Andrei Gurgel
Verified Expert in Design
Designer
Natal - State of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
Toptal member since December 6, 2017
Andrei is an AI-native senior product designer with nearly 30 years of experience in digital design, a master's in interaction design, and the author of COUX, a book on participatory design. He combines AI with collaboration: ideas from clients and teams are refined using AI (Claude, ChatGPT, Midjourney), and the results are further refined through collaboration and his design judgment. Andrei goes from idea to navigable prototype in days, designing for finance, health, and AI products.
Portfolio
Experience
- User Interface (UI) - 20 years
- UX Design - 20 years
- App Design - 10 years
- Webflow - 7 years
- Figma - 7 years
- Adobe Experience Design (XD) - 7 years
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) - 3 years
- Webflow CMS - 2 years
Tools
- Adobe Experience Design (XD)
Work Experience
Senior Product Designer (UX/UI)
Toptal Projects
- Led and delivered diverse projects. Spearheaded multi-industry projects, successfully identifying unique needs and creating customized, user-centric solutions that opened new business opportunities.
- Fostered collaborative design success. Enhanced client involvement in the design process, resulting in significantly improved client satisfaction and products that consistently met project goals and user needs.
- Utilized the "design spiral" approach from my book "Codesigners" in numerous projects, leading to reduced development time and improved product performance, surpassing user and business expectations.
Director of Design
Toptal
- Collaborated on hundreds of projects at Toptal, enhancing technical and creative skills and aligning client needs with innovative solutions.
- Strengthened team communication and leadership, consistently exceeding client expectations in project outcomes.
- Gained a broad perspective in design and team management at Toptal, ready to apply this expertise in future innovative projects.
- Innovated with AI in Workflows. Developed and implemented creative initiatives, particularly integrating AI, to streamline and improve design workflows.
Lead Designer
Prism.ai
- Developed interfaces and workflows for the AI-driven Prism project, collaborating with teams and clients in various technology applications.
- Led distributed teams remotely. Effectively coordinated remote design and front-end teams for the Prism project, ensuring efficient and integrated development.
- Conducted remote design sprints. Facilitated remote design sprints, user testing, and client interviews, enhancing the user-centric approach of the Prism project.
Head of Innovation
Art&C Agency
- Cultivated agency design culture. Steered the design culture across all creative departments at Art&C Agency, fostering a cohesive and innovative environment.
- Created digital products and services. Designed a range of digital products, including websites and apps, tailored to the needs of the agency's diverse client base.
- Led marketing collateral development. Directed a team of professionals in creating impactful marketing collaterals for social media, catering to dozens of companies.
Head of Design
Bora Agency
- Nurtured a creative design ethos. Guided the evolution of design ethos throughout Art&C Agency's creative departments, promoting an environment of unity and innovation.
- Developed diverse digital solutions. Crafted various digital offerings, such as websites and applications, specifically designed to meet the unique requirements of the agency's varied clientele.
- Oversaw social media marketing creation. Managed a skilled team in producing effective marketing materials for social media, serving a multitude of companies.
Co-founder and Head of Design
Social Design Agency
- Co-founded innovative social agency. Initiated a social interactive agency, focusing on design, interactive media, and digital marketing, driving forward-thinking digital solutions.
- Led creative and digital strategies. Blended expertise from both Art&C and Bora to spearhead innovative design and digital strategies, enhancing client engagement and brand presence.
- Fostered cross-agency collaboration. Orchestrated collaborative efforts, merging unique strengths in social media and interactive design to deliver comprehensive digital solutions.
Interaction and Visual Designer
14bits
- Developed global digital solutions remotely. Specialized in creating websites and applications for clients around the world, leveraging remote collaboration at 14bits.
- Delivered projects for major clients. Contributed to major projects for global clients like Sony Pictures International, Paramount Pictures, and Toyota USA, developing websites, games, and applications.
- Fueled creative collaboration in entertainment. Engaged in creative development for major entertainment companies, collaborating on game creation and blending innovative design with interactive storytelling.
Interaction and Visual Designer
Mariz Design Agency
- Pioneered the digital culture at Mariz. In the early 2000s, I was instrumental in introducing and integrating digital culture within the agency, paving the way for modernization.
- Developed interactive digital projects: Constructed a variety of interactive jobs such as websites, systems, and applications, catering to medium and large local clients at Mariz.
- Conceptualized and collaborated in design. Focused on conceptual depth in each creation, working alongside experienced designers to blend innovative ideas with practical solutions.
Digital Designer
Freelancer Designer
- Focused on digital design innovation. In my early freelance career, I specialized in digital design and interactive media, creating cutting-edge websites and applications that captivated users.
- Crafted engaging, interactive experiences. Excelled in developing interactive applications, blending aesthetic design with user-friendly interfaces to enhance online user engagement and experience.
- Pioneered creative digital solutions. Paved the way for unique digital experiences, combining technical expertise with creative flair to deliver tailor-made solutions for diverse clientele.
Education
Master's Degree in Interaction Design
Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte - Natal, Brazil
Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science
Universidade Potiguar (UnP) - Natal, Brazil
Certifications
Design Sprint
UDACITY
Skills
Tools
Flash, Animate CC, Adobe Experience Design (XD), Adobe Photoshop, MURAL, Claude, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Premiere Pro, Bubble, Sketch, Flow, After Effects CC
Languages
HTML, CSS
Platforms
MacOS, Mobile, Figma, Webflow, Webflow CMS, iOS, Web
Industry Expertise
Consumer Products
Other
UI Design, Design Sprints, User Interviews, Chatbots, User Needs, User Research, Focus Groups, Contextual Inquiry, Interface Design, Prototyping, Wireframing, Visual Design, App Design, User Interface (UI), Motion Design, Design Systems, Scrum, Chatbot Conversation Design, UX Design, Agile UX, Intuitive UX Design, Design Leadership, Computer Vision, Product Design, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Mockups, Mobile UX Design, Mobile UI Design, UX Research, Participative Design, Collaborative Design, Data Visualization, Dashboard Design, Rapid Prototyping, iOS UI Design, Mobile App Design, Rapid Interactive Prototyping, B2C, Direct to Consumer (D2C), Design Thinking, Color Palettes, User Flows, MVP Design, Style Guides, Typography, Mobile Design, Ideation Workshops, Design Workshops, Workshop Facilitation, Discovery Workshops, Workshops, Journey Mapping, User Experience (UX), Web App Design, User Personas, App UX, Web Application Design, Lottie, Responsive UI, Responsive Design, UI Prototyping, Mobile UI, UX Wireframes, Mobile UX, Web App UI, Web App UX, AI-powered Product Design, Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), Prompt Engineering, ChatGPT, Qualitative Research, Usability Testing, Communication, Digital Design, Digital Product Design, Interviewing, Teamwork, Research Synthesis, Illustration, Game Design, Brand Design, Animation, Scrum Master, Conversational Design, Conversational UX, UX Testing, Conversational UI, Video Editing, Video Processing, Adobe Premiere, Presentation Design, Social Media Design, Large Language Models (LLMs), Midjourney, AI Agents, Generative Design, Claude Design, Quantitative Research, Accessibility, Tools, Strategic Design, 3D, Tablet UI, Tablet Design, Interaction Design (IxD), Scroll Animations, Management, Information Architecture (IA), Information Systems, Computer Science, Development, Web Design, Material Design, Task Management, Task Automation, Brainstorming, iOS UX Design, Branding, Logo Design, Visual Identity, Edtech Design, Token Design, Design Documentation, Developer Handoff, Claude Code
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