:45 – Designers’ role in shaping public policies
• 00:20:28 – Participatory design in public services

About our guest Mariana Salgado

Mariana Salgado is a senior designer and researcher specializing in service and interaction design with a focus on participatory methods. She produces and hosts Diseño y Diáspora, a podcast on design for social change in Spanish, Portuguese, and English, with 570 episodes and 6,000 monthly listeners, making it the most popular design podcast in Latin America. Currently, Mariana works as a service designer at ICOS ERIC, contributing to the EU project IRISCC.

Her career includes leading Inland Design, a Finnish innovation lab for immigration services, and collaborating on cultural heritage, global health, and participatory projects with diverse communities. Mariana has also worked as a researcher, lecturer, and co-founder of a design studio.

🔎 Where to follow Mariana

LinkedIn / Podcast

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