Elisa Vargas
About Elisa Vargas
Elisa Vargas is the Director of Product Design at ITHAKA and a founding board member of the InsideOut Design Leader Community. With extensive experience in UX design across various companies, including Motorola and Grubhub, she has a strong background in strategic design and user advocacy.
Current Role at ITHAKA
Elisa Vargas serves as the Director of Product Design at ITHAKA, a position she has held since 2021. In this role, she is responsible for leading product design initiatives and overseeing user experience strategies. Her work focuses on enhancing digital interactions and ensuring that user needs are met effectively. Based in Chicago, Illinois, Vargas contributes to the organization's mission of advancing educational and research opportunities.
Professional Experience
Elisa Vargas has extensive experience in product design and user experience across various organizations. Prior to her current role at ITHAKA, she worked at Grubhub as Director of Product Design from 2020 to 2021. She also held positions at Motorola Mobility, where she served as Global UX Design Director from 2018 to 2020 and Director of Americas UX Design for a brief period in 2017. Her career includes roles at Motorola in various capacities, including Senior Design Researcher and Manager of User Interaction Design.
Education and Expertise
Elisa Vargas holds a Master of Design (M. Des.) in Strategic Design Planning and Communication Design from the Illinois Institute of Technology, which she completed from 1998 to 2001. She also earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Art History, Criticism, and Conservation from the University of Chicago between 1989 and 1993. Her educational background supports her strategic expertise in mobile context and its impact on both physical and digital interactions.
Teaching and Mentorship
In addition to her design roles, Elisa Vargas is actively involved in academia as an Adjunct Faculty member at Northwestern University, where she teaches Engineering Design Innovation at the Segal Design Institute since 2018. She is passionate about mentoring students and engaging with them to foster their growth in design and user experience. Her commitment to education extends to her previous role as an Adjunct Professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Contributions to Design Communities
Elisa Vargas is a Founding Board Member of the InsideOut Design Leader Community, a position she has held since 2020. This role allows her to contribute to the design community by supporting leaders in the field and promoting best practices in product design. Her involvement reflects her dedication to advancing design thinking and collaboration among professionals.