01. Selected Work
Starbucks EMEA
Food & Beverage / Mobile App
Optimizing Starbucks Mobile Across EMEA — Driving regional engagement while expanding and governing the mobile design system through data-informed experimentation.
- Increase in user retention: +25%
As a Lead Product Designer for Starbucks EMEA, my objective was to elevate the mobile app and Progressive Web App (PWA) ecosystems. While Starbucks is globally renowned for its premium in-store experience, the digital touchpoints required a visual and structural evolution to match that standard.
The challenge wasn't just fixing usability friction; it was about crafting a cohesive, highly polished product language that could scale seamlessly across diverse EMEA markets, ensuring the digital brand felt as crafted and tailored as the physical one.
Systematizing the Brand
A cornerstone of this ongoing engagement was the collaborative development of a comprehensive Design System. Working closely with engineering teams and brand stakeholders, I helped architect a unified component library bridging the native iOS/Android applications and the PWA.
I focused on establishing scalable visual foundations—from precise typography scales to comprehensive support of tokens, ensuring all components are fully accessibility AA compliant. Maintaining Design System documentation with AI agents streamlined our design-to-development workflows, enabling the team to iterate and ship faster.
Refining the Experience
A key focus was the core Product Detail Page (PDP) and customization flows. By stripping away visual clutter, we introduced a refined typographic hierarchy, simplified iconography, and intuitive layout patterns for complex drink customizations. This visual decluttering significantly reduced cognitive load and modernized the ordering experience, balancing business requirements with elegant product design. As a direct result of these improvements, the customization rate increased by 20%, which consequently drove a measurable increase in the average order value.
Features Highlights
- Fast Checkout: Allows users to quickly select previous orders directly from the homepage, introducing a fast checkout functionality to speed up the order process.
- Soft Sign In: Integrating email first verification on the DB, and progressive disclosure of registration and signing in accordingly.
- In-App Delivery: Functionality that allows Starbucks to deliver products directly through Uber Eats outside the aggregator ecosystem, increasing new acquisition and loyalty retention.
- Guest Checkout: Allowing users to purchase items from the web without creating an account first, increasing new acquisition through loss aversion of the rewards.
- Tipping: Allows users to tip the barista after a digital purchase through the app.
- Referral: Referral functionality that allows users to send referral codes to friends, increasing user acquisition.
Validation & Iteration
Ensuring that UI and UX enhancements translated into measurable performance was central to our workflow. Through continuous experimentation—including iterative A/B testing and usability validations—we systematically evaluated new interaction patterns to reduce drop-offs and drive higher conversion across regional markets.
As part of our iteration process over time, we monitored customer sentiment analysis at scale. Integrating AI into our research synthesis allowed us to dramatically speed up the analysis of qualitative data and user feedback, instantly transforming vast amounts of customer commentary into actionable product improvements.
Analyze Data & Set Goals
Reviewed baseline app analytics, drop-off points, and order funnel performance to establish clear KPIs and problem definitions for each optimization cycle.
Competitive Benchmarking
Analyzed direct beverage competitors and industry-leading mobile ecommerce apps across EMEA to identify best practices and feature opportunities.
Heuristic Evaluation
Evaluated screens and key user flows against Nielsen-Norman heuristics and Gestalt principles, identifying clutter, cognitive load, and visual hierarchy gaps.
Formative User Testing
Conducted exploratory usability testing with early interactive prototypes to gather qualitative feedback and validate conceptual models.
A/B Testing Collaboration
Collaborated on structured A/B testing plans to compare new variants against control baselines, validating conversion lift and reduction in drop-offs.
Field Study
Observed baristas and customers in-store to understand real-world pain points during peak hours, informing mobile order pickup UX improvements.
The Outcome
By prioritizing visual craft and systemic design alongside targeted usability improvements, the product transformation drove measurable business results.
Over the course of the rollout, the refined digital ecosystem contributed to a 25% increase in user retention. The new design system and optimized flows have elevated the overall customer satisfaction across the EMEA region, proving that a focus on high-quality product design is directly tied to user loyalty and engagement.
Monitoring: Sentiment Analysis
Monitoring user sentiment through continuous review tracking, social listening, and direct customer feedback to identify emerging trends and address concerns promptly.
