Alex Gilev
Verified Expert in Design
Designer
Miami, FL, United States
Toptal member since October 8, 2015
Alex is a strategic product design leader who helps enterprise companies and startups strategize (UX) and design (UI) software that is efficient, engaging, and easy to use. He has an extensive track record of creating superlative product experiences used by Apple, Silicon Valley Bank, Harvard, CDC, NOV, JOOR, MasterClass, U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Navy. Alex's extensive research in key areas and tested design patterns enable him to move fast and with greater precision than other designers.
Portfolio
Work Experience
Principal Designer (via Toptal)
Boston Children's Hospital - IDHA Team
- Strategized and designed CyranoHealth, an immersive medical training app developed for Apple Vision Pro and used by Boston Children's Hospital. The app was featured by Fast Company and Apple.
- Led cross-functional teams in developing a user-driven UX strategy and design for MedTutor AI, a tutoring application that guides healthcare learners through complex medical cases. Awarded a $100,000 grant from the National Institute of Health.
- Directed the design for Vaccines.gov, a high-stakes CDC contract, creating an accessibility-first design system prioritizing inclusivity. Conducted over 80 usability tests to inform critical design decisions.
- Contributed to the platform, which successfully handled over 50-60 million user visits per year, delivering critical pharmacy information nationwide.
Staff Product Designer (via Toptal)
Silicon Valley Bank
- Led the UX strategy and design for a new banking service, streamlining complex account management for Sequoia Capital, enabling the management of over 1,000 startup accounts, and increasing operational efficiency by 30%.
- Led ongoing mission-critical bank projects, collaborating closely with veteran product managers and directors to align strategies and deliver tactical design solutions.
- Designed the SVB Go Back Office Notifications and Account Management Platform, leveraging stakeholder management to collaborate with senior leadership and product teams. Ensured alignment of business goals with user needs through design workshops.
- Contributed to the design system and developed several key user workflows that other team pods had adopted.
Staff Product Designer
DailyPay
- Established and managed a robust product design system within one month by raising awareness of the value of design thinking in partners while fostering a culture of design excellence across teams.
- Conducted over 50 internal user interviews to inform the design of a new B2B service, focusing on enhancing operational efficiency and seamless payroll API integration.
- Redesigned internal customer support software based on qualitative and quantitative user research insights. This enhanced user information retrieval and issue resolution during agent phone calls, resulting in a 40% boost in employee performance.
- Designed an innovative B2B product with real-time digital payments that recognizes employees in the moments that matter most. The project received the “Best HR Tech Award” in 2024.
Lead UX Designer
Coder Technologies Inc.
- Translated complex product requirements into user-focused platform designs with over 40 million open-source downloads, aligning product vision with user needs, which contributed to securing government contracts with the U.S. Air Force and Navy.
- Reduced design inconsistencies across projects by 50% by standardizing components and creating a shared design library.
- Launched a project management initiative that balanced short-term design fixes with long-term objectives; this approach facilitated a 20% increase in project delivery speed while ensuring alignment with company growth targets.
Founding Designer
Backbone
- Collaborated with C-suite and data science to execute the roadmap and design innovative planning software, leading to partnerships with clients like Stitch Fix, Allbirds, Movado, Warby Parker, Yeezy, and others.
- Helped secure $20 million in funding within a two-year period while collaborating with partners to develop core ideas through interactive design prototypes.
- Managed and coached the design team of four, helping them navigate the complexity and ambiguity of Backbone PLM business areas.
Senior UX Designer
Fantasy
- Led UX strategy for the first version of Twitter Analytics, driving improved data accessibility and insights for millions of users.
- Designed the Texas Teachers certification platform, streamlining the pathway for over 80,000 educators to earn their certification.
- Conceptualized and defined MasterClass’s first mobile design language, with two million active users at the time of launch, with a focus on premium user experience and superlative user interface design.
Certifications
Product Management
Stanford University
Product Leader Certification (PLC)
Product School (Silicon Valley)
Certified Product Manager (PMC)
Product School (Silicon Valley)
UX Certification | UX Management Specialty
Nielsen Norman Group
Jobs-To-Be-Done (JTBD) + Outcome Driven Innovation (ODI) Masterclass
Strategyn, LLC
Digital Psychology Specialist
CXL Institute
Design Thinking (Cooper)
Udemy
Heuristic Analysis Frameworks for Conversion Optimization Audits
CXL Institute
Psychology and Neuroscience for CRO
CXL Institute
Applied Neuromarketing
CXL Institute
Mastering Business Models
Strategyzer
Designing a Business
IDEO
Disruptive Strategy
Harvard Business School
Mastering Value Propositions
Strategyzer
Skills
Tools
Sketch, Figma, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, InVision, Adobe After Effects, Cinema 4D, Apple Keynote, Miro
Platforms
Webflow, Web, Mobile, Vercel
Industry Expertise
Sports, Fashion, Retail & Wholesale, Psychology & Mental Health
Other
User-centered Design (UCD), Data Visualization, Branding, Design Systems, SaaS Design, Web App Design, Conversion, User Experience (UX), Responsive Web Design (RWD), Stock Market, Dashboards, User Interface (UI), UX Strategy, Web Design, Consulting, Product Strategy, Enterprise SaaS, Software as a Service (SaaS), Web Applications, Behavioral Design, Design Thinking, Business Strategy, User Research, Web App UX, Web App UI, UX Design, UI Design, UX Research, Prototyping, Product Design, Project Management, Framer, Interaction Design (IxD), User Testing, Spatial Design, Presentation Design, Pitch Decks, MVP Design, Qualitative Research, Design Sprints, Finance, Growth-driven Design (GDD), Mind Mapping, Whiteboarding, Financial Design, Financial Products, Fintech, Wireframing, Analytics, Web UI Design, SaaS, Financial Data, B2B, B2C, Responsive Design, Tennis, CRM Design, CRM Systems, Interactive Prototypes, Sport Branding, Social Media Design, Style Guides, Startups, Web UX, Animated Prototypes, Interactive Design, UI Branding, Internet of Things (IoT), Competitor Analysis & Profiling, Rapid Prototyping, Web UX Design, Logotype, Logo Design, Procurement, Dashboard Design, Responsive Web Apps, Online Banking, Interactive Dashboards, Agile, UX Roadmaps, DesignOps, Psychology, Disruptive Strategy, Lean UX, Product Management, Strategy, Information Architecture (IA), User Flows, User Journeys, Behavioral Science, Business Models, Conversion Rate, Innovation, Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO), Jobs to be Done (JTBD), Value Proposition, Design Strategy, Stakeholder Management, Usability, Minimum Viable Product (MVP), Remote User Testing, Business to Business (B2B), Business Requirements, Presentations, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), Blockchain, Dark UIs, Play, Product Growth
Experience
- UX Design - 10 years
- UI Design - 10 years
- User-centered Design (UCD) - 10 years
- Enterprise SaaS - 8 years
- Design Thinking - 8 years
- Product Design - 8 years
- UX Strategy - 5 years
- Growth-driven Design (GDD) - 4 years
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