Hi! :)

I'm Irene, a human-centered designer from Brazil, now living in Vancouver. I come from a Japanese family and love traveling, color and storytelling.

 

Being very interested in art since my youth, I used to participate in drawing contests and expositions. During middle school, I was granted an illustration course full-scholarship, by winning an international competition organized by Japan and ABRADEMI. I've worked as an artist at Lightstar Studios' Rio 2096, the first Brazilian animation to win the Annecy Crystal Award for Best Feature, while studying architecture in college.

​

Coming from a background in architecture and project management, I'm able to design experiences in a wide range of scales and complexity. That's how I transitioned into UX/UI and interaction design. Back in Brazil, I worked as a lead product designer at startup Medtime: creating a digital platform for medical management, developed for Hospital das Clínicas, the largest hospital complex in Latin America. 

​

I love games, and whenever possible I engage myself in side-projects. I took part in Planetary Plan C, awarded as one of the 10 best games of IGDA Global Jam 2011. Recently, I was the creative designer for Lazuli, a prosocial Venture Project, presented at Games for Change Festival 2020.

 

I moved to Vancouver to pursue my Master's degree in Digital Media, at the Centre for Digital Media. Since then, I obtained a Certification in Google Design Sprint 2.0 and collaborated on innovative projects for clients such as the Museum of Vancouver and Unity Technologies. I'm currently working together with startup Stillaton, crafting a biofeedback-based app to improve mental health.