My design approach

In a perfect world, I follow a user-centered design process.

❤️ Understand
💡 Ideate
✏️ Design
🔨 Implement

But real projects aren't perfect, and that's alright. I'm good at identifying and slicing user value to ship impactful work in lots of different environments.

Special skills + experience

I've been fortunate to work and learn in a wide variety of spaces. These are some highlights. Please reach out for my full resume.

Design system management

I multiply the impact of design work through great systems.

  • Led design system creation multiple times across different departments and platforms.
  • Collaborated cross-functionally with product managers, engineers, and designers to ensure seamless integration of design systems across all product experiences.
  • Maintained design systems by continuously evaluating and enhancing elements based on user feedback and evolving needs.
  • Advocated for adoption through example by actively utilizing and evolving design systems in real projects.
Neat

Design prototyping with code

I build out dynamic prototypes using front-end code for efficient, high‑confidence user testing and faster design iteration.

  • Improved interaction quality by building and testing in real-world environments.
  • Reduced costs of implementing designs by iterating and validating before development handoff.
  • Accelerated development timelines by handing off production-quality front-end code.

Accessibility

Good design is for everyone. I strive to broaden the reach of work by designing inclusive experiences.

  • Expanded accessibility by building best practices directly into design systems.
  • Met strict WCAG requirements while leading design on a SaaS video hosting platform in the education space.
  • Built accessibility tools, including Check My Gradient, to remove friction when designing accessible experiences.

Standard skills

I enjoy learning new things, so this list is always growing. But I have a good handle on all the fundamentals.

Design

  • Figma
  • Illustrator / Adobe CC
  • Prototyping
  • UI/UX

Research

  • A/B testing
  • User interviews

Code

  • HTML
  • CSS
  • GIT/GitHub
  • JavaScript
  • React
  • CLIs
  • Structured data

Other

  • Insect identification
  • Generative AI
  • Mentoring

Endorsements

It's pretty taboo to brag in the Midwest. Luckily, these talented folks have some nice things to say about me.
  • I highly recommend Dario for any product design role. He's great at working in different environments and on different platforms. Dario is one of the most talented visual designers I’ve worked with and really understands customer needs. A standout quality is that he continues to monitor and ship improvements to his work after it's shipped. He's dedicated, making sure his designs deliver real value and props up others by creating easily adoptable design systems that help other designers thrive.
    Chris Larson
    Product Manager, Spotify
  • Dario is an exceptional designer who consistently applies a user-centric approach to every product and project he engages with. During my time at TechSmith, I quickly noticed his attention to detail and passion for creating seamless, intuitive experiences. Dario excels at understanding people's needs and translating them into thoughtful, well-designed, and innovative experiences. He would make a great addition to any team!
    Emily Dallaire
    Senior Experience Researcher, Adobe

Get in touch

There's no substitute for a conversation. Please feel free to reach out.
✉️ Message Me