Nanda Dias
experience & strategic designer
Hi, I’m Nanda Dias — a human-centered designer with 15+ years of experience navigating change, emerging tech, and the occasional design tool update that breaks everything right before a deadline.
While AI is sprinting ahead (and writing its own bios), I’m here to remind you that humans still bring the empathy, curiosity, and creative judgment that machines can’t replicate (yet). Especially when a design sprint calls more for coffee than sticky notes.
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 fueled my love for expressive design and continuous learning through both traditional and emerging technologies.
Later, 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 energize 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.
Now I’ve taken on a new challenge as a Product Design Lead in the medical device field at Fresenius Medical Care. It’s completely outside my comfort zone—and exactly where I want to be. I’m learning fast and building tools that support nurses and patients in real healthcare environments. It’s a reminder that the best design work often starts with not knowing, listening well, and caring deeply.
I’ve worked 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.”
Source: SAP Design Thinking Diagram
“Living and working across cultures taught me to be more aware of unconscious biases, and made me a more empathetic designer.”
Principles I Design by:
I’ve seen firsthand how design can mean different things in different places—and how powerful it is to evangelize user-centered design across diverse teams, environments, and communication styles.
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:
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
IELTS Academic (C1) | Cambridge University
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.
SONIC ENDEAVOURS
Music and sound collages are some of my favourite creative exercises. Exploring the auditory sense helps creating a balance considering my always attentive visual perception. I have done some experiments with field recordings, home made vocals and composed them using Ableton Live, Audacity and simple mobile apps (remix minus; DM1; iMaschine, Figure and Tabletop). Learning how to mix with vinyls has been also a fun activity after a long day of work. On a daily basis, I've been listening to my best focus mates, a.k.a mixtapes.
knowledge sharing
The impact of UX Maturity in your UX ROI | 11.2020 I UX Summit Brazil
The Future of Sustainability in our workplaces | workshop moderation 10.2020 I Adalovelace Festival
The Impact of Unconscious Bias in Product Development 04.2020 I Global Business Women’s Network SAP
The Importance of DesignOps in Successful Products 03.2019 | UXDX BERLIN.
Conversational AI – The Trends and the Evolution of UX 04.2018 | SAP Innovation Center Network [Potsdam]
Diversity Impact on Innovation 12.2017 | Berlin UI/UX Designers Meetup.
Agile vs Design Thinking. 10.2017 | SAP Innovation Center Network [Potsdam]
Step and Play! Space as Interface in the Context of Location-Based Musical Album Apps. 10.2014. ACM Conference Audio Mostly [Aalborg, Denmark]