Monitoring: Persona Journey Mapping
Integrating insights into persona development and journey mapping to systematically uncover and resolve hidden pain points across the end-to-end customer experience.
Monitoring: Funnel Analytics
Deep-dive analysis of conversion funnels to pinpoint drop-off stages and optimize critical user flows, driving higher overall transaction completion rates.
My First Voice
AI / Product Design
My First Voice AI Platform. Transforming unique vocal sounds into personalized, authentic speech to empower nonverbal children and reduce social isolation.
Role: Senior product designer, Team: 2 product designers, 1 PM, 1 AI engineer. Focus: Generative AI / UI / UX. Duration: 3 months
The Centre for Community Initiative recognized the profound social isolation faced by nonverbal children. Existing communication tools often fail to capture individuality or cultural nuance, relying on generic voices.
We needed to create an accessible platform where children could have a voice distinctly their own. The solution had to accommodate motor and cognitive challenges, minimizing the effort required to synthesize personalized, authentic speech while preserving their natural accents.
Generative AI & Interface
With My First Voice, we utilized generative AI to transform each child’s unique sounds into personalized speech. By requiring only a short, 30-second sound sample, we removed the technical and physical barriers that typically prevent nonverbal children from obtaining custom synthetic voices.
As a Senior Product Designer, my focus spanned end-to-end product strategy, balancing complex AI capabilities with accessible user needs. Through cross-functional collaboration and iterative prototyping, I led the design of adaptive preset interactions, ensuring families could seamlessly build custom voice libraries and trigger key phrases with minimal cognitive or physical strain.
Accessible Interfaces
Designed large, high-contrast, adaptive touch targets specifically to accommodate children with motor and cognitive difficulties.
Cultural Sensitivity
Ensured the AI voice generation preserved the child's natural accents and identity, validating the output with speech therapists and families.
Voice Libraries
Created an intuitive recording workflow for families to easily record and map phrases to visual buttons, minimizing setup friction.
Iterative Prototyping
Continuously refined the UX from early wireframes to the 10-children pilot rollout, responding directly to qualitative feedback from parents.
Audio Synthesis Journey
Streamlined the upload and generative processing flow, designing transparent loading states to communicate progress while reducing synthesis time.
The Outcome
My First Voice has enabled 10 nonverbal children to express themselves for the first time, preserving their natural accents.
Parents report reduced isolation and greater inclusion, with children participating more actively in family activities. Endorsed by speech therapists and highlighted in over 30 media publications, the platform has successfully slashed voice synthesis time from days to minutes.
McLaren Car Configurator
Automotive / Omnichannel
Scaling McLaren's Omnichannel Configurator — Bringing luxury car customization to mobile and physical showrooms through bespoke design system architecture and user testing.
- Increase in completion rate: +30%
Role: Senior UX designer, Team: 1 UX designer, 1 UI designer, 2 developers. Focus: UX/UI & Redesign. Duration: 3 months.
While McLaren is globally renowned for its high-performance supercars and bespoke customization options, its digital experience was lagging. The legacy car configurator was visually outdated, poorly optimized for mobile devices, and operated completely siloed from the in-store software, resulting in a fragmented customer journey.
As Senior UX Designer, I spearheaded the user experience overhaul of the McLaren car configurator. Taking ownership of the UX lifecycle, I focused on resolving complex navigation friction, driving mobile-first usability improvements, and establishing an intuitive information architecture to elevate the overall customer journey.
Generative Research
Working closely with McLaren stakeholders and the team at .Monks, we initiated a comprehensive research phase to identify key goals, limitations, and areas for improvement. By collaborating across departments, we gained valuable insights into the specific project requirements and potential obstacles.
By evaluating the broader competitive landscape and analyzing the existing user experience, we mapped out current friction points. This allowed us to prioritize strategic opportunities and lay the groundwork for a more intuitive, user-centric configurator.
Stakeholder Alignment
Organized affinity mapping workshops with stakeholders to identify key goals, limitations, and areas of improvement related to the car configurator.
Competitive Analysis
Thorough evaluation of 4 car competitors (Porsche, Aston Martin, Tesla, BMW) and 3 secondary products (Bentley, Honda Motorbikes, Nike) to highlight strengths and solutions.
Heuristic Evaluation
Identified significant problems related to navigation, information architecture, guidance, sharing, and accessibility, utilizing a severity scale to prioritize mitigations.
