Jury

Dida is a Design Director at Accenture Interactive Middle East. An accomplished digital professional, she has spent nearly 20 years developing compelling world-class experiences for global and local brands across telecommunication, banking, retail, lifestyle and government sectors. She has most recently served as a jury member for the Interactive, Online and Mobile category in The One Show 2022, a jury member for the Design Lions in the Cannes Lions Festival 2021, Mobile Application juror in the Creativepool Awards 2022, and is currently judging the Cannes Lions “The Brief” awards. From ideation workshops to polished design deliverables, Dida places a particular focus is on crafting unique, loveable products and services that resonate with local cultures. Dida considers herself an advocate of the user and believes that understanding who they are and what their needs are is paramount to designing a successful product or service. She also tries to help people see how digital can make our lives a little bit easier by designing simple and rewarding experiences. Dida’s skills include user experience design, interface design, service design, and digital strategy using tools such as prototyping, user research, design thinking workshops, and service design methodology. She has a particular interest in studying local cultures and norms and how they impact design. Dida was born and raised in Washington, DC and has enjoyed living in Dubai for the past nine years with her husband and two sons. She has a BA in Communication from Syracuse University and an MA in Communications with a concentration in Digital Communication from the Johns Hopkins University.