Maria C. Olivares, PhD
Research, storytelling, and visual systems for imagining more human futures.
PhD-trained design researcher and experience strategist translating complex human, cultural, and institutional systems into meaningful experiences, visual frameworks, and collaborative futures.
Boston → Los Angeles / Santa Monica
Maria C.
Olivares, PhD
Research, storytelling, and visual systems for imagining more human futures.
PhD-trained design researcher and experience strategist translating complex human, cultural, and institutional systems into meaningful experiences, visual frameworks, and collaborative futures.
Boston → Los Angeles / Santa Monica
Maria C.
Olivares, PhD
Research, storytelling, and visual systems for imagining more human futures.
PhD-trained design researcher and experience strategist translating complex human, cultural, and institutional systems into meaningful experiences, visual frameworks, and collaborative futures.
Boston → Los Angeles / Santa Monica
What I Design
What I Design
I translate human insight into visual systems, learning experiences, and collaborative frameworks that help people navigate complexity, make meaning, and imagine differently.
My work moves across research, strategy, media, education, and storytelling — building experiences that feel intellectually rigorous, emotionally resonant, and culturally alive.
I translate human insight into visual systems, learning experiences, and collaborative frameworks that help people navigate complexity, make meaning, and imagine differently.
My work moves across research, strategy, media, education, and storytelling — building experiences that feel intellectually rigorous, emotionally resonant, and culturally alive.
Design is how I interpret complexity, imagine possibility, and build toward more human futures.
Design is how I interpret complexity, imagine possibility, and build toward more human futures.
Approach
Approach
My work bridges research, systems thinking, storytelling, and design strategy to translate complexity into thoughtful, human-centered experiences.
Human-Centered Inquiry
I translate ideas into visual systems that support interpretation, reflection, and discovery through diagrams, symbolic frameworks, and editorial composition.
Systems Thinking
I map relationships across people, institutions, technologies, and cultural systems to understand how design decisions shape human experience.
Visual Sensemaking
I translate ideas into visual systems that support interpretation, reflection, and discovery through diagrams, symbolic frameworks, and editorial composition.
Strategic Design Translation
I transform research insights into tangible frameworks, narratives, and collaborative experiences bridging inquiry with creative execution.
Human-Centered Inquiry
I translate ideas into visual systems that support interpretation, reflection, and discovery through diagrams, symbolic frameworks, and editorial composition.
Systems Thinking
I map relationships across people, institutions, technologies, and cultural systems to understand how design decisions shape human experience.
Visual Sensemaking
I translate ideas into visual systems that support interpretation, reflection, and discovery through diagrams, symbolic frameworks, and editorial composition.
Strategic Design Translation
I transform research insights into tangible frameworks, narratives, and collaborative experiences bridging inquiry with creative execution.
Human-Centered Inquiry
I translate ideas into visual systems that support interpretation, reflection, and discovery through diagrams, symbolic frameworks, and editorial composition.
Systems Thinking
I map relationships across people, institutions, technologies, and cultural systems to understand how design decisions shape human experience.
Visual Sensemaking
I translate ideas into visual systems that support interpretation, reflection, and discovery through diagrams, symbolic frameworks, and editorial composition.
Strategic Design Translation
I transform research insights into tangible frameworks, narratives, and collaborative experiences bridging inquiry with creative execution.
What I Help Organizations Do
What I Help Organizations Do
I am drawn to the spaces between disciplines—where research informs design, storytelling creates meaning, and strategy turns ideas into action. Working across these domains allows me to connect insight, imagination, and implementation.
I work across research, design, storytelling, and strategy—using each as a lens for understanding and shaping human experience. Rather than treating these as separate disciplines, I work at their intersections, translating insight into meaning, possibility, and action.
Generate insight through qualitative research, observation, and collaborative inquiry.
Reveal patterns and relationships through systems thinking, synthesis, and strategic framing.
Translate ideas into visual systems, narratives, and experiences that support understanding.
Generate insight through qualitative research, observation, and collaborative inquiry.
Reveal patterns and relationships through systems thinking, synthesis, and strategic framing.
Translate ideas into visual systems, narratives, and experiences that support understanding.
Transform insight into action through facilitation, design strategy, and collaborative creation.
Strategic Impact
Strategic Impact
10+
10+
Years leading research, design, and learning innovation initiatives.
$4.7M+
$4.7M+
Federal & Privately-funded initiatives supported through collaborative strategy and design leadership.
Federal & Privately-funded initiatives supported through collaborative strategy and design leadership.
Cross-Functional Leadership
Cross-Functional Leadership
Facilitating alignment across researchers, educators, designers, institutions, and community partners.
Facilitating alignment across researchers, educators, designers, institutions, and community partners.