Sara Martinez Sosnowski
Bilingual Innovation Facilitator | Award Winning AI Product Designer | Founder of Real Labs Studio | Local Leader @IxDF
- Role
- User Experience Lead Designer at Cisco
- Location
- Raleigh, NC, US
- LinkedIn followers
- 500 followers
About Sara Martinez Sosnowski
I don\'t just translate words between English and Spanish. I translate ideas, business cultures, and innovation methodologies.When your Latin American team says \"sí\" in a meeting, do you know whether they mean \"yes, I agree,\"\"yes, I heard you,\" or \"yes, but I disagree and won\'t say so in front of others\"? That kind of nuance makes or breaks cross-border innovation.I\'m the founder of Real Lab Studio, a bilingual innovation facilitation studio serving US and Latin American teams. We run workshops, sprints, and facilitation programs that help cross-cultural teams solve real problems together, using human-centered design combined with modern AI tools.What I bring to the table:→ 20+ years of Fortune 500 product and UX experience (Cisco, Hasbro, CBS Interactive, MovieTickets.com)→ Award-winning Design Thinking Champion (Design Innovation Global, 2022)→ Founder of Design Thinking RTP, a 740+ member practitioner community→ IDEO U certified in Human Centered Service Design & Activating Strategy→ Native Spanish speaker, fully bilingual facilitatorI work with three kinds of teams:• US companies expanding into Latin America who need facilitation that works across cultures• LatAm innovation leaders who want to build credibility with global stakeholders• Cross-border teams stuck in translation gaps - not just linguistic, but culturalIf your team is smart but stuck, and the problem isn\'t talent - it\'s alignment. Let\'s talk. Download the free AI Enhanced UX Process Framework: https://deft-maker-7557.kit.com/a5b2de69d3 | reallab.studio
Experience
User Experience Lead Designer
Nov 2024 — Present · Raleigh, NC, US
As a UX Lead Designer, I drive impactful design initiatives through mentorship, strategic thinking, and collaboration. As part of my role, I facilitate workshops and recommend effective methods such as user journey mapping, service blueprinting, empathy mapping, and problem statement definition to ensure user-centric solutions. These efforts are combined with data-driven design and UX metrics to inform decisions and measure impact.I leverage my expertise in design thinking and user research methodologies, including conducting interviews, concept testing, and prototyping, to address user needs and business objectives. I play a key role in designing scalable educational platforms, creating reusable components, and contributing to a centralized design library aligned with Cisco U.\'s branding guidelines.Collaboration is at the heart of my role, working closely with product managers, engineers, program managers, and cross-functional teams to align design strategies with technical and business goals. I actively participate in stakeholder meetings, provide visual design recommendations, and ensure cohesive branding. Additionally, I foster growth within the team by giving constructive feedback and mentoring junior designers, empowering them to excel in their roles.My contributions enhance the user experience, improve team processes, and ensure the delivery of innovative, high-quality design solutions that meet Cisco\'s standards for excellence.
Education
Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale
Associate, Interactive Design
2001 — 2004
Universidad Francisco Marroquín
MIS, Management Information Systems
1997 — 2000
Universidad Galileo
Post Degree, Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications
2000 — 2001
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