I'm Kaky. UX Researcher. Community builder. Perpetually curious human
Who I am and where I come from
Hi, I'm Maria de los Angeles, but most people know me as Kaky. I'm a Venezuelan migrant who has been building a life and a career across borders, from Caracas to Bogotá, and now to Medellín. Colombia. I hold a Bachelor's degree in Social Communication and a Master's in UX/UI Design, and I've spent the last 15 years learning, in one way or another, how people think, communicate, and make sense of the world around them.
How I got into UX Research
My path into tech was anything but straight. After years working in marketing and communications, I was laid off in 2018, and instead of seeing it as a setback, I let it be a reset. A friend invited me to a meetup of PionerasDEV, a community for women in tech in Colombia, and the moment I walked in, I knew I had found my people. The energy, the sorority, the women sharing their stories. I wanted that.
During the pandemic I threw myself into learning everything I could about software development and Agile methodologies, landed a role as a Scrum Master, and eventually found my true calling in UX Research. Understanding people; their needs, their frustrations, their workarounds, and turning that understanding into products that actually work for them? That's the work that makes me feel alive.
Where I am now and where I'm going
Since then I've been a volunteer leader at PionerasDEV, a Google Women Techmakers Ambassador, and an active contributor to communities like Women Who Code, Google Developer Groups, Wordpress Accessibility Day, and various tech communities across Latin America and Europe. I've had the privilege of sharing a virtual stage with Scott Hanselman from Microsoft; someone who, like me, believes that knowledge should have no gatekeepers.
I moved to Germany in 2025, bringing all of that experience, curiosity, and community spirit with me, and I'm just getting started.
A little more about me
When I'm not doing research, you'll find me watching movies or series, deep in a board game, discovering new music at a concert, exploring a new city, or on an adventure with my Dachshund Zelda (yes, named after the game). I run on coffee, collect experiences, and believe that curiosity doesn't stop when the workday ends.
