Reality on a Plate with Ioana Teleanu

reality on a plate is a new publishing feature series that, in response to member requests, allows individuals to dive deeper into the experiences of others before attending our events, fostering a sense of familiarity and connection.

​​Ioana discovered UX in the early days by following a persistent question: what do people need, and how can technology  help? That curiosity (eventually) led her into AI-powered product design. At Miro, she served as Lead Product Designer for AI, shaping the Miro AI experience; earlier at UiPath, she contributed to Clipboard AI, honored by TIME as a Best Invention of 2023. Beyond the work, she teaches one of the most successful “AI for Designers” courses on the Interaction Design Foundation, speaks at stages like SXSW and TED AI, and nurtures a community of 300K+ designers and builders, and navigates it all  alongside her most meaningful role: being a mother.

morning in your house — your baby girl in your arms, first email, coffee or tea — what scene sets your tone these days 

I’m a creature of habit, partly by design and partly by survival. Mornings start with my daughter — five or ten quiet minutes of cuddling, our little “love time” before the world wakes up. Then it’s the kindergarten drop-off and a stop at Two Mins Coffeeshop for a Flat White and a slice of Matcha Cake. It’s predictable, unspectacular even — but that’s the beauty of it.

take us back to where you grew up — the food, the rhythms of daily life, the traditions that shaped you — and share how those early experiences eventually led you toward UX design and the kind of projects and collaborations that inspire you today 

Not sure I have a true Madeleine de Proust, but I do remember the sensory pulse of growing up around Magheru Boulevard — the noise, the chaos, the constant movement. Then, just a few steps away, the calm of Ioanid Park, where everything slowed down and the city softened. By some twist of fate, I ended up back in the same neighborhood, and now my daughter goes to the very kindergarten I once did.

I guess I never strayed too far from home, even if my career path was anything but linear. As a child, I was fascinated by people — by how groups worked, by what others felt or needed, by the small signals of connection or disconnection. That kind of curiosity, or maybe hypervigilance, naturally led me to UX — a space where understanding people and improving their experiences is at the core.

There was also an artistic side in me that didn’t quite fit within the Romanian schooling system at the time — it had nowhere to go, so it turned into this quiet, repressed energy that eventually found its outlet in design, photography, and art. In a way, everything I do now is an echo of that — finding beauty and empathy in structure, and giving shape to feeling.

what meals feel special now that you’re a mother — are there recipes or traditions you hope to pass on to your daughter 

I have to admit, I’m an incompetent cook — so my daughter is probably missing out on that nostalgic, food-filled childhood experience. There are no secret family recipes or Sunday rituals in our kitchen. But I like to think I’m shaping her identity in other creative ways.

what do you serve store-bought 

Granola — always granola. It’s our household staple. And if anyone knows where to find the best one in Bucharest, please reach out. Consider this my open call to the city’s granola enthusiasts.

favorite restaurants or take-out spots that feel like comfort to you when you need a pause 

I love Balls — it’s cozy, fun, a little Berlin-esque, and just around the corner from home. Papila was my restaurant-home for years, so it will always have a special place in my heart. And lately, I’ve (re)discovered the Aparterre terrace in my neighborhood.

coffee shops, bars, or places you like to retreat to when you need space or inspiration 

Butter Coffeeshop on Dorobanti is my go-to for rainy workdays — it has that quiet, grounded energy that makes you want to stay a little longer. Frudisiac remains an evergreen classic. When I’m looking for inspiration in motion — the hum of conversation, a mix of faces and stories — I head to Bar Ton or one of Alex and Diana’s bars scattered across the city: Fix Me a Drink, Artichoke, Pamela, Obor Amor. Each has its own mood, but together they map out a version of Bucharest I love being part of.

you’ve built an online community of over 300K people. what has surprised you the most about the way people show up in digital spaces 

What continues to surprise me is how different it feels to connect with people online versus in the real world. In the past few years, I’ve started to get recognized while traveling, and every time someone comes up to say hello, it’s this heart-melting, instant kind of warmth. Recently, during Berlin Art Week, someone approached me at a performance to say they’d been following my work for years — and I felt like I now had a friend who I’m sharing that art performance and the experience of it with.

Digital spaces have a beautiful way of creating introductions, of opening doors. But the real magic — the depth, the sense of belonging — still happens beyond the screen, in moments that aren’t mediated by technology.

you’ve spoken about the balancing act between work, motherhood, and your side projects. what does that balance look like for you right now — and how do you protect your energy 

I made a big decision to protect my energy — and it didn’t come easily. It came with anxiety, doubt, and a lot of unlearning: I gave up the 9–5. I’m now nearing the end of my first year as a solopreneur, and I’m deeply grateful that I found the courage to redefine what success looks like. The path I’m on is less secure and more ambiguous, but it offers something I’d been craving — space. Space for experimentation, for self-exploration, for being present.

This has been one of the most fulfilling years of my life. I’ve had room to travel — Japan, Canada, San Francisco, New York’s upstate region, and soon Los Angeles — plus a month-long Scandinavian tour with my daughter, from Copenhagen to Northern Norway. There have been shorter trips too: Amsterdam, Berlin, London. But what I treasure most is ending my workday at 4 p.m., picking up my daughter from kindergarten, and having slow, unhurried evenings together.

Until this year I had a serious struggle with balance and protecting boundaries and my mental health, which led to a burnout that I had a hard time recovering from.

what in your life are you a beginner at these days 

Italian 

what’s something you’ve changed your mind about recently 

That AI will replace human judgment and knowledge work.

what are you reading these days 

Lately I’ve been deep into books that sit at the intersection of art and technology — the exhibition album Soft Robots from Copenhagen, a book on Contemporary Tempor(e)alities, and a growing stack of art brochures. I’m drawn to anything that helps me think about AI and emerging technologies through a human, societal lens — how they shift our sense of time, creativity, and connection.

what was your last google search 

Honestly? 6 PM Bucharest to EST. I’ve been invited to an AI x Filmmaking program by Adobe, and coordinating across time zones constantly tests my already fragile sense of temporal orientation.

life in 5 tracks 

System Olympia — Look with Your Eyes

Discovery Zone — Dance II

Discovery Zone — Pattern Recognition

Blanche Biau — Joue Le Jeu

Peppa Pig — It’s Peppa Pig

All images provided by Ioana

Editors Gabriela Calitoiu & Alinz