Dobs Totev
Verified Expert in Design
Designer
London, United Kingdom
Toptal member since April 30, 2018
Dobs is an entrepreneur and lead UI/UX designer specializing in iOS apps and responsive web products with expertise in the eCommerce, luxury and lifestyle, hospitality, social networks, and travel industries. He has helped multi-million dollar clients increase reach, engagement, and profits. Dobs has in-depth knowledge of product lifecycles—from research, concept, and planning through design and validation to live releases and team collaboration.
Portfolio
Experience
- User Interface (UI) - 8 years
- User Experience (UX) - 8 years
- Mobile App Design - 7 years
- Responsive Web Design (RWD) - 7 years
- WordPress Design - 6 years
- Google Design Sprints - 5 years
- Figma - 5 years
- Sketch - 4 years
Tools
- Sketch
Work Experience
User Experience Lead
Soho House & Co
- Led the user experience of the social features for Soho House's app products which helped in doubling the App Store downloads of the Soho House's members app, increasing engagement by 50%. It is used by over 90% of the entire membership.
- Spearheaded the design and product strategy of a new social networking app by Soho House to connect creatives worldwide. From research conducted via focus group and soft launch to 100 beta testers, the app product was liked by 89% of the users.
- Designed the members' app experience for the private members club of The Ned in London, owned by Soho House.
- Prepared stakeholder presentations for the progress and experience of the digital products I led for the Membership Collective Group (MCG) board meetings.
- Collaborated across different teams (brand, marketing, data, communications, salesforce, membership, and operations) to deliver a final product ready to be presented and approved by stakeholders.
- Hosted brainstorming sessions, discovery workshops, and design sprints to identify and validate business ideas and test new UX directions within the Soho House app products.
- Led the user research by conducting frequent 1:1 interviews, focus groups, and surveys with existing members to get feedback on new app features and ideas that would impact the business' revenue and member retention.
Creative Director
d.DOBS Creative
- Founded the company in 2018, which has allowed me to work remotely with clients from around the world. To date, I have worked on several large client projects, such as Soho House's app, TTC's white-label shopping platform, three start-ups, and more.
- Formed and managed project-specific teams of product owners, developers, and a designer (myself) when working on a client product that requires the complete services of a web or app development cycle.
- Hosted on-site discovery sessions and design sprint workshops for clients in London such as Soho House, Contiki and The Travel Corporation.
- Managed the company's business growth and brand positioning as its creative director.
User Experience Lead
The Travel Corporation
- Led the product design for a responsive web eCommerce white-labeled platform used by brands such as Contiki, Insights Vacations, and Trafalgar within the group travel space. The transformation has improved their shopping experience and bookings.
- Designed and conducted frequent A/B tests to constantly improve the conversion optimization for the booking engine across the corporation's travel eCommerce sites.
- Collaborated with developers across different time zones and locations for the delivery of the final product from concept designs to live releases.
- Hosted design team meetings to share what everyone is working on and to give feedback or design critiques with the goal of constant improvement and design consistency.
User Experience Lead
Contiki Holidays
- Led the user experience design for Contiki's eCommerce responsive web platform focused on Gen Z and millennial audiences.
- Led the user experiences design based on data-driven decisions from Google Analytics and Data Studio to improve conversion for Contiki's website targeting the travel youth market.
- Assisted in leading the business transformation from B2B to B2C throughout my time with the company by improving the online eCommerce and booking experiences.
- Presented UX reports, design progress, and UX solutions in front of stakeholders such as the CMO, CTO, and CEO of the company.
Senior UX Designer
Contiki Holidays
- Joined the design team, worked under the head of design and improved the eCommerce platform conversion rates by 50%.
- Created and modified the UX of designs based on Analytics and Data Studio data to improve conversion.
- Continued to grow the eCommerce platform by designing new features such us a new booking experience, a search experience, a product discovery experience, personalization, and more.
- Collaborated with an HQ based in London and a global team spread between the UK, Madrid, and Delhi, to create a user-center design and experiences for Contiki's digital products.
- Redesigned the editorial magazine Six-two, a responsive website hosted on Wordpress with over 500,000 monthly readers. The design was mobile-first, and the decision was based on existing GA data and a survey filled out by 350 existing readers.
- Designed a web platform for travel agents to discover the tours and book them for their clients. The platform had features such as search, trip product pages, departure dates calendar, reporting, trip manager, traveler manager, and more.
- Conducted usability testing, user research studies, and A/B testing online and in-person to improve all aspects of the digital products that the business owns created reports, and presented UX recommendations to the leadership team.
- Won an award for the best user experience of a Travel Website in 2017 at Travelution Awards London.
