Maite is an experienced design researcher. With a background in anthropology and design, she makes sure we have a deep understanding of the people we design for, their contexts and ensures we keep them at the centre of every step of the design process.

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Maite enjoys approaching wicked problems using applied ethnographic methods and systems thinking, and finding design opportunities to tackle them. She believes research is a fundamental part of the design process, so she always looks for ways to keep a balance between a project’s needs or constraints and gathering relevant insights that will help create better design.

A love for research

Her passion for design research started back in the mid 2000s during her design degree. At the time, she discovered she was fascinated by the ways people engage with design and the impact it can have on their lives. A few years later, her curiosity took her to London to expand her knowledge and explore new perspectives by doing an MSc in Digital Anthropology at UCL.

Before joining Clearleft, Maite worked for over 10 years as a design researcher in different countries of Latin America and Europe. She was involved in a broad range of projects from physical to digital and lots in between. Also, she has academic experience as an associate instructor of anthropology and design in a top university in her native country of Chile.

Away from the studio

Outside of work, Maite spends as much time as she can being in nature, walking, and exploring. New to Brighton, she enjoys discovering interesting spots in the city and its surroundings (with a newly found suspicion of seagulls). She always makes time to read.