Publication
Maximalist Design and the Problem with Minimalism
https://www.toptal.com/designers/ui/maximalist-design
Danae is available for hire
Hire DanaeDanae Botha
Verified Expert in Design
Designer
Location
Cambridge, United Kingdom
Toptal Member Since
June 24, 2019
Danae (pronounced DUN-ay) has over 19 years of design experience, producing unmatched digital products for startups, scale-ups, and smaller businesses to international clients, such as Cambridge Dictionary and Subway. She's an experienced digital designer, passionate about developing the disparate threads of branding, user research, strategy, information architecture, UX strategy, prototyping, UI design, development, and testing into elegant, effective products for her clients.
Portfolio
Work Experience
Senior UI/UX Consultant
2019 - PRESENT
Freelance
- Served as the lead UX designer for multiple successful startups and established companies in various industries, including social, fitness and nutrition, healthcare, career management, professional services, fintech, insurtech, and supply chain sectors.
- Redesigned the online Cambridge Dictionary to appeal to a mobile-first market, improve overall UX, and be AMP compliant.
- Crafted the UI/UX design for an innovative construction, snagging mobile app for iOS and Android.
- Consulted on a target customer experience analysis for the Leeds Building Society.
- Re-designed the UI/UX of a portal for an international road and rail logistics company, G&W (owner of Pentalver and Freightliner).
- Contributed to the branding and UI/UX for various companies in the technology and entertainment sectors.
Technologies: UX Design, Interactive Prototypes, UX Audits, InVision, Figma, Zeplin, Sketch, Marvel, Adobe Experience Design (XD), Product Design, Web App Design, Web App UI, Web App UX, Data-informed Visual Design, High-fidelity Mockups, Enterprise Design, Workflow, User Interviews, WebApp, Subscriptions, Mobile Design, Visual Design, System Design, Design Strategy, Brand Design, Dashboard Design, MVP Design, UI Prototyping, Tables, UI Components, User Testing, UX Strategy, Feature Prioritization, New Product Development, UX Wireframes, Minimalism, Web UI, eCommerce, CRM Design, User Journeys, Intuitive UX Design, B2B, Design Systems, Machine Learning, UX Research, Web Portals, Marketplaces, User Research, Minimum Viable Product (MVP), SaaS, Enterprise SaaS, Journey Mapping, Decision Support Systems, Fintech, UX Documentation, Sustainability, Usertesting.com, Landing Page Design, White Labeling, API Integration, Digital Product Design, Early-stage Startups, Notion, Material Design, WordPress, Stakeholder Management, Mockups, UX Architecture, Cross-platform, Map-based Systems, User Stories, Lean UX, Team Leadership, UX Mentoring, Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), Agile, Process Optimization, Usability Testing, Graphic Design, App Design, Apps, Mobile Prototypes, Best Practices in Design, UI Audits, Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Websites, Gamification, Interactive UX, MacOS, Layout, UX Prototyping, Style Guides, Rapid Interactive Prototyping, Web UX, Product Strategy, Audits, Annotated Wireframes, Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO), Product Roadmaps, eCommerce UI, eCommerce Design, Accessibility, Design Guidelines, iPad, Healthcare, Software as a Service (SaaS), Customer Journeys, Layout Design, Web Applications, Component Libraries, UX Testing, Conversational UI, Conversational Design, Conversational UX, Customer Portals, Design Workshops, Design Production, Business to Business (B2B), Material UI, High-fidelity Prototypes, Design, Responsive Design, WCAG 2, Design Sprints, Email Template Design, Infographics, Funnel Optimization, Messaging, Google Design Sprints, Heuristics, Usability Heuristics, Design Libraries, Logistics, Data Visualization, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Startups, React, Food Ordering, White Label Design, Workshops, User-centered Design (UCD), Big Data, Big Data UX Designer, Big Data Architecture, Web UX Design, Branding, Interviews, Web UI Design, Content Management Systems (CMS), Information Architecture (IA), Usability, User Validation, Heuristic Analysis, User Journey Maps, Adobe Creative Suite, Atlassian, Atlassian Suite, Finance, Interactive UI, Google Material Design, Heuristic Evaluation, UX Review, Web Dashboards, Adobe Suite, Project Estimation, Design Leadership, UX Leadership, Design Thinking, Ideation, Complex Application User Interfaces (UI), Data, Internal Systems, Customer Research, Marketing, Low-fidelity Prototypes, Consumer Products, Professional Services, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Product Discovery, AI Content Creation, App UX, Customer Experience, Design Thinking Facilitation, Microsoft PowerPoint, Presentation Design, Presentations, Visual Storytelling, Storytelling, Product Management, Logo Design, Brand Guidelines, Landing Pages, Color Palettes, Typography, Lean Startups, AI Design, Social Media, Travel Design, Real Estate, Product Ownership
Web App Designer | Automation Data Protection SaaS
2023 - 2023
Elastio Software, Inc
- Designed a web app to provide online data protection services.
