Publication
UX Design Job Interview Tips for Global Candidates: Landing Your Dream Role in the US
https://www.toptal.com/designers/ux/ux-design-job-interview-tips
Elena is available for hire
Hire ElenaElena Bukhonok
Verified Expert in Design
Designer
Location
New York, NY, United States
Toptal Member Since
October 13, 2020
Elena is a multidisciplinary product designer and educator with over seven years of experience and a background in architecture. She speaks four languages that have helped her conveniently explore the world. Elena has extensive experience in end-to-end product design. She has worked for various companies, from helping startups in the early stages build their voice and tone to re-thinking complex solutions within enterprise software that impact business at its heart.
Work Experience
Staff UX Designer
2022 - PRESENT
Outcomes4Me
- Improved patient experience with the mobile app and the website.
- Led research initiatives that involved recruiting and direct communication with cancer patients on testing new functionality and uncovering current product issues.
- Ran a workshop based on Design Sprint methodology with company leadership to outline and align on the next big goal for the organization.
Technologies: Workshop Facilitation, User Experience (UX), UX Research, Holistic UX Design
Senior UX Designer
2021 - 2022
CreateMe Technologies
- Led a number of research initiatives to support a user-centric approach to developing new software and features.
- Improved the design handoff process to developers along with re-organizing the design system.
- Managed the research that shifted the company's focus from developing features not confirmed by potential end-users.
- Collaborated continuously with key stakeholders on identifying requirements for the manufacturing environment.
- Advocated for user needs and pain points through research on a company level.
Technologies: Figma, Miro, Customer Journeys, User Flows, User Stories, Experience Maps, Mapping, Web App Design, User Journey Maps
UX Consultant
2021 - 2021
Agya Ventures
- Drove a kickoff meeting between managing partners and business stakeholders to outline engagement goals.
- Designed a service blueprint based on existing workflow with proposed solutions uncovering more opportunities for problem-solving.
- Ran a few collaborative sessions for the team to gather all known aspects for the problem space.
Technologies: Miro, Customer Journeys, Service Blueprints, User Journey Maps, User Experience (UX), User Interviews
Product Design Mentor
2021 - 2021
Flo Health
- Created an education program on product design basics for illustrators with a focus on ongoing assignments and company strategy.
- Gave 10+ lessons that include lectures and workshops using the existing roadmap.
- Provided ongoing support and personal feedback to students.
Technologies: Figma, Composition, Typography, Usability Heuristics, Team Mentoring, Mentorship & Coaching
UX Consultant (Volunteer)
2020 - 2021
Orcasound Lab
- Co-led a design team at Orcasound, a nonprofit organization with a focus on orca conservation. Helped establish design operations within the team.
- Mentored visual designers on creating an elegant and user-friendly GUI.
- Implemented human-centered design, and helped outline goals for further research and development.
Technologies: Human-centered Design (HCD), Team Management, Team Mentoring, Design Strategy, Leadership, Management, Product Management, Web App Design, User Journey Maps
Product Designer
2020 - 2021
Princeton Equity Group
- Led kick-off activities with the team and client to outline product goals and technical feasibilities for creating a news aggregator that helps find potential investments faster.
- Identified key persona and user flow and provided an interactive lo-fi prototype for the flow.
- Built a basic style guide, including typography, colors, and other assets based on the company's existing brand positioning.
Technologies: Communication, Design Systems, Wireframing, Team Management, Presentations, User Interface (UI), User Interviews, User Flows, Slack, Apple Keynote, Figma, Design Strategy, Leadership, Management, Product Management, Business Intelligence (BI), Web App Design, User Journey Maps
Lecturer/Mentor (Product Design Course)
2020 - 2020
SKVOT
- Created a program with technical basics for junior designers.
- Collected visual materials and prepared practical tasks for each lesson.
- Presented online lectures with ongoing mentoring for 70+ students.
Technologies: Mentorship, Presentations, Public Speaking, Apple Keynote, Leadership, Management
Design Team Lead
2019 - 2019
Coding Stories
- Defined the product strategy for online and offline solutions.
- Led the product team from defining business goals to actual product launch, including UX research (in-depth interviews, value proposition map, how might we, and feature prioritization).
- Implemented a design system and supervised the visual design.
Technologies: InVision, Sketch, Design Strategy, Leadership, Product Management, Web App Design, User Journey Maps, User Interviews
UX Designer | UX Researcher
2017 - 2019
EPAM Systems
- Improved and created next-gen complex enterprise solutions using a human-centered design approach.
- Worked in various business domains, including B2B eCommerce, travel and hospitality, life science and healthcare, software and hi-tech, and ISVS and technology as part of cross-functional product teams.
- Led a team on creating the concept for an innovative B2B eCommerce platform.
- Mentored four pre-junior designers (one of which joined our team and was promoted to the next level after six months).
- Ran 15+ interviews with potential candidates for the design team.
- Created and ran a team channel on social media (reached an audience of up to 300 subscribers) to improve visibility on the market and attract new candidates.
- Strengthened corporate design community by organizing 5+ team events.
- Continuous partnership with PMs, engineers, and stakeholders in cross-functional teams within the company and its clients.
Technologies: User Research, User Experience (UX), Data Visualization, Interviewing, Team Mentoring, Public Speaking, Presentations, UI Design, Holistic UX Design, Design Strategy, Leadership, Management, Jira, Product Management, Business Intelligence (BI), Web App Design, User Journey Maps
Product Designer | UX Researcher
2018 - 2018
InfoNgen
- Led the user research, including in-depth user interviews, personas, information architecture, remote moderated usability tests, and uncovered important usability issues as part of a complex redesign.
- Provided a holistic base of wireframes (LoFi) that covers the most critical user flow (complex search) within the system and edge cases.
- Helped a team of visual designers maintain the design system and create high-fidelity mockups for further front-end development.
Technologies: Asana, InVision, Sketch, Design Strategy, Leadership, Management, Product Management, Business Intelligence (BI), Web App Design, User Journey Maps, User Interviews, Usability Testing
UX Designer
2017 - 2017
Genesis Tech
- Ran user interviews with potential users of the product.
- Collected usability insights for further product development.
- Improved and extended user interface components within the design library.
Technologies: Style Guides, User Interviews, UX Prototyping
UX/UI Designer
2016 - 2017
Qubstudio
- Turned conceptual ideas into products—created and redesigned 20+ websites and web and mobile applications for different purposes.
- Developed, from scratch, products for foreign startups.
- Provided graphic and brand design for various products and services.
- Communicated directly with clients to gather requirements and feedback.
- Collaborated with developers continuously during implementation.
Technologies: UI Design, UX Design, Leadership, Management, Web App Design, User Journey Maps
Product Designer
2014 - 2016
Oxford BioLabs
- Led the design concept development for the new website.
- Designed the packaging and labels for new and existing products.
- Designed layouts for print advertorials and created layouts for email marketing.
Technologies: Package Design, Graphic Design, UI Design, Leadership, Management
Other Experience
Education
2006 - 2012
Bachelor's Degree in Architecture
Lviv Polytechnic National University - Lviv, Ukraine
Certifications
OCTOBER 2021 - PRESENT
Designing and Building AI Products and Services
xPRO MIT
AUGUST 2017 - PRESENT
UX Data Mining and Analytics
Projector School
Experience
Tools
Collaboration That Works
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