About me

My name is Juan Manuel, but people always call me by my last name, Pastén (Pastén in Spanish sounds very similar to “pastel,” which means “cake” in Spanish).

Here are some random facts about me:

  • I like to workout but I prefer pizza 🍕 or tacos 🌮.
  • I love to read 📚, but what I love the most is to buy books or walk into a bookstore 🙈.
  • I wish I had studied Industrial Design 🪑 (I studied Computer Engineering).
  • I love spaces with natural light ✨.
  • I like to see the black sky at night 🌌 and anything related to the universe 🪐.
  • Coffee is life ☕️.
  • My favorites designers and role models are Mauro Porcini and Kevin Bethune.
  • I love my dog 🐶❤️.
This is me with my dog Ivar.

My design principles

Connection
When working with my peers, I aim to create a friendly, safe, and open communication channel with everyone. That's why I always try to make and have a professional and personal partnership with the team members.

Collaboration
Everyone on the team is a designer; they design features, stories, code, test cases, etc. Everyone designs a part of the experience; that's why having a close collaboration with the rest of the team and the user is an essential part of creating products. The goal is to deliver a great product.

Curiosity
Curiosity is something that people lose when growing up. As adults, we should always keep that curiosity spark. We should see everything as if it were the first time, always ask questions, and be excited about everything we don't know.

Experimentation
Having a curious mind makes you try and do things differently. That's why we should always experiment, to apply the new knowledge with excitement, even if it is something small, to see if it worked, how it can be improved, and what we would do differently next time.

Experience

Thoughtworks logo.

Sr. Experience Designer - NYC, USA.

September 2021 - Present

Thoughtworks is a global technology company that provides software design and delivery, and tools and consulting services. I have worked with multiple Thoughtworks clients; my main activities are leading and conducting user interviews and user testing studies, designing flows, screens and interactions, collaborating and defining the Design System, and more.

Redesigning an online application for physicians and oncologists (Password required).
Thermo Fisher Scientific Logo

User Experience Designer - Tijuana, Mexico.

May 2018 - August 2021

Thermo Fisher Scientific is an American supplier of analytical instruments, life sciences solutions, specialty diagnostics, laboratory, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology services. I worked with Product Managers and development teams to design the Thermo Fisher sign-in and account creation experience supporting multiple regions and languages.

Redesigning Thermo Fisher’s sign-in page
Brackets logo.

Product Designer and Co-founder - Mexico

August 2015 - August 2019

Brackets was a startup that I co-founded with my friend Humberto (CEO/co-founder). I designed flows, screens, and published the Athlete and Admin app in the iOS App Store.

Designing a mobile app to capture game match results
Arkusnexus logo.

User Experience Designer - Tijuana, Mexico.

July 2013 - March 2018

Arkusnexus is a nearshore software development in Tijuana, Mexico. I worked with clients like Playboy, San Diego Airport, Figo Pet Insurance, the University of Mississippi, and many more. My activities were mainly design UI screens and screen handoff.

Usability test session for Figo Pet Insurance mobile app