Sarah Pagliaccio

Sarah educates at the intersection of technology, design, and the humanities. Sarah is an award-winning designer and the principal and founder of Black Pepper, a design and strategy consultancy. Sarah and her team have designed and usability tested cross-platform responsive sites, product suites, and mobile apps for B2B and B2C customers in healthcare, financial services, and not-for-profit orgs with a focus on data-driven design and designing for dignity.

Education

• MA Harvard University
• MA Boston University

Teaching Interests

Sarah believes interdisciplinary design education creates socially-aware citizens who can design a better world for us all.

She encourages students to:

• feel grounded in history while finding relevance between the past and their contemporary lives;
• design and learn from with understanding and empathy for others and embracing differences;
• develop clear communication styles and embrace the simple fact that good communication is an important component of everyday life whether it be through user interface design, research, proposal writing, presentations, creative writing, public speaking, emailing, or texting; and -accept and provide criticism gracefully.

In the classroom, Sarah shares her love for and experience in User experience design, Information architecture, Interaction design, User interface design, Design systems, Content strategy, Information Design, Design ethics, Inclusive design, Accessible design, and Shakespeare.

Research Interests

• Artificial intelligence and machine learning
• Bias in AI and ML
• Bias and harassment in the workplace generally and tech in particular
• Conversational design
• Designing for dignity
• Inclusive design
• Information design
• Shakespeare

Consulting/Practice Interests

• Design strategy
• Content strategy
• User experience design
• Information architecture
• Interaction design
• User interface design
• Design systems
• Design ethics, Inclusive design, and Accessible design

Awards and Honors

• 2012, Finalist: Best Website or App in Education, MITX Awards
• 2009, Finalist: Best Website or App in Games and Entertainment, MITX Awards
• 2008, Finalist: Best Website or App in Technology, MITX Awards
• 2008, Six Most Promising Travel Innovations, Travel Innovation Summit
• 2007, Adobe Site of the Day, Adobe Systems
• 2007, Communication Arts Site of the Week, Communication Arts

Publications

Journal Articles

• Pagliaccio, S. (2022). Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI): Inclusive Design Plus Accessibility. UXPA Magazine. 22.3 (Link)
• Pagliaccio, S. (2021). The State of UX Design Education, Part 3: The Future of Design Education. UXMatters. (Link)
• Pagliaccio, S. (2021). The State of UX Design Education, Part 2: Graduate Degree and Certificate Programs. UXMatters. (Link)
• Pagliaccio, S. (2021). The State of UX Design Education, Part 1: Undergraduate Degree Programs. UXMatters. (Link)
• Pagliaccio, S. (2021). Understanding Gender and Racial Bias in AI, Part 4. UXMatters. (Link)
• Pagliaccio, S. (2021). Understanding Gender and Racial Bias in AI, Part 3. UXMatters. (Link)
• Pagliaccio, S. (2020). Understanding Gender and Racial Bias in AI, Part 2. UXMatters. (Link)
• Pagliaccio, S. (2020). Understanding Gender and Racial Bias in AI, Part 1. UXMatters. (Link)