George is available for hire
Hire GeorgeGeorge Barbu
Verified Expert in Design
Designer
Bucharest, Romania
Toptal member since April 17, 2019
Bio
George is a UI/UX designer with 12+ years of experience crafting intuitive, user-centered digital products for early-stage startups and enterprises. From shaping MVPs to optimizing complex, large-scale platforms, he brings clarity and structure to every stage of the product lifecycle. By blending strategic insight, technical expertise, and a strong user-first mindset, George creates impactful design solutions that improve user engagement, accelerate product growth, and drive measurable results.
Experience
- UI Design - 12 years
- Visual Design - 12 years
- MVP Design - 12 years
- Mobile App Design - 12 years
- UX Design - 12 years
- Product Design - 12 years
- Web App Design - 12 years
- Figma - 6 years
Portfolio
Work Experience
UI/UX Designer
2014 - PRESENT
Freelance Work
- Worked on web and mobile products with clients around the world from different industries before specializing.
- Utilized a systematic UI/UX design process that ensures a high level of success for each project delivered.
- Worked and communicated with product owners daily, gathering precise business requirements.
- Researched and analyzed competition and users to highlight strengths and weaknesses of products to make more informed decisions about product strategy.
- Generated wireframes, interactive prototypes (InVision), and high-fidelity visual UI design mockups (Adobe XD).
- Designed MVPs for web and mobile apps to help clients raise funding.
Technologies: ProtoPie, InVision, Adobe Creative Suite, Adobe Experience Design (XD), Figma, Web App Design, Mobile App Design, Visual Design, UI Design, UX Design, MVP Design, Product Design, B2B, Dashboards, Design Thinking, Mockups, Mobile Mockups, High-fidelity Mockups, Low-fidelity Mockups, Web Design, Mobile UX Design, Design Systems, User Journeys, User Stories, User Personas, Human-centered Design (HCD), User Scenarios, UX Audits, Best Practices in Design, UI Components, B2B2C, Business to Business to Consumer (B2B2C), UI Style Guides, Branding, Responsive Web Design (RWD), User Testing, Usability Testing, Product Roadmaps, Feature Prioritization, Layout Design, Landing Pages, Blockchain, UI Animation, UX Strategy, Design Guidelines, User Experience Strategy, User Experience Design, Interactive Design, Interactive Prototypes, Landing Page Design, Mobile Money, Startups, Dashboard Design, Accessibility, Usability, HTML, CSS, Desktop App Design, eCommerce UX, Slack, Animated Prototypes, Responsive UI, Responsive Layout, Financial Products, Component-based Architecture, Software as a Service (SaaS), Web, Responsive Design, Design Leadership, Competitive Analysis, Agile, System Design, Lean Startups, Journey Mapping, White Label Design, User Journey Maps, Feature Analysis, Low-fidelity Prototypes, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Consumer Products, Rapid Prototyping, Websites, UX Prototyping, Component Libraries, Responsive Web Apps, Front-end, Color Palettes, Logo Design, Business Services, Property Management, Typography, Real Estate, Healthcare, Brand Guidelines, Desktop Web Design, Mobile Web Design, Graphic Design, Infographics, Business to Business (B2B), Growth-driven Design (GDD), Website Design, User Validation, Website Redesign, Digital Product Design, Enterprise Design, Web Application Design, App UX, iOS App Design, Framer, Conversion Rate, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Qualitative Research, Enterprise Software, Motion Design, 2D Motion Graphics, 3D Motion Graphics, Lottie, No-code Development
Product Designer
2024 - 2026
BVD
- Replaced a generic template-based UI with a strategic, user-centered redesign for a pre-launch real estate platform, redefining information architecture, user journeys, and core feature prioritization to align with business goals and market gaps.
- Designed tailored experiences for three key user groups (buyers, agents, and investors), introducing smart search, advanced comparison tools, structured listing standards, and centralized dashboards to reduce friction and improve decision-making.
- Built a scalable design system and visual language (components, hierarchy, and accessibility standards) to support complex real estate data while maintaining a modern, premium, and trustworthy interface across devices.
