Erik Wedeward
Verified Expert in Design
Designer
Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Toptal member since March 31, 2022
Erik is an experienced digital strategist, design lead, and researcher with years of diversified experience. Focused on user-centered innovation, he solves business problems using a human-centered design approach, from user research and design strategy to defining detailed product and service visions. Erik values collaboration with his clients and defines products or services to satisfy clients' needs and requirements.
Experience
- Personas - 15 years
- Journey Mapping - 15 years
- Design Thinking - 15 years
- Design Strategy - 15 years
- Service Design - 15 years
- User Research - 15 years
- User Experience (UX) - 12 years
- UX Research - 12 years
Portfolio
Work Experience
Director of Experience Strategy and Service Design
Cocomore
- Built a team of strategic and service designers that shaped the agencies' profile.
- Led the pitch that successfully moved the Samsung B2B account to Cocomore.
- Spearheaded the acquisition of multiple big-name brands. Mentored and managed project teams to do their best work.
Head of Product Design
Vicoland
- Defined the product vision from the first idea and turned it into a company with 20 employees.
- Defined onboarding and payment processes for freelancers and agencies.
- Led a team of product designers to achieve an excellent user experience.
Strategic Design Consultant | UX Researcher
Freelance
- Managed strategic design projects in the banking and automotive industries.
- Headed international research and strategy projects in China, India, and the USA.
- Conducted UX research and created a concept for a digital product vision Rewe 2.0 as a basis for Rewe's online shop, the second biggest supermarket chain in Germany.
Design Researcher
Orange
- Conducted research and service design projects. Identified Japanese technical insights for the Orange Group.
- Headed the development of innovative new projects based on user research in Japan.
- Initiated and conducted an innovative way of finding tech, which was showcased at international technology festivals.
Service Designer
Deutsche Telekom
- Initiated and worked on a university cooperation project with the Köln International School of Design.
- Worked on a project about frustration with technology, including user research, a workshop at Frog Design, and conference cooperation.
- Moderated workshops with Telekom managers to teach user-centricity.
Education
Diplom-Designer | Master's Degree Equivalent in Design
Köln International School of Design - Cologne, Germany
Vocational Degree in Media Design
IHK - Cologne
Certifications
Service Design Doing Masterclass
Design Thinkers Academy
Skills
Tools
Adobe CC, Miro, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Creative Suite, InVision, Jira, Confluence, Sketch
Platforms
Mobile, Figma, WordPress
Industry Expertise
Healthcare, Automotive
Other
Design Thinking, Service Design, UX Research, Quantitative User Research, Quantitative Research, Workshops, Ideation Workshops, Workshop Facilitation, User Experience (UX), Design Strategy, User Needs, UX Thinking, Product Design, Design Research, UX Design, User Research, User Journeys, Customer Journey, Journey Mapping, Personas, Ideation, Qualitative Research, B2C, Mobile Design, Web Design, User Flows, Experience Design, Design Leadership, Design Workshops, Leadership, User Interviews, Focus Groups, User Journey Maps, Strategy, UX Strategy, UX Workshops, Service Blueprints, Customer Insights, Consumer Insights, Competition Research, Websites, User Testing, Discovery Workshops, Human-centered Design (HCD), Innovation, Research, UX Review, User Personas, Empathy Mapping, Research Synthesis, Mobile UX, Validated User Research, Market Research, Persona Design, Customer Discovery, Design Sprints, User Workshops, Product Strategy, Fintech, Business Design, Corporate Design, Usability Testing, Remote User Testing, Creative Direction, Startup Consulting, B2B, B2B2C, Prototyping, Web App Design, Information Architecture (IA), Mobile Apps, Wireframing, eCommerce, Creative Strategy, Storytelling, SaaS, Value Proposition, Usability Analysis, Heuristic Analysis, Personal Finance, Customer Experience, Landing Pages, UX Analysis, Mobile App Design, Marketplaces, Consumer Trends, Brand Positioning, Surveys, Stakeholder Engagement, Web UX, Web App UX, UX Architecture, SaaS Design, MVP Design, Usability, Dashboards, Learning Management Systems (LMS), Infographics, Google Design Sprints, Business to Business to Consumer (B2B2C), Teaching, Graphic Design, Editorial Design, Startups, Design Management, Game Design, Product Owner, Interaction Design (IxD), Product Discovery, Branding, UX Audits, Sustainability, Loyalty Programs, Social Media, Communication Strategy, Web Analytics, Data Analytics, Rapid Prototyping, Legal Technology (Legaltech)
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