Christian Kirkham
Verified Expert in Design
UX/UI Designer
London, United Kingdom
Toptal member since May 9, 2017
Christian is a product designer and design leader combining product strategy, UX/UI, and design systems with hands-on software development. His experience spans fintech, AI document workflows, B2B platforms, and consumer products. Christian helps teams define product direction and turn complex requirements into coherent experiences and working software.
Portfolio
Experience
- Product Design - 15 years
- Design Systems - 15 years
- UX Design - 15 years
- Information Architecture (IA) - 12 years
- Fintech - 11 years
- Design Leadership - 8 years
- AI-assisted Development - 3 years
- AI Tools - 3 years
Tools
- AI Tools
Work Experience
Lead Product Builder
PepsiCo
- Shaped Gatorade’s digital experiences across mobile and eCommerce, combining product design, customer journeys, customization, and reusable interface systems.
- Covered B2B commerce, operational workflows, AI-assisted back-end development, and LLM chat tools across wider PepsiCo work.
- Built working web and mobile prototypes, combining detailed UX/UI with hands-on product development.
- Worked on UX/UI for GSI, a Gatorade sports-science research app, covering hydration, heart-rate variability and data tracking. Named as an inventor on a related pending patent application.
Head of UX and Design
WiseAlpha Technologies
- Led UX, design and product delivery across WiseAlpha’s corporate-bond platform, spanning trading, the client portal and a B2B portal for wealth managers and market makers.
- Covered investment and bond-product management, pricing workflows, and design systems, including Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank’s white-label Smart Sukuk experience and digital design language.
- Built WiseAlpha’s React Native mobile app using AI-assisted development.
- Created an AI knowledge system connecting project knowledge, architecture decisions, and delivery tickets, providing shared context for iterative work across mobile, web, and design systems.
- WiseAlpha won Best Investments Provider at the 2019 British Bank Awards.
Lead UX/UI Designer
Toptal
- Delivered product strategy, UX and UI design through Toptal for clients across healthcare, sports performance, consumer brands and business services.
- Designed customer-facing products, specialist dashboards, business portals and websites, from early concepts and client presentations to detailed interaction and interface design.
- Designed Banknote Corporation of America’s ordering portal and company website, and shaped strategy, concept development, and UX/UI for Chobani’s food-assistance app.
Head of Product Design
Kiwi Data
- Owned UX and UI for Kiwi Data’s live AI document-analysis and contract-intelligence platform.
- Designed document-building interfaces and review workflows for contract intelligence.
- Designed annuity-adviser comparison and contract-builder tools.
Senior User Experience Architect
AKQA
- Designed digital experiences for Nike, TAG Heuer, Rolls-Royce, and Volvo across fitness, wearables, and luxury automotive.
- Worked across UX/UI, interaction design, app libraries and systems, localized watch interfaces, and website and configurator experiences.
- Collaborated with Nike’s design leaders in Portland on reusable foundations across its training and running apps.
- Contributed to Nike+ Training Club, which was shortlisted for Digital Craft at the 2017 Cannes Lions.
- Contributed to the TAG Heuer Connected Modular 45 experience, which was shortlisted for Product and Service Design: Craft at the 2018 BIMA Awards and in the Digital category at Creativepool Annual 2018.
- Designed UX and UI for the Rolls-Royce website at AKQA. The project was Highly Commended for Website Design at The Drum Design Awards 2016 and shortlisted for Web Design and Build at the 2016 BIMA Awards.
Lead Interaction Designer
Jack Renwick Studio
- Led a four-person design team through product discovery, UX strategy, interaction design, and high-fidelity execution.
- Facilitated sprint-based workshops with clients and design partners in Amsterdam to align product vision, user journeys, and creative strategy.
- Researched emerging blockchain and conversational-interface patterns and translated complex technical concepts into understandable product flows.
- Created information architecture, mapped user journeys, interactive prototypes, and high-fidelity designs through a lean and iterative delivery process.
- Worked directly with client stakeholders to test assumptions, refine requirements, and move the product from concept toward implementation.
Founder
Gin + Bourbon
- Founded and led Gin + Bourbon, an independent brand experience design agency working across luxury property, retail, hospitality, sport, consumer brands, and human rights.
- Built a diverse client portfolio and led a multidisciplinary team of brand, UX, and UI designers across websites, eCommerce experiences, mobile products, and service platforms.
- Combined agency leadership, client collaboration, and hands-on design delivery, shaping experiences from early concepts through to launch.
UX Designer
Albion
- Designed and tested comparison journeys for Compare the Market, and designed UX/UI for Jose Cuervo sites and campaigns.
