Alvina Salim

Product Designer with a Human Factors Foundation

Shaping complex product systems through holistic experience design and product strategy, spanning AI, healthcare, robotics, and physical-digital products
Alvina
salim
Product Designer with a Human Factors Foundation. Shaping complex product systems through holistic experience design and product strategy, spanning AI, healthcare, robotics, and physical-digital products
Alvina
salim
Shaping complex product systems through holistic experience design and product strategy, spanning AI, healthcare, robotics, and physical-digital products

Scaling white-glove onboarding through AI agents

Product Strategy, UX/UI, AI Systems

Kulu

Ongoing

Scaling white-glove onboarding through AI agents

Product Strategy, UX/UI, AI Systems

Kulu

Ongoing

Optimizing surgical workflows through human-centered design

Human Factors, Design System, Graphic Design

Intuitive Surgical

3 months

Optimizing surgical workflows through human-centered design

Human Factors, Design System, Graphic Design

Intuitive Surgical

3 months

Transforming caregiving into a shared responsibility

Product Design, Qual. Research, System Design, UX/UI

CoCare

2 years

Improving college lifestyles through habits and routines

Product Design, UX/UI, Qual. Research

MojoDrill

15 weeks

Turning family meals as a gamified journey to better health

Product Design, UX/UI, Qual. Research

Dinnertime

15 weeks

Improving college lifestyles through habits and routines

Product Innovation, Industrial Design, Usability Testing

Rainbow Records

15 weeks

Merging the worlds of steam frothers and Moka Pots

Product Innovation, Industrial Design, User Research

mokapot+

7 weeks

Keeping hands clean while wiping every surface

Product Innovation, Industrial Design, User Research

Scotch-Brite, 3M

10 weeks

Digital

Career

Kulu

Product Experience Specialist (2026 - Present)

CoLab

Design Research Assistant (2023-2025)

Intuitive Surgical

Product Graphics Design Intern (2024)

Design U

UX/UI Project Lead (contract) (2021)

Full resume

Education

Human Factors and Ergonomics

University of Minnesota

Master of Science; Business Management minor

Product Design

University of Minnesota

Bachelor of Science; Information Technology minor

Engineering; Arts

Edmonds College

Associate of Science; Associate of Arts

What I do

UX/UI Design

Craft intuitive experiences aligned with research, UX, and product goals.

UX/UI Design

Craft intuitive experiences aligned with research, UX, and product goals.

User Research

Plan and execute qual. and quan. research to inform design decisions.

User Research

Plan and execute qual. and quan. research to inform design decisions.

Prototyping

Fabricate physical & digital mockups for exploration and development.

Prototyping

Fabricate physical & digital mockups for exploration and development.

Product Design & Strategy

Define product direction by balancing feasibility, viability, desirability.

Product Design & Strategy

Define product direction by balancing feasibility, viability, desirability.

Human Factors Evaluation

Conduct formative and summative evaluations, aligned with usability standards and FDA guidelines.

Human Factors Evaluation

Conduct formative and summative evaluations, aligned with usability standards and FDA guidelines.

Interaction & Animation

Create purposeful illustrations and motion to bring clarity, feedback, and delight to UX.

Interaction & Animation

Create purposeful illustrations and motion to bring clarity, feedback, and delight to UX.

Tools I'm using

Figma

Design

Figma

Design

Solidworks

Computer-Aided Design

Solidworks

Computer-Aided Design

Framer

Design

Framer

Design

Maya

Computer-Aided Design

Maya

Computer-Aided Design

Adobe Creative Suite: Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, After Effects

Design

Adobe Creative Suite: Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, After Effects

Design

Inventor

Computer-Aided Design

Inventor

Computer-Aided Design

Nvivo

Research Analysis

Nvivo

Research Analysis

KeyShot

CAD and Rendering

KeyShot

CAD and Rendering

Mural

Research Analysis

Mural

Research Analysis

Some kind words…

1/6

"As the team’s manager, I had the opportunity to witness her thoughtful approach to problem-solving, her ability to navigate and synthesize complex systemic information, and her consistent delivery of high-quality results ... Alvina’s unique background—a blend of physical and digital design, human factors, and strong systems thinking—makes her a designer of the future. She works fluently across modalities and consistently delivers with clarity, thoughtfulness, and precision. Alvina is a valuable asset to any design team!"