- Led MVP feature strategy and validation through feedback sessions and iterative testing, shifting the product from a functional prototype to a competitive, usability-driven platform ready for market adoption and data-informed optimization.
Technologies: Accessibility, Figma, Mobile UI, App UX, iOS App Design, Web App Design, Visual Design, UI Design, UX Design, MVP Design, Product Design, Conversion Rate, UX Research, Quantitative Research, Qualitative Research, Data Analysis, Analytics, Web Applications
Product Designer
2024 - 2024
Necta
- Led UI/UX design for a dual-platform property management MVP (web portal and mobile app), translating user stories into high-fidelity mockups aligned with business goals and technical constraints.
- Designed distinct, role-based dashboards for landlords and tenants, streamlining complex workflows such as rent tracking, maintenance requests, lease management, and tenant communication into intuitive user flows.
- Established a scalable, responsive design system in Figma (typography, color, components, and accessibility standards) to ensure visual consistency and efficient developer handoff across devices.
- Collaborated cross-functionally with stakeholders and developers under tight timelines, conducting discovery sessions, wireframing, and iterative prototyping to reduce revisions and accelerate the MVP development process.
Technologies: Figma, User Testing, Mobile UI, App UX, iOS App Design, Web App Design, Visual Design, UI Design, UX Design, MVP Design, Product Design, Conversion Rate, UX Research, Quantitative Research, Qualitative Research, Data Analysis, Analytics, Web Applications, No-code Development
Product Designer
2023 - 2023
Simplestax
- Led the end-to-end UI/UX design of a cloud-based web application for accountants, translating business requirements into a high-fidelity, interactive prototype ready for user testing and development handoff.
- Built a comprehensive design system in Figma, establishing reusable components, typography, and color standards to ensure brand consistency and scalable product growth.
- Created realistic, near-production prototypes using Figma and ProtoPie with advanced interactions (text inputs, dynamic states, and seamless transitions) to simulate real user workflows and validate functionality before development.
- Conducted UX research and iterative feedback sessions, refining user flows and interface accessibility to deliver an intuitive, modern platform that received strong client approval and positive user feedback.
Technologies: Figma, ProtoPie, App UX, Web App Design, Visual Design, UI Design, UX Design, MVP Design, Product Design, Framer, Conversion Rate, UX Research, Quantitative Research, Qualitative Research, Data Analysis, Analytics, Web Applications, Motion Design, 2D Motion Graphics
Senior UX/UI Designer
2022 - 2023
Carrier Global
- Designed a mobile app that lets users connect and control multiple smart home IoT devices.
- Recreated the information architecture of the mobile app to improve the user experience when the users control and monitor their connected smart home devices.
- Designed a new, user-friendly experience for the mobile app to allow the current users to use the main functionalities of connected devices easily.
- Created a scalable design system for the mobile app to allow the integration of new features and products faster and more easily.
- Conducted user research to discover the real needs and desires of the users.
- Conducted A/B testing and usability testing to move on with the best possible solution and used an iterative approach to improve the designs based on the results found.
Technologies: UX Design, iOS, Android, UI Design, Prototyping, Design Systems, Mobile App Design, A/B Testing, Sketch 4, Sketch, Figma, App Design, App UI, Smart Homes, Smart Home Technology, Internet of Things (IoT), User Interface (UI), User Experience (UX), User Experience Design, User Experience Strategy, User-centered Design (UCD), Human-centered Design (HCD), Design, Design Thinking, Mobile, Mobile UI, Mobile UX, Mobile UX Design, Mobile UI Design, Mobile App UI, Mobile Apps, iOS App Design, Mobile Design, Mobile-first Design, UX Research, User Flows, Information Architecture (IA), UX Wireframes, Mockups, User Testing, Usability Testing, Product Roadmaps, Feature Prioritization, Layout Design, UI Animation, UX Strategy, Design Guidelines, Interactive Design, Interactive Prototypes, Accessibility, Usability, Animated Prototypes, Component-based Architecture, Design Leadership, Competitive Analysis, Agile, System Design, Lean Startups, Journey Mapping, User Journey Maps, Feature Analysis, Low-fidelity Prototypes, Stakeholder Interviews, Consumer Products, UX Prototyping, Component Libraries, Color Palettes, Typography, Digital Product Design, Enterprise Design, App UX, Visual Design, Product Design, Quantitative Research, Qualitative Research, Data Analysis, Analytics, Motion Design, 2D Motion Graphics, Lottie
Lead UI/UX Designer
2019 - 2020
FinFirst Capital
- Created the web app user interface and user experience for SMEs to see multiple bank options for the loan.