Qualitative Research
Conducted dealer and user interviews (n=5) to understand post-configuration actions, identify complaints, determine popular customizations, and assess dealer collaboration.
Usability Testing
Sampled 10 participants (5 mobile, 5 desktop) in an unmoderated test to evaluate navigation issues, linear vs. pick-and-choose preferences, and identify well-received features.
A New Visual Language
We aligned the configurator with McLaren's recent global website redesign, embracing a minimalist, high-contrast aesthetic that mirrors their engineering precision. Stark structural lines and edge-to-edge canvases keep the vehicle as the undisputed focal point.
This required a systematic approach. We architected a suite of bespoke, configurator-specific UI components and contributed them directly to the new McLaren design system, ensuring seamless scalability across their digital ecosystem.
Validation & Iteration
We validated the solution through dealer interviews and unmoderated user testing across mobile and desktop. This helped us understand customer behaviors post-configuration and optimize dealer collaboration.
Testing key interactions—from flexible navigation to mobile viewport rotation—uncovered critical usability gains and validated our design decisions before final rollout.
The Outcome
Following the redesign, configuration completion rates increased by 30%.
This lift was driven by enhanced usability, mobile optimizations, and seamless continuity between the web configurator and in-store MARC systems—delivering immediate conversion gains and long-term structural value.
Monitoring: Behavioral Tracking
Implementing detailed behavioral analytics across the configuration funnel to monitor feature usage, drop-offs, and conversion bottlenecks.
Monitoring: Qualitative Feedback
Deploying targeted micro-surveys immediately after configurations are saved to capture qualitative user sentiment and measure customer effort scores.
Monitoring: Session Replay
Utilizing session replay tools to observe real user journeys in the wild, helping us uncover friction points and validate usability improvements.
McLaren Racing App
Sports / Mobile App
Designing the Official McLaren Racing App — Creating a centralized digital hub for fans with real-time telemetry, exclusive content, and a premium digital experience.
- Daily Active Users on Race Weekends: +25%
Role: Senior UX designer, Team: 1 UI designer, 1 product owner, 3 developers. Focus: UX/UI & App creation. Duration: 1 year.
The McLaren Racing fan experience was fragmented across multiple social media channels and web platforms. The team identified the need for a centralized, exclusive digital hub to bring fans closer to the track.
The challenge was to design a mobile application that not only housed exclusive news, behind-the-scenes content, and the McLaren Plus community, but also provided real-time race telemetry. A key insight emerged: fans wanted a powerful "second-screen" experience during race weekends. They desired live timing, driver radio snippets, and behind-the-scenes glimpses that TV broadcasts missed. This robust design system was architected to handle complex live telemetry data seamlessly.
Creating the Foundation
Working closely with racing stakeholders and the wider digital team, we initiated a comprehensive research phase to identify key user needs, technological constraints (especially regarding live telemetry integration), and opportunities for engagement.
By evaluating the broader sports app landscape and analyzing existing fan behaviors, we mapped out current friction points in content consumption. This strategic foundation allowed us to prioritize features and lay the groundwork for a truly immersive, fan-centric digital paddock.
Stakeholder Alignment
Organized workshops with racing team stakeholders, marketing, and the technical team to identify key goals, limitations, and core features for the mobile app.
Competitive Analysis
Thorough evaluation of competitor racing apps (Mercedes, Red Bull, Ferrari) and leading global sports apps (NBA, Premier League) to highlight strengths and best-in-class fan engagement solutions.
Heuristic Evaluation
Identified significant UX problems related to data density, navigation, content discoverability, and accessibility in existing sports data dashboards, prioritizing mitigations.
Qualitative Research
Conducted fan interviews (n=8) to understand their race weekend rituals, second-screen usage, what data they value most, and pain points with existing broadcasting.
Usability Testing
Sampled 12 participants in unmoderated testing to evaluate navigation structures, the clarity of live telemetry visualizations, and content discoverability within the prototype.
A Dynamic Visual Identity
We aligned the app with McLaren Racing's bold, high-energy brand guidelines, embracing a dark-mode first aesthetic that reduces glare during race viewing and makes vibrant telemetry colors pop. Bold typography and edge-to-edge imagery keep the focus on the cars and the drivers.