Peter Boeckel

Design Manager, Intuitive Surgical

1/6

"As the team’s manager, I had the opportunity to witness her thoughtful approach to problem-solving, her ability to navigate and synthesize complex systemic information, and her consistent delivery of high-quality results ... Alvina’s unique background—a blend of physical and digital design, human factors, and strong systems thinking—makes her a designer of the future. She works fluently across modalities and consistently delivers with clarity, thoughtfulness, and precision. Alvina is a valuable asset to any design team!"

Peter Boeckel

Design Manager, Intuitive Surgical

2/6

"She blew us away not only with the quality of her work, but more so with her thoughtfulness, sharp line of inquiry, and incredible capacity. She came up to speed quickly on several complex projects and had an immediate positive impact. She was able to mode-switch between them without skipping a beat and partnered naturally with several other members of our team. Alvina is a star and we look forward to hopefully working more with her in the future."

Mark Palmer

Senior Manager, Intuitive Surgical

2/6

"She blew us away not only with the quality of her work, but more so with her thoughtfulness, sharp line of inquiry, and incredible capacity. She came up to speed quickly on several complex projects and had an immediate positive impact. She was able to mode-switch between them without skipping a beat and partnered naturally with several other members of our team. Alvina is a star and we look forward to hopefully working more with her in the future."

Mark Palmer

Senior Manager, Intuitive Surgical

3/6

"Alvina is a born problem-solver. She’s willing to take on challenges, explore new tools and materials, and integrate feedback from colleagues and clients. She is determined to see her projects through to completion and work as a team player toward the best possible outcome."

Michael Winikoff

Director, Science Communication Lab

3/6

"Alvina is a born problem-solver. She’s willing to take on challenges, explore new tools and materials, and integrate feedback from colleagues and clients. She is determined to see her projects through to completion and work as a team player toward the best possible outcome."

Michael Winikoff

Director, Science Communication Lab

4/6

"She identified and consolidated the design principles for the product graphics that will optimize the design workflow, maintain brand consistency, and improve visual communication across system platforms."

Dan Fong

Senior Product Graphic Designer, Intuitive Surgical

4/6

"She identified and consolidated the design principles for the product graphics that will optimize the design workflow, maintain brand consistency, and improve visual communication across system platforms."

Dan Fong

Senior Product Graphic Designer, Intuitive Surgical

5/6

"Alvina's positive attitude, creative thinking, and willingness to learn new tools and processes will make her a valuable team member in the workforce. We were always pleased with how quickly Alvina was able to lay out quality concept drawings or prototypes in front of Product Managers and Subject Matter Experts alike."

Nathan Mullen

Mechanical Engineering Manager, Realityworks

5/6

"Alvina's positive attitude, creative thinking, and willingness to learn new tools and processes will make her a valuable team member in the workforce. We were always pleased with how quickly Alvina was able to lay out quality concept drawings or prototypes in front of Product Managers and Subject Matter Experts alike."

Nathan Mullen

Mechanical Engineering Manager, Realityworks

6/6

"She was efficient with the product research & design tasks she was given. She was a great problem solver and presented ideas to improve the UX of our Newsletter sign-up process as well as how we display our podcasts on our homepage."

Grace Finlayson

Product Operations, Foreign Affairs Magazine

6/6

"She was efficient with the product research & design tasks she was given. She was a great problem solver and presented ideas to improve the UX of our Newsletter sign-up process as well as how we display our podcasts on our homepage."

Grace Finlayson

Product Operations, Foreign Affairs Magazine

I'm Alvina

I bring a systems-thinking approach to design, synthesizing insights to create human-centered experiences. I translate complexity into clarity to drive impactful product decisions.

My enthusiasm for UX and research stems from my fascination with the intersection of design and psychology. I love the process of turning research insights into practical, actionable solutions. It's rewarding to design solutions that empathize with the users' needs while balancing with business, technology, trend, and literature perspectives.

​When I'm not working, you’ll find me crafting, reading, or listening to podcasts—staying inspired and ready for whatever comes next!

alvinasaliim@gmail.com

Create a free website with Framer, the website builder loved by startups, designers and agencies.