- Designed the mobile app for SMEs and consumers to easily apply for a loan, allowing them to see multiple bank options with one loan application.
- Enabled the website front end to increase brand authority and conversions.
- Increased user engagement and improved the loan application process, resulting in more than $10 million in the loan application process.
Technologies: Adobe Experience Design (XD), Web App Design, Mobile App Design, Visual Design, UI Design, UX Design, MVP Design, Product Design, B2C, Design Thinking, Mockups, Mobile Mockups, High-fidelity Mockups, Low-fidelity Mockups, Web Design, Mobile UX Design, User Journeys, User Stories, User Personas, Human-centered Design (HCD), User Scenarios, UX Audits, Best Practices in Design, UI Components, Business to Business to Consumer (B2B2C), B2B2C, UI Style Guides, Branding, Responsive Web Design (RWD), User Testing, Usability Testing, Product Roadmaps, Feature Prioritization, Layout Design, Landing Pages, UX Strategy, Design Guidelines, User Experience Strategy, User Experience Design, Interactive Design, Interactive Prototypes, Landing Page Design, Mobile Money, Startups, Dashboard Design, Responsive UI, Responsive Layout, Financial Products, Component-based Architecture, Web, Responsive Design, Design Leadership, Competitive Analysis, Agile, Lean Startups, Journey Mapping, White Label Design, User Journey Maps, Feature Analysis, Low-fidelity Prototypes, Stakeholder Interviews, Consumer Products, UX Prototyping, Component Libraries, Responsive Web Apps, Color Palettes, Business Services, Typography, Desktop Web Design, Mobile Web Design, Business to Business (B2B), Digital Product Design, Web Application Design, Mobile UI, App UX, iOS App Design, Conversion Rate, UX Research, Quantitative Research, Qualitative Research, Data Analysis, Analytics, Web Applications
UI/UX Designer
2019 - 2019
Dexter
- Designed the user experience and user interface for both mobile and web products.
- Built a brand identity guide, including typography, colors, and other assets.
- Created user stories based on data gathered in the user research.
- Designed prototypes to test the usability of the digital products and created and made adjustments based on the results.
Technologies: Adobe Experience Design (XD), Web App Design, Mobile App Design, Visual Design, UI Design, UX Design, MVP Design, Product Design, B2C, Design Thinking, Mockups, Mobile Mockups, High-fidelity Mockups, Low-fidelity Mockups, Mobile UX Design, User Journeys, User Stories, User Personas, Human-centered Design (HCD), User Scenarios, UX Audits, Best Practices in Design, UI Components, Business to Business to Consumer (B2B2C), B2B2C, UI Style Guides, Branding, Decentralized Finance (DeFi), Responsive Web Design (RWD), Product Roadmaps, Feature Prioritization, Layout Design, Blockchain, UX Strategy, Design Guidelines, User Experience Strategy, User Experience Design, Interactive Design, Interactive Prototypes, Startups, Dashboard Design, Responsive UI, Responsive Layout, Financial Products, Component-based Architecture, Software as a Service (SaaS), Web, Responsive Design, Competitive Analysis, Agile, Lean Startups, Journey Mapping, White Label Design, User Journey Maps, Feature Analysis, Low-fidelity Prototypes, Consumer Products, Component Libraries, Color Palettes, Typography, Desktop Web Design, Mobile Web Design, Digital Product Design, Web Application Design, App UX, Web Applications
UI/UX Designer
2019 - 2019
Renki
- Designed a mobile app for tenants to request help and for landlords to manage their properties more easily.
- Built a brand identity guide, including colors, typography, logo, and other assets.
