Why work with me
One person,
One person,
several disciplines, more handoffs.
I've shipped digital products end to end for more than 25 years, keeping strategy, design and execution in the same hands.
I've shipped digital products end to end for more than 25 years, keeping strategy, design and execution in the same hands.
Digital products rarely fail because of a lack of talent. They fail because strategy, design, technology and business goals become disconnected. Every handoff adds friction, slows decisions and increases the risk of losing the original vision.
I work differently. I bring together strategy, design, technology, AI and delivery into one continuous process. Instead of coordinating multiple specialists, you work with one experienced partner who understands the whole picture and helps move ideas from concept to reality.
Align vision, goals, and user needs, then shape them into interfaces people actually want.
Apply AI strategically to enhance products, workflows, and customer experiences.
Build team capabilities through hands-on training, guidance, and mentorship.
Take products from design to build to launch, with clear process and measurable results.
One process. Four connected disciplines.
I've led design and product strategy for fintech platforms, identity verification infrastructure, educational software, government systems, sports betting infrastructure, and community-first products — partnering with teams across Europe and Latin America to build products that scale.
They hire me because strategy, design and execution stay connected from the first conversation to the final product.
They inform each other from the start, not after the fact.
Design and execution stay in the same hands, so the product matches the intent.
Strategy, design, engineering and AI, held by one person from the first idea to the last release.
I stay close to the work. I design interfaces, write code, shape strategy and ship products. You're working directly with the person making the decisions, not through layers of management.
A dedicated feature interview on building solo as a team of one — covering OneLoop, AI, and shipping products. Published February 2026.
Read articleA full interview on building and shipping apps solo — a deep-dive into the "team of one" model and solopreneur journey.
Read articleFeatured as one of 8 design experts on UI design fundamentals — on one of the most authoritative platforms in the design industry.
Read articleFeatured alongside industry peers sharing best practices for mobile app user experience.
Read articleQuoted as a prototyping strategy expert on one of the most recognized tools in the design industry.
Read articleSold everything, packed two suitcases, and built a design career across 11 countries.
Read article"Karla is a professional and energetic UX/UI expert who is fun to work with. She is fast, precise, organized and can quickly research, ideate and deliver. Everyone at IDnow likes Karla on the team and her positivity is contagious."
"Genuine UX expert is the phrase that comes to my mind when I think about Karla. Her design thinking and ability to push projects in the right direction helped us get a different view on UX design processes. Karla earns my highest recommendation."
"Karla's expertise helped the engineering team achieve several milestones decisive for the success of IDnow products. During a 2-year collaboration we tackled the design system automations and adapted the UI to the latest trends."
"As the UI/UX designer, Karla demonstrated a deep understanding of our technical limitations, which helped us achieve the best possible result working closely together without sacrificing the overall style and idea."
"Karla joined when the company was growing really fast and the workload was huge. She was extremely helpful in organizing processes, determining priorities and timelines. It was great to have her on the team!"
"Karla has taken a leading role in recreating our website for Sportradar's Managed Trading Services. She brought in her extraordinary skills and knowledge in UX design and showed us many opportunities for improvement."
"Karla's assistance enabled us to seamlessly showcase our white label product to customers with their own branding, allowing us to validate proposals and demonstrate how our product integrates seamlessly with theirs, resulting in increased sales and partnerships."
"Karla's guidance has been incredible for my design process. Her design work is always impressive, and her approach is truly inspiring to me."
"I recommend Karla to anyone looking to push themselves. She set the bar high and held me to it and I'm really grateful I got to learn from her."
"I don't know if I could have completed the course without Karla's support. Her enthusiasm, positivity and encouragement helped increase my confidence when I needed it most."
"Karla mentored me in UX for 8 weeks. I came away with two high quality portfolio pieces, and the confidence to progress in my career by myself."
"Karla is a talented designer who brings current industry knowledge to her mentoring. She helped me uncover improvements I would have otherwise not thought of."
"Our weekly calls enhanced my time management, communication, and presentation skills. After graduating, I secured my first job in the industry."
Lucerne
Brazilian, found my heart's home among Switzerland's mountains and lakes.
Global Perspective
Embracing diverse traditions and experiences from around the world.
Digital Nomad
Worked from anywhere while living in 20+ cities across 11 countries since 2011.
Proud Polyglot
Navigating life through six languages and diverse cultures.
Walking Learner
Enjoying nature strolls with good company or listening to podcasts and audiobooks.
Bike Lover
Exploring scenic routes and picnics with my husband on two wheels.
Kitchen Explorer
Cooking everything from grandma's Brazilian recipes to Michelin-starred techniques.
Hands-On Creator
Exploring pottery, quilling, paper crafts, and drawing beyond digital work.
Music Fan
Tried violin and guitar, always enjoying classical concerts and soundtracks.
Mindful Recharger
Finding inspiration in spa retreats, and binging Netflix to language-learning.
Design is most effective when users don't notice it. The best interfaces feel natural and intuitive.
Unlimited budgets often lead to bloated products. Thoughtful constraints force smarter decisions.
Simple isn't easy — it requires deep thinking, testing, and ruthless refinement to get right.
Mastery of tools matters, but obsessing over the latest software distracts from what actually matters: shipping products that solve real problems.
Graphic Design
Learned print design on the job using Adobe Pagemaker & Corel Draw. Crafted magazines, newspapers & flyers from scratch.
Web Design
When the internet launched in Brazil, curiosity led me to create designs for the web at a small publicity agency in a team of four.
Programming
Learned Pascal, Delphi, ASP, PHP while earning my Computer Technician degree. Built my first Windows software and a bunch of Flash websites.
CMS Development
Left agency life to build government websites with WordPress and Plone. Learned Python and Zope while creating products from scratch to launch.
Front-end Development
Reached the top of my game with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The Holy Trinity! This expertise earned me a fancy new title.
Responsive Revolution
Bootstrap arrived and lit everything on fire! Mastered responsive web design while learning new CMS's like Joomla and Drupal.
Global Perspective
Left Brazil to find my profession had evolved everywhere. Cultural experiences across Argentina, France, Germany and Morocco taught me more than just design.
Digital Upgrade
Feeling behind, I refreshed my skills with a Nanodegree at Udacity and ended up working for them in São Paulo.
Design Evolution
Left Adobe behind to fall in love with Sketch. Got my first European certification for UX/UI Design and Voice Design. Bought some voice assistants right away.
No-code Era
Discovering that Figma plus no-code tools allowed me to create native apps was the confirmation I'd made the right choice.
No-code + AI Power
No-code became supercharged with AI. Expanding into copywriting, image generation, audio, video. Now easier than ever to create your own products.
Your product idea, my execution skills. For founders, solopreneurs, and teams ready to ship something real.
25 years of expertise, yours for an hour. Design, apps, strategy, or whatever's blocking you.
Watch the full process zero to live. Build yours with the same AI tools. In your private 1:1, we review your work, unblock what's stuck, or improve what's almost ready.
"I had a Figma draft sitting unfinished for months. I shipped it. For the first time in my life I am actually excited about building my portfolio." — Camille Dufresne, Senior Product Designer
You have a vision.
I can help build it. Let's talk.