Lead Designer and Founder
FRIDG® App
- Designed the entire UI and UX. Oversaw the product strategy of an iOS app for food lovers who love to cook healthy meals and not waste groceries.
- Conducted user and market research in the UK, EU, AU, and US markets to validate the app's concept using online survey platforms.
- Performed usability testing on concept wireframes and designed the UI to validate the intended experience using scripted unmoderated recorded sessions.
- Prepared the MVP for the first build of the food app and a pitch deck to be presented in front of potential investors alongside the business plan.
- Created the journey roadmap, planned the features for the first release, and set out a projection for future growth and development.
- Designed all the visuals, interactions, and animations used in the app, such as graphics, icons, and transitions.
User Experience Lead
FACEIT
- Redesigned the UI and reformed the user experience of the existing gaming platform that had over five million players.
- Conducted user research and gathered feedback for the new and existing features by interacting with the gaming community using UserVoice, Discord, and Reddit.
- Designed the UX when new products and features were scheduled into the roadmap, such as an in-game chat and player matching UI.
- Created diverse marketing materials and email communications biweekly to a community of over five million players.
Graphic User Interface Designer
Reward Gateway
- Designed the UI and user experience of the CMS for a web platform of employee benefits.
- Created different communication materials for web, print, and email marketing with a total reach of about six million people per month.
- Delivered bespoke landing pages for clients worldwide who subscribed to the employee benefits platform.
- Managed and expanded the corporate brand identity and visuals used across the web, print, and mobile.
Web Designer
Dazines
- Designed the user interface and the user experience of a travel social network for a client—from wireframing and concept to complete product delivery.
- Made the portfolio and brochure responsive websites for clients.
- Created user experience and journey wireframes to showcase how client-planned digital products will look.
- Collaborated with development teams to ensure correct design implementation.
Education
Master's Degree in Cyberpsychology
Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT) - Dublin, Ireland
Bachelor's Degree in Business IT and Software Engineering
University of Plovdiv - Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Certifications
Design Strategy: Design Thinking for Business Strategy and Entrepreneurship
University of Sydney | via Coursera
Skills
Tools
Adobe Photoshop, Sketch, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Principle, InVision, Adobe After Effects, Google Analytics, Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe CC
Industry Expertise
Travel & Leisure, Consumer Products, Food & Beverage, Games, Events, Entertainment & Leisure
Platforms
iOS, WordPress, Figma, Mobile, Android
Other
Blog Design, A/B Testing, Information Architecture (IA), User Interviews, Booking Systems, eCommerce UX, eCommerce, Booking, MVP Design, Minimum Viable Product (MVP), App UI, App UX, Customer Interviews, Usability Testing, User Research, iOS App Design, Google Design Sprints, Mobile App Design, Web Design, Team Management, Responsive UI, WordPress Design, Responsive Web Design (RWD), iOS UI Design, User Interface (UI), User Experience (UX), Design Sprints, Web UX, Web App UX, Design Systems, Mobile UX, Web UI, Mobile UI, White Labeling, Product Design, UX Design, UI Design, Web App Design, Responsive Web Apps, Mobile First, Mobile Design, Product Strategy, Design Thinking, UX Wireframes, Mockups, App Design, Apps, User Journeys, UI Components, Wireframing, Consumer-facing Product Design, Prototyping, B2B, B2C, UX Research, Website Redesign, User Journey Maps, Design Leadership, User Flows, Style Guides, Feature Prioritization, Mobile Apps, Mobile UI Design, Mobile UX Design, Web App UI, Customer Journey, Design Strategy, Mobile Prototypes, Design Reviews, UX Audits, Mobile App UI, Web UX Design, Agile UX, Agile, eCommerce UI, Interactive Prototypes, Websites, UX Strategy, UX Principles, Design Guidelines, Workshops, Best Practices in Design, Roadmaps, Design, Market Research, Esports, Gaming, Gamification, Gaming Platforms, Fantasy Leagues, Interaction Design (IxD), Branding, Mapbox Styling, CartoCSS, Social Networks, Visual Design, Strategy, User Scenarios, User Stories, Brand Design, User Personas, Workshop Facilitation, Product Benchmarking, User Testing, Google Data Studio, Recipes & Cooking, Food Ordering, Food Presentation, Digital Editorials, UX Analysis, Booking UX, Sitecore, eCommerce Design, Communication Design, Logo Design, Focus Groups, Dating Apps, Booking Apps, Fintech, Paid Memberships Pro (PMPro), Native Mobile Apps, Profile Design, User Profiles, Activity Feeds, User Experience Design, Logotype, Vector Logos, User Psychology, Research & Critical Thinking, Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), Cognitive Psychology, Psychology
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