- Created a list of features to help each type of user achieve their goals that resulted from the user research and interviews I did.
- Designed a user flow and organized the information to create a seamless user experience for each type of user.
- Made a prototype to test the mobile app's usability and make adjustments based on the results.
Technologies: Adobe Experience Design (XD), Mobile App Design, Visual Design, UI Design, UX Design, MVP Design, Product Design, B2C, Design Thinking, Mockups, Mobile Mockups, High-fidelity Mockups, Low-fidelity Mockups, Mobile UX Design, User Journeys, User Stories, User Personas, Human-centered Design (HCD), User Scenarios, UX Audits, Best Practices in Design, UI Components, UI Style Guides, Branding, Feature Prioritization, Layout Design, UX Strategy, Design Guidelines, User Experience Strategy, User Experience Design, Interactive Design, Interactive Prototypes, Startups, Component-based Architecture, Software as a Service (SaaS), Competitive Analysis, Journey Mapping, White Label Design, User Journey Maps, Feature Analysis, Low-fidelity Prototypes, Consumer Products, Color Palettes, Property Management, Typography, Real Estate, Digital Product Design, Mobile UI, App UX, iOS App Design
UI/UX Designer
2018 - 2019
Kriptomat
- Participated in usability studies and tested the web application.
- Improved the user experience of the web application.
- Collaborated and communicated with the CEO and project manager daily, giving updates.
- Researched users and competitors to gather more information and make better decisions when designing the product.
- Applied the entire user-centered design process from analysis, requirements refinement, user research, ideation, information architecture design, prototyping, usability testing, visual design, and interaction daily.
- Created a usable and intuitive mobile application.
- Worked hands-on with the development team daily to ensure an accurate design implementation.
Technologies: ProtoPie, InVision, Adobe Creative Suite, Adobe Experience Design (XD), Mobile App Design, Visual Design, UI Design, UX Design, MVP Design, Product Design, B2C, Design Thinking, Mockups, Mobile Mockups, High-fidelity Mockups, Low-fidelity Mockups, Mobile UX Design, User Journeys, User Stories, User Personas, Human-centered Design (HCD), User Scenarios, UX Audits, Best Practices in Design, UI Components, UI Style Guides, User Testing, Usability Testing, Product Roadmaps, Feature Prioritization, Layout Design, Landing Pages, Blockchain, UI Animation, UX Strategy, Design Guidelines, User Experience Strategy, User Experience Design, Interactive Design, Interactive Prototypes, Landing Page Design, Startups, Responsive UI, Responsive Layout, Financial Products, Component-based Architecture, Web, Responsive Design, Competitive Analysis, Agile, Journey Mapping, White Label Design, User Journey Maps, Feature Analysis, Low-fidelity Prototypes, UX Prototyping, Color Palettes, Typography, Desktop Web Design, Mobile Web Design, Digital Product Design, Web Application Design, App UX, iOS App Design, Conversion Rate, Quantitative Research, Data Analysis, Motion Design, 2D Motion Graphics
UI/UX Designer
2014 - 2015
Appy Ventures
- Worked on a range of web and mobile applications, from business apps to gardening apps.
- Created sketches, wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity mockups.
- Designed and redesigned different web and mobile applications.
- Developed a gardening app that won two industry awards and has over 400,000 downloads globally.
