Design Philosophy

  • Icon of four teal-colored people with a red heart on one individual in the front

    Focus on People First

    Great design starts with deep empathy. I champion human-centered design by putting technology in service of people—not the other way around. My process involves listening beyond the surface to uncover the real drivers behind user needs, always advocating for their experience at every step.

  • Outline illustration of a light bulb with an eye and a dollar sign inside the eye.

    Patterns of Innovation

    Innovation doesn’t happen in a vacuum. My training as an architect taught me to study the cultural, economic, and technological signals shaping our world to uncover patterns across industries. By analyzing how systems evolve over time, we can translate trends into meaningful insights that inform strategy and spark new ideas.

  • A teal graphic of a hand holding a small mound of soil with a sprouting plant.

    Design As A Service

    Design is more than aesthetics—it’s a responsibility. I focus on what’s essential, approaching design as a service that helps people thrive. By honoring cultural context, embracing diverse worldviews, and listening deeply, I create solutions that are both innovative and genuinely meaningful.

A woman with long brown hair sitting on a rock in a fall forest, wearing a black coat, black tights, black boots, and carrying a small black purse.

Turning complexity into clarity—one product, one message, one sketch at a time.

I'm a product strategist and design leader exploring the intersection of communication, design, and technology. Though I love to build things, the real question is how to serve people.

From discovery to implementation, I’ve launched MVPs and scaled products for some of the most respected companies globally: from intuitive digital tools for thousands of museums via Bloomberg Connects, to brand and product experiences for Nike, Gamechanger and NYLife (via Accenture).

Whether I’m shaping product vision, facilitating cross-functional collaboration, or guiding creative strategy, I aim to bring presence, curiosity, and a deep respect for both the craft and the people behind it.

My work is rooted in understanding of systems, individuals, and purpose. I help teams find clarity in complexity, align around meaningful outcomes, and build thoughtful and functional solutions.

Over the years, I’ve worked across platforms (iOS, Android, Web), industries (fintech, media, health-tech), and roles—from corporate strategist to hands-on contributor to startup player-coach.

More about Me

In addition to product development, I’m a mentor and former President of Bloomberg’s Toastmasters International, I’ve guided dozens of professionals and shaped the next generation of talent at New York University, SVA, and Columbia University. I love to coach professionals so they can clarify their vision and bring it to life.

I love to make art, perform in dramas, and create illustrations and sketch notes - any way to use the mind, body and heart to deepen realizations and relationships! 

Let’s connect on LinkedIn or via this form and let’s turn your vision into reality!

Two people WHO inSPIRED my design philosophy…

  1. In architecture school at Ohio State University, one of my most influential mentors + teachers was Paul Young - an extraordinary leader with deep empathy and a service-oriented mindset. He explained how to design for people, we must first understand their worldview. When we care about the people we design for, design becomes a service.

  2. Another mentor of mine was the chair of my graduate program at NYU, and a revolutionary in tech: Red Burns. She showed us to put people first, collaborate fully, and be fearless in experimentation.

Select CLIENT list

A collage of various company logos, including Bloomberg, Nike, NBC, FOX, Gerber, Nokia, Audi, Volkswagen, Verizon, and others.
A woman in a navy dress with her eyes closed, standing on a bridge with cables and city buildings in the background, bathed in golden sunlight.
A person standing on a mountain silhouette pointing to the sky with text labels marking different layers of understanding about the universe, including "What I Don't Know I Don't Know," "What I Know I Don't Know," and "What I Know I Know," set agains
Black and white photo of a woman singing passionately into a microphone, with her hand on her chest, expressing emotion.
Woman with long brown hair, wearing a black top and black and white checkered pants, standing in front of a colorful backdrop with the words 'Innovation Festival' and other event logos.

From insight to impact.

  • Multiple electronic devices displaying financial market data, including stocks, indices, and currency exchange rates, on screens with graphs, charts, and alerts.

    Bloomberg Financial Services

    Senior User Experience Designer

  • Screenshot of a mobile app showing pinned vehicles, including a 2023 Audi A4 and a 2023 Audi Q8 Sportback e-tron, with a background of three different silver Audi vehicles parked.

    Consumer + Marketing Experience

    UX Design Lead

  • The arts and culture app

    Bloomberg Connects - Arts + Culture App

    UX Lead

  • Screenshot of an investment portfolio webpage showing a pie chart, a list of top holdings, and percentage allocations. The page is titled 'NYLI MacKay Strategic Muni Allocation Fund' and includes sections for composition, top holdings, and performance.

