Ohio State is in the process of revising websites and program materials to accurately reflect compliance with the law. While this work occurs, language referencing protected class status or other activities prohibited by Ohio Senate Bill 1 may still appear in some places. However, all programs and activities are being administered in compliance with federal and state law.

M. Paula Navia

M. Paula Navia

M. Paula Navia

Senior Lecturer

navia.4@osu.edu

LinkedIn logo

Areas of Expertise

  • Design Strategy
  • Design Thinking
  • Life-centered Design
  • Design Research
  • Participatory Design
  • Innovation
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Business Design and Strategy

Education

  • MBA in Design Strategy, California College of The Arts, San Francisco, California (2014)
  • BA Industrial Design, Minor in Entrepreneurship, Minor in Textile Design, Universidad de Los Andes, Bogota, Colombia (2008)

Select Recognition

  • Patent US 10,470,535 B2 - Menstrual tracker wearable device SmartCycle® SmartCycle is a user-friendly educational tool designed to empower adolescents to learn about the menstrual cycle in a simple and engaging way. It is also an analog educational tool that can be easily deployed in any location at an affordable cost. Applicant: BeGirl Inc. Role: Inventor (2019)
  • INDEX Design Awards / Nomination. Product design recognized for improving human lives. Category: Body. Goal: Good Health & Well-being. Nominee: BeGirl Inc. Role: Design Strategist (2017)
  • Classy Awards / Finalist. Recognized 50 impact-driven organizations doing innovative work across the world. Category: Health. Nominee: BeGirl Inc. Role: Design Strategist. (2016)
  • Spark Health Design Award / Winner - Platinum. Awarded for outstanding design in health, well-being, medical, and universal design. Nominee: BeGirl Inc. Role: Design Strategist. (2015)
  • A’Design Social Design Award. Awarded for the product design of the BeGirl Pad Holder in the Social Design category. Nominee: BeGirl Inc. Role: Design Strategist. (2015)
  • Hult Prize / Regional Finalist. The 2014 Hult Prize asked teams to build sustainable and scalable social enterprises to address non-communicable diseases in urban slums. (2014)
  • CCA IMPACT Social Entrepreneurship Award. Awarded $10,000 to invest in the creation of the community-led engagement framework to increase trust and resiliency of vulnerable communities in Central America. The project was organized in partnership with Alter Terra, which works for environmental restoration in Tijuana, and Project Concern International Guatemala, a non-profit humanitarian NGO.
  • XI Premio Lápiz de Acero Award / Winner in the graphic design: Labels and Visual Identity categories. Role: Designer and Account Executive (2010)
  • Meritorious Thesis Project. Universidad de Los Andes, Department of Design. Bogotá, Colombia (2008)
  • Speaker-Panelist / Sustainatopia. San Francisco, CA. Participated as a panelist for a session sharing environmental sustainability & impact of BeGirl products and programs. (2016)
  • Speaker / BWxD Better World by Design Conference / Design for women’s health and education session. Rhode Island School of Design, Brown University. Better World by Design is a student-led initiative that celebrates the interdisciplinary collaboration between designers, educators, innovators, and learners. (2016)

Paula is a design strategist whose work advances impact-driven initiatives by aligning needs with system-level change. She integrates life-centered design, systems thinking, and business strategy to uncover insights, find possibility hidden within complexity, and translate those insights into opportunities for innovation. With experience spanning social entrepreneurship, innovation consulting, and design strategy, Paula navigates projects from discovery to execution, bringing clarity to ambiguity. Her interdisciplinary and collaborative approach enables her to guide teams through complexity, connect diverse stakeholders, and shape solutions that scale.

People Filters:

Undergraduate Studies
Design Foundations
Design Thinking Minor