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 when she tells people what she does, “I design websites and apps,” her work is far more complex. And, what she designs, many would argue, is increasingly essential.

After graduating from Millbrook, Isabella went on to Syracuse University, where she studied front-end web development before finding her way to the design side of technology. That pivot—from building systems to shaping how people experience them—set the course for her career. Today, she works at Expedia Group as a user experience (UX) designer, helping to define how millions of travelers interact with platforms like Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo.

In recent years, her work has moved to the forefront of one of the most rapidly evolving areas in tech: conversational AI. At its core, Isabella’s work now begins not with technology, but with people. Early in her time at Expedia, she worked closely with customer service agents, observing, listening, and learning how real people solve real problems. That experience now informs how she designs AI systems intended to assist users in similar ways.

Today, Isabella is part of a team building the foundation for what she describes as a more integrated, intelligent travel experience—one where multiple tools, from search to comparison to Q&A, eventually converge into a single, personalized “agent” capable of guiding users through the entire journey of exploring, discovering, and booking travel.