Dyani Catori brings human-centered UX to inclusive product design

By AI, Created 12:02 PM UTC, May 26, 2026, /AGP/ – Orlando UX and product designer Dyani Catori is being recognized for blending behavioral research, neurodiversity-informed design, and lived experience across SaaS and consumer products. Her current focus is Tether, a mental health app intended to make support more accessible for people facing emotional overwhelm and systemic barriers to care.

Why it matters: - Dyani Catori’s approach centers design on behavior, access, and lived experience instead of assumptions. - Her work points to a broader shift in UX: products built for more people when designers account for neurodiversity, emotional load, and real-world constraints. - Tether aims to make mental health support easier to reach for people who cannot rely on traditional care models.

What happened: - Influential Women recognized Dyani Catori, an Orlando-based UX and product designer. - Catori has nearly five years of experience building digital products across B2B, B2C, and SaaS environments. - Catori is currently designing and developing Tether, a nervous system stabilization application. - Tether is intended for people navigating emotional overwhelm, trauma responses, and high-stress environments.

The details: - Catori’s design process uses behavioral research and observation to identify gaps standard user research can miss. - Catori describes her perspective as neurodiversity-informed and shaped by being Afro-Latina, a mother of five, and living with ADHD. - Her work influences information architecture and the emotional experience of using a product. - Tether is built on the idea that mental health support should not require a copay, a waitlist, or a diagnosis. - The app is aimed in particular at underserved communities facing barriers to traditional mental health care. - Catori is completing a bachelor’s degree in UX at Full Sail University, after previously earning an associate’s degree there. - Catori started her career in HR and customer service before moving into design. - After an initial rejection from Paylocity, Catori refined her online presence, reapplied, and contacted company leadership on LinkedIn. - Paylocity hired Catori within a week. - At Paylocity, Catori worked on UX, digital engagement, and product communication before a restructuring led to a layoff. - Her transition pushed her to accelerate Tether’s development and continue focusing on technology for vulnerable users. - Catori says AI should be judged by access and connection, not only efficiency. - Catori points to ElevenLabs as an example of technology that expands voice and reach for people historically left out. - Catori tells women entering design to treat lived experience as an asset and to build work that matters to them. - More information is available through Dyani Catori’s Influential Women profile, her website, and her LinkedIn profile.

Between the lines: - Catori’s story mixes recognition with a practical career narrative: persistence, portfolio refinement, and direct outreach helped her turn a rejection into a hire. - Her focus on neurodiversity and mental health suggests a design philosophy built around reducing friction for users who are often underserved by mainstream products. - The Tether concept reflects a growing market for wellness tools that sit outside the traditional clinical pathway.

What’s next: - Catori is continuing to build Tether and advance her UX education at Full Sail University. - Her profile on Influential Women signals a wider platform for her voice as she expands her work in inclusive product design. - The next test for Tether will be execution: whether the product can deliver accessible support at scale for the users it targets.

The bottom line: - Dyani Catori’s recognition highlights a designer using personal experience, research, and persistence to build products with fewer barriers and more human relevance.