This required a rigorous systemic approach. We architected a suite of bespoke, data-heavy UI components specifically designed to handle high-frequency live updates without visual jitter, contributing them back to the wider McLaren digital design system.
Telemetry & Validation
We validated the complex telemetry interfaces through iterative testing with hardcore racing fans, ensuring that live timing, tire data, and track positioning were instantly legible even under the stress of a live race scenario.
Testing critical interactions—such as switching between driver feeds and parsing lap times—uncovered essential usability gains and validated our data visualization strategies before the season opener.
The Outcome
Following the launch, Daily Active Users (DAU) on race weekends surged by 25%.
This significant lift was driven by the introduction of the exclusive "second-screen" live timing features, optimized content delivery, and seamless integration with the McLaren Plus loyalty program—delivering immediate engagement gains and long-term fan retention.
Monitoring: Behavioral Tracking
Implementing detailed behavioral analytics across the app to monitor feature usage, content engagement (especially video), and navigation paths during race sessions.
Monitoring: Real-time Telemetry Stress Testing
Monitoring the app's performance and data latency during peak race weekend traffic to ensure the live timing and telemetry feeds remain robust and responsive.
Monitoring: App Store Sentiment
Continuously tracking App Store and Google Play reviews to capture qualitative user sentiment, identify bugs quickly, and measure overall customer satisfaction.
Upstix
Real Estate / PropTech
Optimizing the Upstix Conversion Funnel — Driving an increase in property valuation completions through rigorous user testing and UI refinement.
- Increase in form completion: +15%
Role: Senior UX designer, Team: 1 UX designer, 1 UI designer, 1 data analyst, 2 developers. Focus: UI/UX & CRO. Duration: 2 months.
Upstix’s AI-powered property valuation platform needed a streamlined conversion funnel to reduce drop-offs and improve cash offer clarity. Users were often confused between receiving a standard property evaluation and a genuine cash offer.
We focused on optimizing the conversion flow by identifying areas of friction, particularly where accessibility concerns in field states and poor call-to-action visibility were causing prospective users to abandon the funnel.
Research & Analytics
A key part of optimizing the conversion funnel was rooted in data. However, the initial absence of error rate tracking in analytics meant our first steps relied heavily on heuristic evaluation.
We established a collaborative tracking plan with UX, data, and Upstix teams to monitor crucial metrics like form completions, drop-off rates, and error rates, ensuring any design enhancements were measurable and statistically valid.
Funnel Audit
Reviewed funnel analytics extensively to identify key pain points and drop-off areas throughout the flow.
Heuristic Evaluation
Identified critical issues, including lack of clarity on cash offers, accessibility concerns in form field states, and suboptimal white space usage.
Competitive Benchmarking
Analyzed competitors to categorize opportunities for improvement into common groups, giving us a focused roadmap for funnel optimization.
Contextual Inquiry
Conducted in-context observations of users navigating the property valuation and cash offer process in their natural environment to uncover real-world friction points.
A/B Concept Testing
Created scripts mimicking real scenarios to evaluate factors influencing UX. Tested a balanced comparison between two possible funnel outcomes.
Component Testing
Tested different options in the forms to systematically optimize the user journey and increase conversion rates.
Prototyping & Visual Language
While we typically validate concepts using low-fidelity wireframes to optimize costs, Upstix’s brand identity was actively evolving. This provided a strategic opportunity to simultaneously refine their visual design language to enhance user trust.
We bypassed standard wireframe testing and moved straight into high-fidelity UI design. The polished components were then prototyped in Axure to deeply test the data entry fields, capturing reliable insights before engineering handoff.
The Outcome
The platform optimization contributed directly to a 15% increase in form completions, demonstrating how solid research combined with precise UI execution drives business outcomes.
By implementing a robust tracking plan and leveraging these data-driven UI improvements, we delivered targeted enhancements across the conversion funnel. We achieved this alongside embedded senior engineers, seamlessly shipping the improvements.
Monitoring: Field-level Tracking
Tracking field-level interactions and validation errors to continuously optimize form completion rates and reduce friction.
Monitoring: Session Replay
Utilizing session recordings to observe real user behavior and identify exactly where users hesitate or abandon the cash offer flow.
Monitoring: Funnel Drop-off Analysis
Monitoring step-by-step conversion rates from the initial landing page through to final property offer acceptance.