About
About Title
Hi! My name is Magda and I'm a UX/UI Designer and Frontend Web Developer, with 7 years of experience in the IT field and a background in Communication. This unique combination allows me to create user-centered digital products that are accessible and capable of effectively communicating key messages while aligning with business goals.
When I was a child, I dreamed of being an artist, especially in the fields of Visual and Performing Arts. In my teenage years, I became interested in Writing, Photography, and Video. However, during that time, I ended up being distanced from both the Arts and Technology, and in high school, I chose the Humanities field.
At the age of 18, I enrolled at the Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa to study Communication Sciences with the aim of pursuing a career in Audiovisual and Multimedia. It was also that year that I had my first contact with the Internet and created my first blog for a course assignment. In the following years, I had several blogs and began to take an interest in digital technology.
In my final year of my degree, journalism caught my attention, leading me to pursue this field. In 2012, I began my career as a digital journalist at the Portuguese News Network, a media outlet dedicated to Portuguese-speaking communities. For over two years, I wrote news, interviews and features on Politics, Diplomacy, Security, Defence and Society.
Through journalism, I learned to communicate clearly and concisely. I developed essential skills such as research, active listening, critical thinking and conducting interviews, which have proven to be fundamental in my career as a UX/UI Designer. In addition, my experience in the newsroom taught me how to work under pressure and meet strict deadlines, reinforcing my time management and organizational skills.
During my undergraduate studies and the beginning of my professional life, I had the opportunity to attend drama, singing and classical guitar classes for four years. In addition, I participated in an amateur improvisational theater group and was an extra in a soap opera. These experiences were crucial for developing skills such as improvisation, creativity, concentration and teamwork.
In 2015, after completing a postgraduate degree in Journalism at ISCTE, I realized that I needed a new direction. Although I loved writing, I felt that I wanted something different, but I didn't know exactly what. I dedicated the following year to exploring several free online courses and developing personal projects in the digital area, such as blogs and pages on social media.
In early 2016, a problem with a blog about photography and journalism led me to learn HTML, and then CSS and JavaScript. During that time, I fell in love with Digital Marketing, Web Design and Web Development. I discovered that I wanted to work in an area that involved creativity, communication, technology and innovation, allowing me to carry out several projects simultaneously and always be learning.
Between 2016 and 2017, I took a Web Design course at LSD, where I had classes on Design, Programming and Web Marketing. During this period, I also worked as a freelancer in Digital Marketing. As a Digital Marketer, I learned how to analyze user behavior and create effective communication strategies. In addition, I developed skills such as autonomy and project management.
Less than a month after completing my Web Design course, I began my internship as a Web Designer at Creative Minds, a communications and marketing agency. For five years, I worked as a Web Designer and Developer, developing projects for over 50 clients in the public and private sectors, both B2B and B2C. I worked in several industries, creating everything from websites and e-commerce to landing pages and email marketing campaigns.
At Creative Minds I have worked with a wide range of clients, from brands that were being created to renowned companies, such as Corrida Sempre Mulher, Galbilec, Galp, Instituto de Implantologia, LT Créditos, Ministério da Administração Interna, PO ISE, Porto de Aveiro, Porto da Figueira da Foz, Portugal INCoDe.2030, SA Formação, Sensa Caffe, Schneider Electric, Tlantic, TPF Consultores, Universidade Católica, Worten, Xiaomi, among others.
With this experience, I had the opportunity to collaborate with multidisciplinary teams and develop several projects simultaneously. In addition, I improved skills such as creativity, problem-solving, attention to detail, communication and adaptation to different contexts.
In the summer of 2021, I led the Web Design and Development team at Creative Minds, made up of Frontend, Backend, Mobile and WordPress Development professionals. This experience allowed me to develop leadership and negotiation skills, as well as teaching me that leading a team requires not only technical skills, but also empathy, patience and self-awareness.
During the five years I was at Creative Minds, I attended two courses: one in Full-Stack Web Development at FLAG, from 2019 to 2020, and another in UX/UI Design at EDIT, in 2022. In the Full-Stack course, I stood out as one of the best students. At EDIT, I had the opportunity to develop three group projects and one project for a real client, collaborating in a multidisciplinary team.
Over the past two years, I have been primarily focused on UX/UI Design, developing a variety of products including websites, e-commerce platforms, portals, landing pages, and web and mobile applications. Currently, I am dedicated to creating accessible and intuitive digital solutions that are user-centric and aligned with business objectives.
Since 2023, I have been working as a UX/UI Designer at Nowday, a small technology consultancy, where I am the only designer on the team. This experience has allowed me to improve essential skills such as autonomy, confidence, communication, critical thinking and problem-solving.
During the first year and a half at Nowday, I worked as an outsourced UX/UI Designer at Quantico Solutions, a software and hardware company. I was involved in several projects for public administration, such as websites, portals and web applications for AICEP, Comunidade Intermunicipal do Médio Tejo, Instituto Português do Sangue e da Transplantação and Turismo de Portugal.
In my free time, I dedicate myself to developing personal projects and I am a mentor in the Geek Girls Portugal mentoring program, where I help other women grow in the IT field. In addition, I am always looking to learn more, through courses, books, webinars and podcasts.