- Refined the information architecture and data structure of the app.
- Streamlined the design system and worked with developers to implement it.
Technologies: UX Design, Web App Design, UI Design, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Dashboard Design, Workflow, SaaS Design, Enterprise Design, Product Design, Web App UX, Web App UI, Adobe Suite, Project Estimation, Design Leadership, UX Leadership, Design Thinking, Ideation, Complex Application User Interfaces (UI), Data, Internal Systems, Product Discovery, Design Thinking Facilitation, Logo Design, Brand Guidelines, Landing Pages, Color Palettes, Typography, Lean Startups, Product Ownership
UX/UI Designer
2023 - 2023
Chariot Software Inc.
- Designed a web app for a shipping logistics company.
- Developed the overarching information architecture and app structure.
- Refined the existing design system and created new components as needed.
Technologies: UX Design, Product Design, SaaS, SaaS Design, User Interface (UI), User Experience (UX), Web App UX, B2B, Adobe Suite, Project Estimation, Design Leadership, UX Leadership, Design Thinking, Ideation, Complex Application User Interfaces (UI), Data, Internal Systems, Product Discovery, Design Thinking Facilitation, Logo Design, Brand Guidelines, Landing Pages, Color Palettes, Typography, Lean Startups, Product Ownership
Product Designer
2023 - 2023
Jauntr Group, Inc.
- Designed an AI-powered travel app that helps users find the ideal itinerary for their dream trips.
- Devised and designed the app architecture and data structure, ensuring efficient user navigation.
- Created a comprehensive design system and prepared it for development handover.
Technologies: Figma, Mobile Design, Adobe Creative Suite, Product Design, Mobile UI, Mobile UX, Mobile, Visual Design, Prototyping, Adobe Suite, Project Estimation, Design Leadership, UX Leadership, Design Thinking, Ideation, Internal Systems, Customer Research, Consumer Products, Product Discovery, Design Thinking Facilitation, Logo Design, Brand Guidelines, Landing Pages, Color Palettes, Typography, Lean Startups, Product Ownership
Website Designer (Freelance)
2023 - 2023
Hamilton Rock Ltd
- Designed the MVP for a banking and accounting app for a startup in Ireland.
- Helped plan and map the app architecture, including the overarching data structure.
- Created a comprehensive design system and branding, including logo, colors, and component styles.
Technologies: Visual Design, Web Design, UI Design, B2B, Fintech, Dashboard Design, Information Architecture (IA), Adobe Suite, Project Estimation, Design Leadership, UX Leadership, Design Thinking, Ideation, Complex Application User Interfaces (UI), Consumer Products, Product Discovery, Logo Design, Brand Guidelines, Landing Pages, Color Palettes, Typography, Lean Startups, Product Ownership
UX/UI Designer
2023 - 2023
Prabhu Palanisamy
- Designed the information architecture and structure of various Atlassian apps.
- Created various features for an Atlassian marketplace tool, including onboarding, rewards, and 3rd-party integrations.
- Designed the public-facing marketing website to help promote the Atlassian app.
Technologies: UX Design, Product Design, B2B, Figma, User Interface (UI), Responsive Web Design (RWD), User Experience (UX), UI Design, Atlassian, Atlassian Suite, Adobe Suite, Project Estimation, Design Leadership, UX Leadership, Design Thinking, Ideation, Complex Application User Interfaces (UI), Consumer Products, Product Discovery, Logo Design, Brand Guidelines, Landing Pages, Color Palettes, Typography, Lean Startups, Product Ownership
UI Designer
2023 - 2023
SalesPath SAS
- Improved the UI and design system to be more modern and streamlined.
- Performed a UX audit and implemented UX improvements.
- Prepared files and design library for development handover.
Technologies: UI Design, Material UI, B2B, Material Design, SaaS Design, Adobe Suite, Project Estimation, Design Leadership, UX Leadership, Design Thinking, Ideation, Complex Application User Interfaces (UI), Internal Systems, Consumer Products, Product Discovery, Logo Design, Brand Guidelines, Landing Pages, Color Palettes, Typography, Lean Startups, Product Ownership
Product Designer
2022 - 2023
Alfii Software Services DMCC
- Designed an online HR platform including various features, including onboarding, data management, time scheduling, payroll, and more.
- Created a comprehensive information architecture and site structure.
- Created a full design system and worked with developers in sprints for handover.
Technologies: Product Design, CRM Design, User Journeys, Figma, Web App Design, Intuitive UX Design, Human Resources (HR), Web App UX, Web App UI, Adobe Suite, Project Estimation, Design Leadership, UX Leadership, Design Thinking, Ideation, Complex Application User Interfaces (UI), Customer Research, Consumer Products, Product Discovery, Logo Design, Brand Guidelines, Landing Pages, Color Palettes, Typography, Lean Startups, Product Ownership
UI/UX Designer
2022 - 2022
Benga Inc.