- Worked on Chemist Direct UI and site-use documentation, Viagogo UX/UI and video creation/editing.
- Contributed to the Dons of Tequila campaign, which was shortlisted for Best Use of Content and FMCG Marketing Communications Campaign of the Year at the 2016 PRmoment Awards (South).
Education
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Interaction Design for Digital
University of Central Lancashire - Lancashire, UK
Certifications
Certificate in User Experience
Nielsen Norman Group
Creative Programming for Digital Media & Mobile Apps
University of London | via Coursera
Skills
Tools
Zeplin, InVision, Adobe Photoshop, Sketch, Flinto, Photoshop CC, Apple Keynote, AI Tools, Claude, Sublime Text 3, Adobe After Effects, Terminal, Principle, After Effects CC, InDesign CC, Illustrator CC, Flask
Languages
CSS, HTML, JavaScript
Platforms
Figma, Android, iOS, Adobe Suite, Apple Watch, Arduino, Apple TV
Industry Expertise
Banking & Finance, Automotive, Fitness, Government, Health, Travel & Leisure, Healthcare
Other
UI Design, Fintech, Trading, Finance, Digital Filters, eCommerce, Web Design, Product Management, Blockchain, Project Management, Responsive, Websites, SaaS, Apps, Data Visualization, Dashboard Design, Wearable Technology, Bonds, App Design, Interface Design, Prototyping, Information Architecture (IA), User Research, Product Design, User Interface (UI), Wireframing, UX Design, Logo Design, Design Systems, Mobile Design, Fitness Trackers, iOS UX Design, Rapid Prototyping, Mobile Apps, Digital Design, Interaction Design (IxD), User Experience Design, User-centered Design (UCD), Notion, UX Research, Consumer-facing Product Design, Rapid Interactive Prototyping, High-fidelity Prototypes, App UX, Landing Page Design, eCommerce UX, Component Libraries, Dashboards, Visual Design, Digital Product Design, Branding, Human-machine Interface (HMI), Microinteraction Design, Human-centered Design (HCD), High-end Design, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Mobile-first Design, Cross-platform UX, UX Architecture, Design Management, UX Prototyping, Goal-directed Design, Aspirational UX, High Net Worth Individuals (HNWI), Digital Craftsmanship, Web UI Design, Design Leadership, Design, Native Mobile Apps, Front-end prototyping, UX Strategy, Product Discovery, Blockchain Design, Interactive Prototypes, Mobile UI, Web App UI, eCommerce UI, High-fidelity Mockups, AI-assisted UX, App Product Management, Data-informed Visual Design, Connected Devices, Design governance, Component Design, Data Analysis.Financial Data, Industry.Trading, Market Research.Market Research & Analysis, Mobile App Design, High-fidelity Wireframes, Onboarding, Investing, Investment Banking, React Native, Corporate Finance, Startups, B2B, Cryptocurrency, Crypto, Cars, Luxury Industry, Smart Cars, Connected Cars, Android Wear, User Experience (UX), Customization, Front-end, Usability Testing, Smart Watches, Typography, Healthtech, Medtech, Sport Branding, Development, User Psychology, User Testing, Flutter, Mentorship, UX Mentoring, Interviews, Psychology, User Journeys, Usability Analysis, UI Development, Luxury, Luxury Retail, Accessibility, UX Audits, Telematics, UX for Wearables, Wearables, Android Wearables, UI for Small Screens, User Validation, Context-Aware Interfaces, Hardware-Software Interaction, Companion Software, Smartwatch Design, Agile UX, Legacy Software, Order Management UX, Analytical Dashboards, Stakeholder Management, Habit Formation, Gamification, Behavioral Design, Lifestyle, Luxury web design, Animation, Agile, Content Management Systems (CMS), Website Migration, Customer Experience, Automotive Design, Processing.js, Workshops, Conversational UI, Desktop App Design, Illustration, Photography, Vector Design, Complex Data Analysis, AI-assisted Development, Enterprise UX, Connected Apps, Fractional Bonds, Regulations, Account Management, Manual QA, Gilts, Vehicle discovery, Vehicle customisation, Automotive retail, Multi-market design, Django, Open Banking, Referrals, Legal, Printing, UV Printing, Printing Press, Money, Cryptocurrency Payments, MetaMask, Conversation, Horology, Back-end, Genetics, Hospitals, Marketing Design, Pixel, UI Components, Reusable Components, Component-based Design, Journey Mapping, User Journey Maps, Stakeholder Communication, AI Workflow, AI-assisted Prototyping, Customer Experience (CX) Design, Conversational Design, Conversational Interfaces, Conversational UI Design, Conversational UX
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