Technologies: InVision, Adobe Fireworks, Adobe Photoshop, Visual Design, UI Design, UX Design, Product Design, B2C, Design Thinking, Mockups, Mobile Mockups, High-fidelity Mockups, Low-fidelity Mockups, Web Design, Mobile UX Design, User Journeys, UX Audits, Best Practices in Design, UI Components, UI Style Guides, Layout Design, UX Strategy, Design Guidelines, User Experience Strategy, Interactive Design, Interactive Prototypes, Startups, Dashboard Design, Responsive Design, Competitive Analysis, Journey Mapping, White Label Design, User Journey Maps, Feature Analysis, Low-fidelity Prototypes, Color Palettes, Typography, Desktop Web Design, Mobile Web Design, Digital Product Design, App UX, iOS App Design, MVP Design
Education
2025 - 2026
Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science
University of London - London, Remote
Certifications
JUNE 2024 - PRESENT
How to Create Intuitive Products by Imitating Physicality
Interaction Design Foundation
DECEMBER 2023 - PRESENT
Google UX Design
Coursera
Skills
Tools
Adobe Fireworks, Adobe Experience Design (XD), Adobe Creative Suite, InVision, Sketch, Sketch 4, Slack, Adobe Photoshop, ProtoPie, Jira, Bubble, Principle, Sketch 2
Industry Expertise
Investments, Consumer Products, Healthcare, Real Estate, Logistics
Platforms
iOS, Android, Mobile, Mobile (Tablet), Figma, Web, Webflow, UserZoom
Languages
HTML, CSS, JavaScript
Other
Investing, Style Guides, User Research, Mobile App Design, Sketching, Financial UX, Loans & Lending, Cryptocurrency, Cryptocurrency Wallets, Currency Exchange, Flowcharts, Goal Management, Money, Startups, Mobile Money, Dashboard Design, Dashboards, iOS App Design, A/B Testing, UI Testing, Web App UX, Web App UI, Web App Testing, Web App Design, App UI, App UX, Cryptocurrency Exchanges, Mobile Wallet, Mobile UI, Mobile UX, User Experience (UX), User Interface (UI), Mobile App UI, Prototyping, User Flows, UX Research, Fintech, Visual Design, Information Architecture (IA), UI Design, UX Design, Wireframing, MVP Design, Interaction Design (IxD), Crypto, Product Design, App Design, Mobile Design, B2B, Software Design, Minimum Viable Product (MVP), iPad, Tablet UX, Tablet Design, Healthcare IT, Web UI, Web UI Design, Web UX Design, Options Trading, Design Thinking, Mockups, Mobile Mockups, High-fidelity Mockups, Low-fidelity Mockups, Web Design, Responsive Web Design (RWD), UX Wireframes, Landing Pages, Landing Page Design, Mobile Apps, Blockchain, Mobile UX Design, Interactive Design, Interactive Prototypes, SaaS, Design Systems, UX Strategy, User Journeys, User Stories, Human-centered Design (HCD), User Scenarios, UX Audits, Best Practices in Design, UI Components, B2B2C, UI Style Guides, Branding, CRM Design, Decentralized Finance (DeFi), User Experience Design, User Experience Strategy, Design, Mobile UI Design, Design Guidelines, Accessibility, Usability Testing, Product Roadmaps, Feature Prioritization, Layout Design, Business to Business to Consumer (B2B2C), Mobile Payments, Framer, Usability, Desktop App Design, eCommerce UX, Animated Prototypes, Responsive UI, Responsive Layout, Financial Products, Component-based Architecture, Software as a Service (SaaS), Responsive Design, Competitive Analysis, Agile, System Design, Lean Startups, Journey Mapping, White Label Design, User Journey Maps, Feature Analysis, Low-fidelity Prototypes, Rapid Prototyping, Websites, UX Prototyping, Component Libraries, Responsive Web Apps, Color Palettes, Business Services, Typography, Desktop Web Design, Mobile Web Design, Business to Business (B2B), Growth-driven Design (GDD), Website Design, User Validation, Website Redesign, Digital Product Design, Enterprise Design, Web Application Design, Conversion Rate, Quantitative Research, Qualitative Research, Web Applications, Motion Design, 2D Motion Graphics, No-code Development, Online Auctions, Mobile App Testing, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data Analysis, User Interviews, Financial Services, Data Visualization, Finance, B2C, Smart Homes, UI Animation, SaaS Design, User Personas, Smart Home Technology, Internet of Things (IoT), User Testing, Analytics, Investment Analysis, Design Leadership, Stakeholder Interviews, Logo Design, Property Management, Brand Guidelines, Graphic Design, Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Enterprise Software, 3D Motion Graphics, Lottie, Business Loans, User-centered Design (UCD), Mobile-first Design, Design Libraries, Notion, Ideation, Motion Interaction, UX Scenarios, Front-end, Infographics, User Empathy, AI Design, Real Estate UI, Real Estate Web Design, Mathematics
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