- Conceptualized and designed complex features involving data capture, API integration, and workflow automation.
- Built a fully responsive and customizable design system in Figma, including font and color styles, as well as a large library of components.
- Demonstrated design patterns using fully interactive prototypes that were used to get stakeholder buy-in and user feedback.
- Liaised regularly with devs and other design team members to ensure alignment across the entire product.
Technologies: Web App Design, Fintech, Web App UX, Web App UI, Design Systems, B2B, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Wireframing, High-fidelity Mockups, Prototyping, UX Mentoring, Agile, Process Optimization, Websites, Interactive UX, Layout, UX Prototyping, Web UX, Product Strategy, Audits, Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO), Accessibility, Design Guidelines, iPad, Software as a Service (SaaS), Customer Journeys, Layout Design, Web Applications, Component Libraries, UX Testing, Design Workshops, Design Production, Business to Business (B2B), Material UI, High-fidelity Prototypes, Design, Responsive Design, WCAG 2, Design Sprints, Email Template Design, Infographics, Funnel Optimization, Messaging, Google Design Sprints, Heuristics, Usability Heuristics, Design Libraries, Data Visualization, Startups, React, White Label Design, Workshops, User-centered Design (UCD), Big Data, Big Data UX Designer, Big Data Architecture, Web UX Design, Branding, Interviews, Web UI Design, Information Architecture (IA), Usability, User Validation, Heuristic Analysis, User Journey Maps, Adobe Creative Suite, Finance, Interactive UI, Google Material Design, Heuristic Evaluation, UX Review, Web Dashboards, Adobe Suite, Project Estimation, Design Leadership, UX Leadership, Design Thinking, Ideation, Complex Application User Interfaces (UI), Data, Internal Systems, Product Discovery, Logo Design, Brand Guidelines, Landing Pages, Color Palettes, Typography, Lean Startups, Product Ownership
UX/UI Lead
2019 - 2020
ProFinda
- Designed a resourcing and talent management app for a London startup, targeting the big four consultancies that provide an unrivaled resourcing experience for clients across the UK, US, and Australia.
- Built a brand identity guide, including colors, typography, and logo design. Worked with management and stakeholders to create a refreshed vision for the brand.
- Collaborated with client service and sales to create a UX strategy and audited the legacy tool to suggest and implement improvements, resulting in landing a further three major firms and branches.
- Spearheaded UX thinking and worked closely and successfully with remote development teams across Europe to successfully implement the new UX strategy and direction, using both Agile and Waterfall methodologies.
- Interpreted user data to test and iterate design patterns and user flows—completely reformed and reskinned a legacy cloud SaaS to become modern and professional.
Technologies: UX Design, SaaS Design, Interactive Prototypes, UX Audits, Adobe Experience Design (XD), Product Design, Web App Design, Web App UI, Web App UX, High-fidelity Mockups, Enterprise Design, Workflow, Design Systems, Machine Learning, Journey Mapping, UX Mentoring, Agile, Process Optimization, Websites, Interactive UX, Layout, UX Prototyping, Web UX, Product Strategy, Audits, Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO), Accessibility, Design Guidelines, iPad, Software as a Service (SaaS), Customer Journeys, Layout Design, Web Applications, Component Libraries, UX Testing, Design Workshops, Design Production, Business to Business (B2B), Material UI, High-fidelity Prototypes, Design, Responsive Design, WCAG 2, Design Sprints, Email Template Design, Infographics, Funnel Optimization, Messaging, Google Design Sprints, Heuristics, Data Visualization, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Startups, React, White Label Design, Workshops, User-centered Design (UCD), Big Data, Big Data UX Designer, Big Data Architecture, Web UX Design, Branding, Interviews, Web UI Design, Information Architecture (IA), Usability, User Validation, Heuristic Analysis, User Journey Maps, Adobe Creative Suite, Interactive UI, Google Material Design, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Heuristic Evaluation, UX Review, Web Dashboards, Adobe Suite, Project Estimation, Design Leadership, UX Leadership, Design Thinking, Ideation, Personas, User Personas, Complex Application User Interfaces (UI), Data, Customer Research, Professional Services, Product Discovery, Logo Design, Brand Guidelines, Landing Pages, Color Palettes, Typography, Lean Startups, Product Ownership
Head of Design and User Experience
2016 - 2019
Isle Interactive
- Utilized user research and design techniques to improve the overall user experience for a world-leading scheduling and timetabling application and redesigned the entire suite of products to be cloud-based, thereby relieving user pain points.
- Defined interaction models, user personas and flows, and UI specifications.
- Ran discovery workshops and stakeholder interviews.
