Carnegie Mellon University

Integrated Innovation Institute

Engineering + Design + Business

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Daniela outside her internship at General Motors

Student Spotlight: Innovating to Make a Difference

Daniela Decoud (MIIPS ‘24) is up for the challenge of innovating her way to a better future.

By Hannah Brelsford

Daniela Decoud is a current Master of Integrated Innovation for Products & Services (MIIPS) student at the Integrative Innovation Institute (iii). She has years of experience within Uruguay’s fintech startup scene in Product Management, but she knew she needed to learn more to achieve her professional goals.

Daniela earned her undergraduate degree in accounting, which gave her a solid business foundation. She further developed her product development skills through guidance from mentors and hands-on professional experience. However, she felt that she “didn’t have the structured frameworks for each stage of the product development process and was learning on the run.” 

With her love for learning and desire to know more, Daniela applied to and won a Fulbright scholarship in collaboration with ANII to study at the iii. 

“Doing a master's and a specialization in Product Development was my dream and then I won the Fulbright scholarship in Uruguay. That enabled me to do something that hadn’t crossed my mind before, which was coming to the United States to study. Carnegie Mellon University was my top choice because of its strength in Software, Human Computer Interaction and the Arts; a fantastic combination for Product Management.”

The Fast Facts: A Summary of Daniela’s Time in the MIIPS Program

Integrative Learning 📚

Up for the Challenge 👟

In & Out of the Classroom 🚗

  • Capstone project team member for Volvo Mack Trucks
  • Summer ‘24 Software Product Manager Intern on General Motors Driver Experience Team
  • 2024 MIIPS Grace Hopper Conference Representative 

What’s Next 🎓

  • Will apply what MIIPS taught her to create a better world 

Daniela with Fulbright Scholar Sign

Integrative Learning

“One of the first things I noted was that all of the faculty members and the school really take you by the hand.” Her favorite aspect of the program was feeling guided through her academic journey to learn more, she felt like everyone at the iii was rooting for her success.

The interdisciplinary nature of the MIIPS curriculum was familiar to Daniela from her past work experience in startups due to previously collaborating with professionals from many different backgrounds across small teams. She found that the coursework prepares students for the workplace well through its collaborative nature, she found herself consistently paired up with peers on projects, which facilitated learning not only from her professors but from her classmates, too.

The MIIPS program enrolls cohorts with equal parts designers, engineers, and business students, ensuring that everyone can learn from one another and become more confident collaborating with peers outside of their domains. Daniela’s background in accounting prepared her well for business-centric coursework, but she found herself learning a lot from the designers and engineers around her.

“You become amazed by the incredible professionals around you. It’s all over the spectrum. On the one side, you have the designers, with their unique mindsets and dedication to user needs that completely changed my perspective on products. On the other side, you have the engineers, who can build anything imaginable in front of you and it’s mind-blowing.”

Although Daniela doesn’t graduate from the MIIPS program until December, she is already putting the tools and frameworks she learned in the program to use. One of the most helpful tools that she has learned is how to effectively present and communicate concepts to executives and professionals. Additionally, her deep dive into user research and design was game-changing, teaching her the critical importance of thorough research and enabling her to create innovative but always user-centric solutions.

Tools like this that Daniela learned in MIIPS are what has made her feel a well-rounded professional.

Outside of the MIIPS classroom, Daniela had the opportunity to take electives within the CMU community. One of the most impactful was AI Venture Studio, led by Sean Ammirati and Adam Paulisick. Throughout the course, students were challenged to create a startup that was ready to launch. As part of the final presentation, over 20 investors flew to Pittsburgh to hear the students’ pitches.

She credits the course with being integral to her learning experience and highly encourages other MIIPS students to take it.

“Our teams were a combination of interdisciplinary teams made up of MIIPS and Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence and Innovation students. I took on various roles within the startup, from Head of UX Research to Chief Product Officer, and learned so much in the process.”

Up for the Challenge

In Pittsburgh, Daniela discovered so much beyond the classroom, like her love for the city and for running.

In Managing Products and Brands, a course that teaches student product and brand management skills, Daniela and her classmates were assigned a project to generate a new branding campaign for 4RUN2, the official brand of P3R and the DICK’S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon.

Troy Witt, a CMU alum and Director of Retail Strategy at P3R, came in to speak about 4RUN2. After the presentation, Daniela was inspired to run the Pittsburgh half marathon and so was Amanda Manget, one of her MIIPS friends.

img_4run2_daniela_900x600.png

Daniela and her team with Troy from 4Run2

They both decided that they wanted to complete the half marathon together and after weeks of training, accomplished their goal. “The vibe was so exciting. You get to see the beautiful Pittsburgh, there are music bands in every corner and everyone is cheering for you, everyone is shouting.” 

In & Out of the Classroom

Beyond training for and running a marathon, Daniela was busy working on her capstone project.

My Capstone Project with Volvo Mack Trucks was an unforgettable experience that will forever be in my heart. It embodied the soul of the MIIPS program as we managed every product development stage.”

Daniela’s Capstone experience was integral in preparing her for her summer internship, a required component of the MIIPS Advanced program

Currently, she is a Software Product Manager in the Drivers Experience Team within Commercial Software at General Motors, specifically working in vehicle cameras. 

Her role involves covering all aspects of the product development process, including discovery, defining, developing, and the final execution which involves colleagues across engineering, design, and business teams. 

Throughout her internship, Daniela has felt empowered both by General Motors' vision and their leadership. Their vision  “a world with Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions and Zero Congestion”  shows their serious commitment to innovation, just like Daniela’s. General Motors is also led by the first female CEO in the automotive industry and her team, Driver’s Experience, is led by an inspiring, powerful woman as well. 

“As a woman in tech, seeing that kind of representation is truly important to me.” 

Daniela values the representation of women within the tech industry and has been chosen to represent MIIPS at the Grace Hopper Celebration next October. Grace Hopper is a conference that highlights achievements and contributions of women within the tech industry and she is so grateful that she got to be part of it. 

What’s Next

After MIIPS graduation, Daniela either wants to continue being a product leader, either within a company or through building her own startup and she will certainly be applying all that MIIPS has given her to make the world a better place. Her ultimate end goal is to work towards minimizing inequalities and to give value to people as much as she can through her work in technology.

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