Hi, I’m Alla (she/her). I design holistic human-centric experiences for IoT-connected products to drive product innovation and user-centric culture. I also have a passion and experience for building and leading high-performing design teams and evangelizing efficient design processes.
I help to establish a design culture that connects people to make connected products more human-centric. I’m deeply passionate about integrating user-centered design and systems thinking into a design-driven product development process. I see this as the best way to create meaningful products that users love and that help make their lives more convenient and secure.
I'm currently leading Product Design for Security Connected Products at Fortune Brands Innovations. In this role, I focus on shaping the best smart security and safety experiences for users across our key brands, including Master Lock and Yale and August.
Things I love
Books that shape my thinking
Reading is a form of meditation for me. I read a few books at the same time and keep a thoughtfully curated list to track my favorite reads. My interests span across subjects such as design, business, entrepreneurship, leadership, people management, self-management, performance, longevity, and health.
Listening to podcasts about longevity, performance, science, and entrepreneurship serves as a powerful source of motivation for me to prioritize self-care and consistently operate at my optimal level. Among my current favorites are:
The rituals that keep me centered
Movement that grounds me
I recently discovered tennis, and it's been great for staying consistent and grounded. Every time I'm on the court, it's a powerful reminder that every skill requires time, effort, and dedication to both build and maintain.
Tools that keep me intentional
I’m very intentional with my time and I keep my 4K weeks poster in my home office as a daily reminder to live a life of purpose and meaning.
I always wear a WHOOP—my quiet assistant and one of my favorite smart connected devices that helps me monitor, understand, and improve my health, performance, and habits.
I believe that great products are built through the collective efforts of great teams. I like collecting different practices and tools that foster collaborative dynamics and help build high-performing teams.
My small collection of remote team-building games and templates for design workshops is published as templates in Figma Community.
Contributions to
the design community
Quick and effective warm-up activity to get everyone into a collaborative spirit and to explore unconventional social interactions. For remote and in-person play.
Wolves and Sheep is an exercise in cooperative competition. Each turn, choose: are you a Wolf or a Sheep? The survival of the group depends on what everyone picked.
The Lean UX Canvas is a tool that can be used as a practical guide to understand the current scenario of business and user needs. It also helps in creating hypotheses to validate via research.
Modding Tic-Tac-Toe is a great exercise for a remote team-building activity. Take a classic game of Tic-Tac-Toe, change some rules, and see what happens. An introduction to modifying, designing, and communicating systems.
Certification & Training
Entrepreneurship Essentials
Harvard Business School Online
Issued June 2024
This certificate program, designed and taught by William Sahlman, introduced me to a framework—People, Opportunity, Context, Deal—to evaluate opportunities, manage start-ups, and finance ventures.
Power and Influence for Positive Impact
Harvard Business School Online
Issued June 2024
This certificate program, designed and taught by Julia Battilana, helped me understand how power works and how to develop the power to make a positive impact within professional relationships, organizations, and society.
Listening Deeply, Foundational Course and Live Practice Group, by Indi Young
Completed April 2024
This program, designed and taught by Indi Young, introduced me to a framework and techniques for understanding a person’s interior cognition to develop cognitive empathy that allows finding patterns that will reveal gaps and inclusive, intentional direction for design and business decisions.
Negotiation Mastery
Harvard Business School Online
Issued August 2023
This certificate program, designed and taught by Michael Wheeler, helped me to learn strategies for forging agreements, resolving disputes, and cultivating interpersonal skills essential to productive working relationships.
Strategy Execution
Harvard Business School Online
Issued April 2023
This certificate program, designed and taught by Robert Simons, introduced me to the tools and frameworks on how to allocate resources, measure performance, manage risk, and successfully implement strategy.
Leadership Principles
Harvard Business School Online
Issued November 2022
This certificate program, designed and taught by Joshua Margolis and Anthony Mayo, introduced me to the fundamental work of leadership: how to unleash the potential in others and cultivate high-performing teams.