Professional profile
User Experience Researcher | Human-Computer Interaction Specialist | Digital Accessibility Specialist | Know-How Transfer and management Facilitator
Research Technologist at CNR ISPC, Naples branch, since 2023, where she conducts research and provides scientific coordination in the field of digital innovation for museums and cultural institutions. A significant part of her professional development, however, has taken place in Rome since 2011, at the Digital Innovation Lab, where she has been actively engaged up to the present.
As a User Experience Researcher, she is responsible for the design, supervision, and evaluation of audience-centered digital solutions, with a specific focus on User Experience Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), digital accessibility, inclusion, and transmedia storytelling strategies for cultural heritage. Her methodological approach integrates cognitive sciences, interaction design, and user research methods to assess device performance, measure audience impact, and optimize cultural engagement processes.
She holds a Master’s Degree in Technology-Enhanced Communication for Cultural Heritage from the Università della Svizzera Italiana (USI), Lugano, and a second Master’s Degree (equivalency) in Public and Corporate Communication from Suor Orsola Benincasa University of Naples. She also earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Management of Art Markets from IULM University, Milan.
She has developed extensive experience in the design and management of national and European research projects, contributing to the definition of methodological frameworks for user experience evaluation, the design of digital and hybrid environments (on-site and online), and the development of immersive platforms and tools for digital literacy. Within CNR, she coordinates multidisciplinary teams, overseeing applied research, experimentation, and technology transfer activities, with particular attention to accessibility understood in a systemic sense (cognitive, sensory, cultural, and technological), as well as to the qualitative and quantitative evaluation of audience engagement.
In recent years, she has strengthened structured collaborations with companies and Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs), fostering co-design and co-development processes aimed at knowledge transfer and product and service innovation. In this context, she facilitates dialogue between public research and the productive sector, contributing to the definition of shared methodological models, the development of accessible digital solutions, and the enhancement of research outcomes through capacity-building initiatives and innovation support pathways.
She has been a member of the CNR Interdepartmental Working Group on “Accessibility and Inclusion” since 2019 and of the ICOM Italy Commission on “Technologies for Cultural Heritage” since 2020. Since 2013, she has been a member of the Interaction Design Foundation. She regularly participates in national and international scientific conferences and has published contributions on UX research, digital accessibility, HCI, and design for cultural heritage. She is also engaged in teaching and advanced training activities at Italian universities, secondary schools, and professional courses, contributing to the development of specialized expertise in Digital Heritage and user-centered design.
MUR Italian Scientific-Disciplinary Sector
- CEAR-08/D Design
- INFO‑01/A Computer Science
- GSPS‑08/C Sociology of Cultural and Communication Processes
Groups & Labs CNR ISPC
Digital Heritage Innovation Lab →
Publications
Highlight
H. Sanità, E. Dalla Longa, A. Pagano (a cura di.) (2025). Al caso, al Carro e… Il Laboratorio Metaverso per il Patrimonio Intangibile e le Comunità, CNR Edizioni. ISBN (print) 978-88-8080-797-1; ISBN (digital) 978-88-8080-798-8.
A. Marasco, A. Pagano, H. Sanità, E. Dalla Longa, D. P. Pavone, A. Palombini, I. Cerato (2026). Designing Cinematic Storytelling for Sustainable Cultural Tourism: The Anime Experience. In: L. T. De Paolis, P. Arpaia, M. Sacco (eds), Extended Reality. XR Salento 2025. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol. 15741. Springer, Cham. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-97775-6_7
P. I. Stavroulakis, A. Pagano, B. Boracchi, P. Siozos, S. Sotiropoulou, E. Leonhardt, V. Sabatier, G. Trumpy, I. C. A. Sandu (2025) Tactile 3D-printed media interaction with the color surface features of paintings. The case of the Scream (1910?) painting. Front. Comput. Sci. 7:1597880. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomp.2025.1597880
