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Based in FloridaDesign · Research · CS BackgroundCurrently at Nextdoor
About me

Designer.Builder by nature.

I've always loved design and technology and found a way to bring them together. CS grad from the University of Florida.I build products for real people and stay curious because the moment you feel done learning, you've stopped growing. That drive to keep figuring things out is what keeps the work honest.

See my workResume ↗
Portrait of Soraya Sardine
Bella the ragdoll cat lounging and looking at the camera
Bella, my ragdoll cat
Ice cream at my favorite spot
Favorite spot
Pop Mart blind box collection
Blind box era
Ramen run
Ramen run
Working at Nextdoor
At Nextdoor
Claw machine fun
Claw machine hunter
Graduation photo at the University of Florida
University of Florida · BS Computer Science

Where it started

CS gave me the foundation. Design gave me the direction.

I studied Computer Science at the University of Florida but I was always drawn to the human side of technology. How does this actually feel to use? Who is it really for? What happens when something goes wrong?

Those questions led me to design. The CS background never went away. It just became the thing that makes me a different kind of designer. I think in systems, I speak engineering, and I know what's actually possible before I put it in a prototype.

Experience

September 2025 to PresentPart-time · Remote

Nextdoor

Product Designer

Designing across desktop and mobile for millions of neighbors. After my internship I moved into a part-time role on the SEO team, focused on how people discover and engage with neighborhood content. Research-first every time.

May 2025 to August 2025Internship · San Francisco

Nextdoor

Product Design Intern

Designed the weather alert banner surfacing hyperlocal updates to improve registrations and good visit rate from SEO traffic. Built a scalable photo and video grid system and standardized top navigation in the Blocks 3.0 design system.

Nextdoor design intern cohort group photo
June 2024 to August 2024Internship · San Francisco

Udemy

Product Design Intern, Growth and Conversion

Led audit and competitive analysis of passwordless authentication, identifying 12 friction points and 10 improvement strategies. Collaborated with engineering, product, and research to prototype optimized login flows achieving 90% passwordless success rate.

First day at Udemy holding welcome sign

Skills

Design & Research
Where I spend most of my time and feel most at home.
User Research
Figma
Design Systems
Journey Mapping
Prototyping
Wireframing
Competitive Analysis
Technical & Tools
The CS background makes me a different kind of designer.
HTML & CSS
JavaScript
Python
SQL
Also in my toolkit
Figma MakeProcreateMiroIllustratorPhotoshopCanvaClaudeLoveableFigJam

How I work

I dig before I design

Research isn't a phase I get through. It's the part I actually love. I want to understand what's really happening before I design anything.

Curiosity doesn't clock out

I'm always learning, always finding new paths. New places, new ideas, new problems. It all feeds the work and keeps it honest.

Life and work feed each other

The best ideas come from actually living. Getting outside, finding new places, making things for fun. That's just where creativity lives for me.