    Wealth Management Tools

    Lead UX Designer

  • Dashboard showing PHI landscape summary with total files detected, high, medium, and low risk PHI files, endpoint and stale file counts, risk issues, user risk movements, PHI usage stats, and applications to watch.

    Cybersecurity + Data Telemetry

    Product Design Lead

  • Screenshot of a digital marketing dashboard showing estimated global metrics like CPM, Reach, and Impressions for a new drinks launch in Q2, including graphs and media plans.

    Ad Buying Platform

    UX Design Lead

View Product Design
A woman in black dance attire performing a pose on a stone platform in front of a large, curved stone wall with geometric patterns on the ceiling.
A woman painting a large mural of green plants and trees with sunlight streaming through on a white wall.
Person performing a handstand against stone walls on a park path in winter.
A colorful illustrated notes page about purpose, passion, serving others, and giving. It includes sketches of a mountain, scales, a globe, hearts, and people. Key phrases include 'serve,' 'give,' 'believe in the cause,' and advice on finding purpose through serving others and self-belief.

Illustration & Sketch Notes

I capture key ideas from talks, workshops, and classes through live visual storytelling. These illustrated notes bring clarity to conversations and help distill complex concepts into memorable visuals.

Education & Trainings

  • New York University | Master’s Degree; Interactive Telecommunications Program, MPS
    New York, NY | 2007

    The Ohio State University | Bachelor of Science in Architecture, cum laude New York, NY | 05/2007
    Columbus, OH | 06/2003

    • Upbuild Coaching Training - 2024

    • Mastery in Transformational Training (MITT) - 2014

    • Non-Violent Communication (NVC)

    • Facilitation Mastery with Daniel Stillman + Mathias Jakobsen

    • Tony Robbins Training

    • Enneagram Training with Upbuild

    • Landmark Education

    • Yoga Teacher Training - 500 RYT; 200 hours | Earth Yoga; 300 hours | Supersoul Yoga

    • Marma Therapy Training - 100 hours | The Bhakti Center

    • Yoga Nidra Training with Yogi Charu | The Bhakti Center

    • Internal Family Systems Coaching Training with Conscious Earth Institute

    • Certified Scrum Master (CSM), Product Owner (PO), Agile + Scrum Certified (Bloomberg LP)

A badge with a yellow starburst background featuring a purple silhouette of a person with a backpack and hiking pole. The text reads 'UPBUILD CERTIFIED COACH' at the top and 'UPBUILD COACHING TRAINING' on a purple ribbon at the bottom.
Certificate of completion from Upbuild for Parastou Marashi for successful completion of Upbuild coaching training in April 2024, featuring a gold and purple logo with a hiker silhouette and signatures at the bottom.
Certificate of completion for Parastou Marashi from Bhakti Center Meditation Teacher Training, dated March 29, 2020, signed by Yogi Charu, with a logo of a red circular pattern.
Certificate of Prana Vidya Certification awarded to Parastou Marashi by Bhakti Center, dated May 29, 2020, signed by instructor Yogi Charu. The certificate features decorative blue elements and the Bhakti Center logo in orange and gray.
A woman with long, wavy brown hair wearing a black sheer blouse, smiling with red lipstick, crossed arms, against a gray background. User experience design and product designer from New York City
People gathered outside the New York Stock Exchange building decorated with Christmas lights and wreaths, illuminated in red and green for Christmas. User experience design and product designer from New York City
User experience design and product designer from New York City. Singing in a kirtan.
A woman and a man standing in front of a decorated altar with a statue of a deity, likely during a religious or cultural celebration. The woman is dressed in traditional sari while the man wears a white garment and a scarf. They are smiling and appea
A woman kneeling and smiling while petting a white calf in a barn with straw on the ground and wooden beams overhead. User experience design and product designer from New York City

Places I’ve Lectured & Advised

Some of the places I’ve had the honor to speak, be a guest critic, lecturer, and Thesis Advisor (SVA - Interaction Design Masters):

A pixel art graphic of an open envelope with a letter inside, depicted in a retro style with black, gray, and red colors.
NYU logo with purple torch icon and text
Logo of The Cooper Union featuring a multicolored geometric design with red, blue, green, yellow, orange, and white shapes, and the words "THE COOPER UNION" underneath.
Columbia University logo featuring a blue crown above the text 'Columbia University' on a black background.
Red burst-shaped logo with white text reading "SVA NYC"

Want to see more?

Explore my art and illustrations.

Client-List-Branding-Logos4_1600_c.jpg

create Satisfying Experiences!