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Senior UX/UI & Digital Product Designer
I began my design career in this brand-new Web Designer job during the wild west of the early internet and the birth of the infamous browser wars (a period of intense competition between different web browsers in the late 90s). Every company wanted websites, and digital marketing became the holy grail. I quickly realized that problem-solving was a crucial skill for a Web Designer, and digital art direction was clearly something new that I took under my wing.
I look back on a highly nostalgic and dynamic time when my problem-solving mindset and love for this creative profession were born. After so many years, this experience has deeply rooted itself in me and shaped my problem-solving approach and creative thinking.
OBI4WAN now Spotler
2021 - nov.2023
Senior PRODUCT Designer (SaaS)
As the pioneering in-house designer for this dynamic SaaS Company, I spearheaded the development and implementation of the UX roadmap and Design System. My primary focus centered on product development, enhancing user experiences, and reducing customer churn. I built and led a design team, including hiring a full-time designer and managing freelance talent.
- Leading the design of Media Monitoring tools, Customer Engagement platforms, and Chatbot solutions.
- Collaborating with development, product, and business teams to uncover user and business needs — then translating them into intuitive and engaging digital experiences.
- Oversee and mentor junior designers in day-to-day design work.
- Advocate for the customer through human-centered design methods, including discovery, research, whiteboarding sessions, and user testing.
- Analyze competitor products to identify best practices and innovative interaction design patterns that enhance user experience.
- Advocate for the design system with product teams and across the organization.
- Producing high-quality UX design solutions through wireframes, visual and graphic designs, flow diagrams, storyboards, and prototypes.
- Translate data from usability studies into concrete user interface design improvements and get them prioritized into sprint planning so customers see an immediate impact.
Reduced customer churn by 16% and increased user engagement by 22% through UX improvements and design optimizations.
Vrienden- Bankgiro- Postcode Loterij
2006 - dec.2020
Senior Product Designer (Digital)
Starting out as part of a 3 person design team, I was part of the transformation to a comprehensive creative department as it is today, working on campaign and digital development for the lottery organisation. I drove improvements in the user experience also through conversion optimisation, while implementing best practices for usability and accessibility. My role expanded from designing individual touchpoints to orchestrating end-to-end user journeys across multiple digital channels – websites, apps, games and email campaigns. Also as a core member of the CRO team, I was the main custodian for the digital design systems and for improving digital performance for lottery campaigns, while establishing and disseminating effective design principles across the team.
- Delivered hundreds of digital campaigns, including websites, apps, games, email & banner ads.
- Collaborated with marketing, product, development, and creative teams to lead research, planning, and design of holistic digital product and service experiences from idea conception through execution.
- Produced high-quality UX/UI design solutions through wireframes, visual and graphic designs, flow diagrams, storyboards, site maps, and prototypes.
- Optimization of multi-channel sales flows and increased engagement through consistent design strategies.
- Presented content and design solutions to management, project teams, partners, and stakeholders, ensuring the success of the strategy and the ability to champion the best possible user experience.
- Oversaw and mentored junior designers in day-to-day design work.
- Designed and delivered responsive/adaptive solutions optimized for web and mobile interfaces, partnering with developers to translate designs into successful products.
- Managed usability and accessibility standards for the design team to ensure quality and seamless user experiences.
- Optimized conversion rates as part of the in-company CRO team, increasing lottery sign-ups by 25% and boosting campaign performance by 30% through iterative design improvements and extensive A/B testing.
KELKOO - YAHOO
2003 - 2006
WEB PRODUCER
During the time working, Kelkoo was acquired by Yahoo. I was responsible for the design and front-end quality aspects of the Dutch Kelkoo website. I was leading Content Producers and managed the maintenance program of design, technical changes and functionalities. This included all of Kelkoo’s promotional activities, as well as the integration, maintenance and promotional activities related to partner programs. These partner programs were the Kelkoo shopping pages integrated with MSN, Lycos, Ilse, Chello, Last Minute and Planet Internet.
- Managed Kelkoo’s Dutch platform for design, front-end development and content production
- Collaborated and aligned with stakeholders in Oslo to align Design strategy and solutions.
- Collaborated and aligned with stakeholders in Grenoble to align front-end and development specifications & solutions.
- Improved e-commerce conversion rates by 18 – 22% through UX optimization and streamlined navigation flows.
- Expanded platform reach by 30- 35 % with strategic partnerships with MSN, Lycos, Last Minute and Planet Internet.
- Designed and managed all the online marketing activities.
1999 - 2002
LEAD DESIGNER
Transitioning from freelance photography, I became intrigued by digital design and web development. After completing an intensive web design course and building a robust portfolio, I joined 2MB, an innovative agency in Hilversum during the early internet era. The agency, subsequently acquired by Ivo Niehe Productions, specialized in multichannel projects for leading television programs before omnichannel strategies became standard.
I led the digital design for pivotal projects, including spott.nl—one of the Netherlands’ first online marketplaces—which was complemented by a concurrent television program on RTL4. My portfolio expanded to include digital platforms for prominent television shows like Wie is de Mol and Life&Cooking.
As Lead Designer, I managed a team of six to eight web designers and front-end developers, ensuring end-to-end project success and maintaining high-quality digital experiences.
Concurrently, I coordinated StreamingCity.com, a pioneering streaming video service developed through a Dutch-American collaboration. This platform predated YouTube, and I was responsible for designing and implementing innovative functionalities while managing client integrations.
- Lead Designer of a team of web designers and front-end developers.
- Designing and developing large multichannel projects for popular TV programs.
- Additional position as design and implementation coordinator for streaming
video service company.
Skills
- User research
- Usability testing
- User Experience design
- User Interface design
- Prototyping & Wireframing
- User Journey mapping
- Design systems
- AI-enhanced UX
- Stakeholder management
- UX strategy
- A/B testing
- CRO
- Leading creative projects
- Design strategy
- Scrum & Agile
- Mentoring & coaching
- Conceptual & design thinking