Nanda Dias

Hi, I’m Nanda Dias, a human-centred designer with 17+ years of experience navigating change and emerging tech. I thrive at the intersection of curiosity and courage, exploring how emerging technologies, art, and design can enhance human connection, fairness, and well-being. These two core values keep me exploring unknowns: new fields, cities, technologies, with genuine fascination. I seek expressive, sensory, and aesthetic dimensions in my work: beauty, fairness, and human connection are my best known nurturers. Aesthetic, experience and understanding new technologies are core to my work, as their impact in human behaviours and interactions will help me better shape new products.

I led UX efforts at SAP, designing sustainability-focused products such as SAP Product Footprint Management and SAP Sustainability Control Tower. My work ranged from conducting research and developing design systems to mentoring designers and embedding UX into innovation and business strategy. I also launched and led Design Hub Berlin—an internal initiative aimed at connecting designers working in isolated product teams, sharing best practices, and inviting external speakers to energise our design culture and build community. This experience offered tremendous learning opportunities, including collaborating with key figures like Arin Bhowmick, SAP’s Chief Design Officer.

Earlier this year, I stepped into a role in a completely new field: the medical care, in Fresenius Medical Care Data Solutions. It was a fascinating detour that taught me a lot about resilience and teamwork. But when things stop feeling like the right fit, it is time to redesign the plan. I realised my natural habitat is in agile environments where ownership and creativity actually move things forward. Then I did what designers do best: I reframed the problem. I wrapped up that chapter and took a short career pause, to re-think my next steps.

Last October, I was invited to join the d.MBA a program for design leaders and experts who want to bridge design and business. The program is helping me refresh my views in product design strategy connecting to business fast-paced landscapes. I feel ready to take on new challenges where design drives real impact.

In my early career, I collaborated with several creative teams and agencies before co-founding a design studio in Rio alongside two university friends and three former professors. After relocating abroad—living in London, Dessau, Bremen and Berlin—I immersed myself in startup environments where I learned quickly, adapted even faster, and helped transform rough ideas into products people genuinely wanted to use. I’ve worked across nine industries, spanning startups to global enterprises and B2C to B2B. Along the way, I discovered a passion for mentoring, leading workshops on experimental typography and musical album apps as side projects. These experiences fuelled my love for expressive design and continuous learning through both traditional and emerging technologies.

After working across nine industries in both B2C and B2B contexts, across continents, time zones, and cultures. This global experience has shaped how I approach collaboration, inclusion, and problem-solving with empathy at the core.

“Bold ideas welcome. Assumptions? Checked early and often.”

“Living and working across cultures taught me to be more aware of unconscious biases, and made me a more empathetic designer.”

From startups to consultancies to enterprise ecosystems, I’ve learned to adapt and uncover what each context needs. I’ve seen Agile and Design Thinking both spark and clash, and I’ve leaned into those tensions to foster better collaboration. Leading design thinking workshops and coaching camps at SAP taught me how to manage group dynamics, handle conflict, and keep creative momentum alive.

As an expat, I’ve also been part of broader conversations around diversity in tech, through talks, meetups, and workshops that have not only shaped my perspective, but reminded me how community empowers critical thinking and collective growth.

Learning, Research & Play

I hold a Master of Science in Digital Media from Universität Bremen, where I researched interaction design in the music industry and created a location-based album app as part of my thesis. I also explored strategy game design to teach sustainability, because serious topics deserve creative formats. My Bachelor's in Industrial Design – Visual Communication was completed at Estácio de Sá University in Rio de Janeiro.

I’ve continued to sharpen my craft through certifications and learning experiences, including:

• d.MBA

• Lean UX & Agile, UX Leadership, Stakeholder Engagement, Measuring ROI | Nielsen Norman Group

• Design Thinking Coach Training | SAP

• Designing for Change | IDEO U

• SAFe Agile Training
  

What fuels me

Creativity is my compass, sometimes sparked by a long walk by the sea, sometimes by a fresh recipe, a new city, or a dusty record on a turntable. I recharge through yoga, sketching, live music, or sharing ideas in thought-provoking conversations.

Whether I’m building products, mentoring teams, or shaping UX strategy, I care about designing with intention, always aiming for work that’s meaningful, inclusive, and a little unexpected. Let’s build something that matters—together.