- Defined and implemented functional information architecture.
- Produced wireframes and prototyping of mobile and responsive applications.
- Communicated scenarios, end-to-end experiences, interaction models, and screen designs to stakeholders and development.
- Implemented the UI/UX for the large online real estate portal Cheffins.
Technologies: UX Design, SaaS Design, Interactive Prototypes, UX Audits, Axure, InVision Studio, Adobe Experience Design (XD), Sketch, Product Design, Web App Design, Web App UI, Web App UX, High-fidelity Mockups, Enterprise Design, Workflow, Mobile Design, Design Systems, Journey Mapping, UX Mentoring, Agile, Process Optimization, Websites, Gamification, Interactive UX, Layout, UX Prototyping, Style Guides, Web UX, Audits, eCommerce UI, eCommerce Design, Accessibility, Design Guidelines, Software as a Service (SaaS), Customer Journeys, Layout Design, Web Applications, Component Libraries, UX Testing, Design Workshops, Design Production, Material UI, High-fidelity Prototypes, Design, Responsive Design, Design Sprints, Email Template Design, Infographics, Funnel Optimization, Google Design Sprints, Heuristics, Data Visualization, Startups, React, White Label Design, Workshops, User-centered Design (UCD), Big Data, Big Data UX Designer, Big Data Architecture, Web UX Design, Branding, Web UI Design, Content Management Systems (CMS), Information Architecture (IA), Usability, User Validation, Heuristic Analysis, User Journey Maps, Adobe Creative Suite, Interactive UI, Google Material Design, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Heuristic Evaluation, UX Review, Web Dashboards, Adobe Suite, Project Estimation, Design Leadership, UX Leadership, Design Thinking, Ideation, Personas, User Personas, Customer Research, CSS3, Marketing, Product Discovery, Logo Design, Brand Guidelines, Landing Pages, Color Palettes, Typography, Product Ownership
Creative Director
2014 - 2016
Creative Monarchy
- Iterated and launched an online flight booking system enabling South African customers to book flights online easier and faster than before. As the lead UX designer, I infused user-centered methodologies into the entire development process.
- Provided UX consulting for clients in the education and technology sectors, focusing on user-centered design.
- Ran discovery workshops and stakeholder and user interviews.
- Produced wireframes and prototyping of mobile and responsive applications.
- Was awarded the CSS Awards Site of The Day in 2015.
Technologies: UX Design, Interactive Prototypes, Apple Keynote, Sketch, InVision, CSS, HTML, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Design Systems, Layout, UX Prototyping, Style Guides, Web UX, eCommerce UI, eCommerce Design, Accessibility, Design Guidelines, Software as a Service (SaaS), Customer Journeys, Layout Design, UX Testing, Design Workshops, Design Production, High-fidelity Prototypes, Design, Responsive Design, Design Sprints, Startups, Workshops, User-centered Design (UCD), Web UX Design, Branding, Web UI Design, Content Management Systems (CMS), Adobe Creative Suite, Google Material Design, Heuristic Evaluation, UX Review, Web Dashboards, Adobe Suite, Project Estimation, Design Leadership, UX Leadership, Design Thinking, Ideation, Personas, User Personas, Customer Research, CSS3, Marketing, Product Discovery, Logo Design, Brand Guidelines, Landing Pages, Color Palettes, Typography
Senior UX/UI Designer
2009 - 2014
Aqua Online
- Conceptualized and devised through-the-line campaigns and applications for clients such as Coca-cola, Microsoft, and Nokia.
- Provided UX direction focusing on user-centered, strategy-led design.
- Conducted research using a wide variety of qualitative and quantitative methods.
- Worked on user interviews, surveys, task analysis, and competitive analysis.
- Produced user personas, investigative user studies, and interviews.
- Conducted product testing such as A/B, remote user, and usability testing.
- Conceptualized and designed various successful digital campaigns for international brand names. Through user-centered design, I helped increase revenue, user engagement, and brand love across my entire client base.
Technologies: UX Design, Interactive Prototypes, Axure, InVision, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Layout Design, Web UI Design, Adobe Creative Suite, Adobe Suite, Design Leadership, UX Leadership, Design Thinking, Ideation, Personas, User Personas, Product Discovery, Logo Design, Brand Guidelines, Landing Pages, Color Palettes, Typography
Web and New Media Designer
2004 - 2009
Freelance
- Developed and defined CRM practices for an international catering equipment supplier.
- Created rich media ads for social media campaigns.
- Designed HTML websites for various brands in Johannesburg, SA.
- Created branding and design systems for various independent brands.
- Designed interactive Macromedia Flash websites for the hospitality and education sectors.
Technologies: CSS, Flash ActionScript, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Creative Suite, Product Discovery, Logo Design, Brand Guidelines, Landing Pages, Color Palettes, Typography
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