About Sarah
A PhD and a master's in human-computer interaction, a bachelor's in media. Then I left academia and founded my own business, working across digital strategy and creative content.
On paper, it looks like I couldn't make up my mind. In practice it's been the same question the whole time: what makes someone stay with something, and what makes them give up?
My path
Digital strategy, ai, creative thinking, bla bla
I spent years researching how people actually use technology. I conducted ethnographic fieldwork, mostly in Morocco. I carried out studies with children, older people, and individuals with varying levels of digital literacy.
What I observed were specific things: friction, affordances, confusion and irritation. I learned about the point at which someone gives up. I realized why something that's obvious to the person who built it isn't obvious to anyone else.
Then I left academia — I valued my time there, and yet I wanted to be creative again. I became a travel ambassador for Curavista, a digital luxury travel magazine, creating content for luxury destinations. The lens came with me. The same questions arose: who is this for, what are they actually looking at, and what makes them stop and say, 'I need this!'?
My methodology
I don't believe there's one right way to write a script. UGC can be aesthetic, funny, plain or clever, and the most appropriate approach depends on the product, target audience and message. So I don't come up with a formula. First, I consider what the product actually does, who it's really for, and what hasn't been said about it yet.
Then we test. This isn't something I invented for content creation — it's just how research works. You form an idea, try it out and stay honest about the results.
The rest is about seeing the product the way your customer sees it. Not the way I see it and not the way the brand sees it from the inside. This isn't a method, but without it, none of the rest works.
Off Camera
When I'm not working, I'm either with my partner or friends scouting food places or being auntie Sarah to the amazing kids in my life. I travel as often as possible — Hawaii has captured my heart, especially Maui and Kauai. Actually anywhere near the ocean is nice. Since I run several projects at once, I'm immersed in productivity tools and AI, mostly to keep myself sane.