Takuma is available for hire
Hire TakumaTakuma Kakehi
Verified Expert in Design
Designer
Location
Baltimore, MD, United States
Toptal Member Since
January 6, 2017
Currently based in New York, Takuma is an interactive designer who has experience designing for the responsive web, mobile apps, kiosks, and media walls to immersive content. His passion is to help build a product in its most minimal form with several thoughtful details like micro-interactions and inventive navigation.
Work Experience
Senior Director Product Design
2020 - PRESENT
SPEEDA Edge | Uzabase
- Defined the product scopes for the MVP and created a series of tangible prototypes—with the business plan still in its abstract stage—to validate our product-market fit and refine the business plan.
- Communicated our designs with users to gather feedback and ensure a user-centric design. Through this process, we successfully introduced and refined new features based on feedback from early and potential users.
- Led the design team and facilitated communication among diverse stakeholders, including marketing, sales, customer success, and the CEO.
- Served as the lead designer; utilized design tools such as Figma and live prototypes in React applications to guide the design output and overall design process for the entire team.
Technologies: Adobe, Figma, InVision, Sketch, Webflow, React, Front-end
Head of Design (Platform)
2018 - 2020
Quartz
- Acted as head of design for a new internal venture project; directed product design decisions for a new B2B product with stakeholders from different departments, including management, content, and technology.
- Defined product scopes, mapped user flows, and created rapid prototypes to get feedback from potential customers and internal stakeholders.
- Directed the product design strategy and execution for the award-winning social news app as a product manager, formerly head of design for the platform department.
- Worked on defining project goals, ideating design solutions, mapping flow diagrams, and crafting exportable designs.
Technologies: Adobe, Sketch, Figma, Mobile UX Design, Prototyping, Mobile UI Design, Visual Design, Style Guides
Senior UI/UX Designer
2016 - 2018
Dow Jones
- Adapted Android material design for The Wall Street Journal's (WSJ) new editorial product series written and curated for mobile experiences.
- Created the UX design for the Facebook Messenger bot for the WSJ. Dow Jones was the launch partner with Facebook for its bot products.
- Designed the UX/UI for a new experimental web portal for a new educational platform which eases finding the right editorial content for professors and students.
- Worked as the UX/UI designer for a VR experience for real-state content. The VR experience includes the exploration of different market cities and a 360 experience of each property.
- Acted as the UX/UI designer for future editorial product concepts.
Technologies: Adobe Experience Design (XD), InVision, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Sketch, Mobile App Design, Product Design, Figma, Mobile UX Design, Prototyping, Mobile UI Design, Style Guides
UI/UX Designer
2012 - 2015
teamLab
- Acted as interactive director and UX/UI designer, I bridged clients and internal teams by leading design solutions and clear, interactive prototypes. Defined clients' problems, strategized design solutions, and managed executions.
- Worked on the process involving mapping user flows, crafting initial designs and schematic videos for proposals, and programming complex interactive prototypes using tools like Unity or openFrameworks.
- Worked on Interactive Media Wall for Kiko Milano as a strategist and interactive director; Peach Aviation (Japan's leading LCC) as UX designer and strategist; OPENING CEREMONY digital store as strategist and PJM.
Technologies: Adobe After Effects, InVision, Sketch, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Prototyping, Mobile UI Design, Visual Design, Style Guides
Project Manager | UI Designer
2009 - 2012
Panasonic Digital Communication
- Managed the project for rebranding the retail experience for the major banks. The project management involves managing the deliveries for the hardware, applications, and some interface software between those.
- Crafted the UI design for an interactive kiosk at a high-end shopping mall in Japan.
- Designed the UI for an interactive kiosk for brick and mortar stores for Panasonic mobile phones.
Technologies: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Product Design, Prototyping, Style Guides
Education
2003 - 2008
Bachelor of Architecture in Architectural Design
Pratt Institute - New York, NY, USA
Certifications
APRIL 2024 - PRESENT
Foundations of User Experience (UX) Design
Google | via Coursera
Experience
Tools
Collaboration That Works
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