Sheryl Cababa
Author of “Closing the Loop: Systems Thinking for Designers”, Professor at the University of Washington Human Centered Design & Engineering
Versatile design director shaping human-centered practices, spanning healthcare to education. International speaker, educator, advocate.
Sheryl Cababa is a seasoned multi-disciplinary design director with over two decades of experience, driving human-centered design practices focused on systems thinking and evidence-based design. Her diverse portfolio spans from designing experiences in robotic surgery to reshaping K-12 education through service design. Working with esteemed consultancies like Substantial, frog, and Adaptive Path, she has collaborated with clients such as the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, IHME, and IKEA.
Sheryl is not just a practitioner but also an international speaker and workshop facilitator, passionate about educating the next generation of Human-Centered Design and Engineering students at the University of Washington. Her commitment to outcome-focused design, transparency, meaning, and ethics shines through her role as a design strategist and researcher at Substantial.
Beyond her professional endeavors, Sheryl is an avid advocate for a human-centered approach to design, continually pushing for positive impacts on people’s lives. Her journey includes experiences as an Experience Designer at Adaptive Path, a UX Consultant at Philips Design, and roles at Getty Images and Microsoft, where her design leadership left a lasting mark. Whether on two wheels exploring Seattle or delving into intricate baking projects, Sheryl is dedicated to making the world a better place through thoughtful and ethical design.
