ALUMNI/AE
BY DESIGN
Isabella Buccellati ’16
Designing
THE DIGITAL WORLD
For The Human Experience Isabella Buccellati ’16 operates in a space where layered designs are perhaps least visible yet most pervasive: the digital experiences that shape how we interact with the world every day.
While she simplifies her job description
listening, and learning how real people solve
when she tells people what she does, “I
real problems. That experience now informs
design websites and apps,” her work is
how she designs AI systems intended to
far more complex. And, what she designs,
assist users in similar ways.
many would argue, is increasingly essential.
“I would take in the empathy from one, our
After graduating from Millbrook, Isabella
service agents, and try to bridge it to the
went on to Syracuse University, where
other,” she explains.
she studied front-end web development
It’s a telling phrase—bridge it to the
before finding her way to the design side
other—because much of her work lives in
of technology. That pivot—from building
that tension between human and machine.
systems to shaping how people experience
The goal is not to replace human interaction
them—set the course for her career. Today,
but to thoughtfully design when and
she works at Expedia Group as a user
how technology can enhance it. Simple
experience (UX) designer, helping to
transactional tasks, like canceling a trip
define how millions of travelers interact with
or comparing options and pricing, can be
platforms like Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo.
At its core, Isabella’s work now begins not
handled efficiently by AI. More complex,
In recent years, her work has moved to
with technology, but with people. Early in
nuanced situations and questions still
the forefront of one of the most rapidly
her time at Expedia, she worked closely
benefit from a human touch. Her work in
evolving areas in tech: conversational AI.
with customer service agents, observing,
designing that balance is intentional.
SPRING 2026 •
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