Maria Shanina
Work
Recent experience

As a Design Director at BABCO, I led the creation of venture-backed AI products. There I guided the design team in shaping scalable digital platforms, making sure our work is grounded in user insight, product strategy, and future-ready design. While working with the Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA), I collaborated with clinical experts and researchers to empower eye care professionals through tools and services that enable more holistic, patient-centered care.  Currently, I'm a founding designer at a medical startup.

Parsons School of Design

I pursued a Master of Science in Strategic Design and Management (with Honors) at Parsons School of Design in New York, combining my design leadership with training in business innovation and social impact entrepreneurship. During this time, I worked as a Strategic Designer on the External Engagement Studio, where I led a collaborative project with NYU Langone Health to improve the medical experience for youth patients. My thesis and the capstone project was on circular economies and communities as the foundation of next-generation entrepreneurship.

Shopify and Shop Pay

I led major UX initiatives across teams and mentored designers at Shopify and Shop Pay. I worked on critical parts of the ecosystem (both, consumer-facing mobile app and B2B admin), including: - Shop Pay's digital wallet and checkout experience for 1.3M users with 649M annual purchases. - Personalized onboarding flow that accelerated merchant activation. - Business education portal serving 2.1M DAU, which reduced churn and led to a 200% increase in store creation.

Client Product Design works

A founder at a boutique design studio, I crafted user-focused digital products for clients and startups. My approach was to balance functional clarity, minimalism, and aesthetic intention. In my client work, I oversaw the end-to-end design of multiple mobile-first products — from branding and UX to product systems and admin tools. These projects helped early-stage companies successfully launch with usability and strategic distinction.

Graphic Design works

A selection of design works representing aesthetics in grids, imagery, negative spaces and typography. These works are about finding the right balance between functional design, minimum necessary information and visual aesthetics.

Personal ventures

In addition to client work, I launched several ventures exploring personal interests and creative entrepreneurship. I launched a boutique decor firm Studio Alma as a way to leverage circular economies, zero-waste, and sustainable networking for SMBs. Here, we design objects that age beautifully. When I founded StudioPW, I led an R&D team to helped early-stage startups launch and get funding. My other personal art and design projects were launched as a way to experiment with aesthetics, research and technology.

Let's work together: hello@mariashanina.com
Copyright © Maria Shanina, 2025, Canada