Vesna Planko
Verified Expert in Design
Designer
San Francisco, CA, United States
Toptal member since November 27, 2015
Vesna is a dynamic principal product designer with over 15 years of experience in UI/UX and product development. She excels at leading cross-functional teams to drive business growth and enhance user satisfaction. With proven mentorship skills and extensive public speaking engagements, Vesna leverages cutting-edge design strategies and innovative AI integration to deliver exceptional results. Her expertise can transform your business.
Work Experience
Principal Product Designer | CEO
Habitual.
- Engineered and led product design strategy for projects with Treasure Finance, Sodexo, TaxAct, Her, B8ta Retail, Coinage, Crowd-up, etc.
- Spearheaded the redesign of the dashboard experience and design strategy for Treasure Finance, doubling deposit rates against withdrawals and enhancing platform trust through strategic leadership and user-centric design principles.
- Delivered digital solutions that boosted customer engagement and satisfaction across all projects.
- Achieved significant results through strategic leadership and effective cross-functional team collaboration in major financial sectors, underscoring the impact of design on business outcomes.
Principal Product Designer
Galileo Financial Technologies
- Formulated and executed enterprise-level design strategies at Galileo, significantly advancing company-wide objectives by integrating sophisticated design methods, business insights, and analytical tools.
- Elevated user satisfaction and engagement by multiple NPS scores, capitalizing on strategic UX improvements and targeting user engagement techniques.
- Managed a significant reduction in human interaction in modified programs, leveraging automation and design optimization to streamline operations and enhance user experience.
- Directed and coordinated the development and implementation of a design system to establish a robust, scalable framework for ongoing design consistency and quality.
Lead UX/UI Designer
Security First
- Orchestrated product design and strategy across multiple platforms (Android, iOS, Web) for the Umbrella app, adeptly addressing risks faced by human rights defenders (HRDs) in diverse cultural contexts.
- Employed in-depth user research and innovative UX strategies to customize the app's features for enhanced user engagement and accessibility.
- Conducted comprehensive user research and devised targeted UX strategies, effectively elevating the app's adoption and securing high user satisfaction ratings, reflecting a strong command of user experience design principles.
- Engineered the Umbrella app from concept through to market launch, successfully scaling to 80,000 users with a rating of 4.0 on Android and 50,000 users with a rating of 4.8 on iOS.
- Leveraged cutting-edge design methodologies and strategic positioning to grow and sustain a robust user base across platforms.
Lead Product Designer
PwC
- Steered the development of the AI governance tool from inception through the pilot phase with 10 customers to general availability, ensuring the tool's alignment with industry needs and successful market introduction.
- Cultivated a robust design and development strategy, overseeing a team of specialists focused on creating a scalable and efficient AI governance framework, which facilitated the tool's transition from the pilot phase to a widely available product.
- Pioneered and guided the product experience design for TaxVerse, resulting in its acquisition. Employed comprehensive research, strategic development, and meticulous UI/interaction design to align the product with critical market needs.
- Managed a dedicated team, enhancing design capabilities and fostering a collaborative environment that supported the development and successful launch of the TaxVerse product.
Senior UX/UI Full-stack Designer
App Annie
- Directed the design and strategic implementation of a headline feature on the 2017 roadmap, enhancing product functionality and user engagement.
- Applied strategic collaboration and expert design techniques to ensure the feature aligned with user expectations and business objectives.
- Partnered closely with a UX researcher to conduct thorough user and usability research, ensuring the feature's design was robustly informed by user insights and usability data.
- Leveraged these findings to optimize the feature, substantially elevating user experience and satisfaction.
Design and Technical Lead
Moni Technologies
- Initiated and developed the design and strategy for Moni, a peer-to-peer (P2P) money transfer app, 0->1.
- Applied user-centric design strategies and robust cross-platform implementation to drive the project from inception to a significant market presence.
- Participated in the inaugural cohort of Techstars London, leveraging this intensive startup accelerator to catapult the project from concept to reality, enhancing business strategies and accelerating pivotal product development milestones.
Design and Technical Lead
HER
- Spearheaded the design strategy, research, and UI/UX design for an iOS and Android app: employed expert design practices and rigorous research methodologies to dramatically expand user engagement and adoption.
- Oversaw the marketing website and led a cross-functional team of developers, ensuring seamless integration of design and development efforts that enhanced user experience and market reach.
- Participated in the Y Combinator S15 batch, capitalizing on the accelerator's resources to refine strategic approaches and engage with influential stakeholders, facilitating rapid scaling and operational excellence.
- Won the Best Design Award at the LAUNCH Festival 2014 in San Francisco, earning acclaim for innovative design and effective implementation that significantly bolstered the project's visibility and industry standing.
Education
Master's Degree in Information Technology Management
Faculty of Information Studies - Novo Mesto, Slovenia
Bachelor's Degree in Economics
Faculty of Economics and Business Studies - Maribor, Slovenia
Certifications
Executive Leadership
Pendo Essentials for Web
Pendo
Skills
Tools
Figma, Sketch, InVision, Adobe CC, Sublime Text, Zeplin, Miro
Platforms
Web, iOS, Android, Mobile, Adobe Suite, Webflow
Languages
CSS3, HTML5
Industry Expertise
Marketing
Other
Audits, Design Thinking, User Research, Research, UX Architecture, Design Principles, UX Principles, UX Design, Lean UX, Product Design, UI Design, Interaction Design (IxD), Service Design, Web Design, Branding, Rapid Prototyping, User-centered Design (UCD), User Interface (UI), Mobile App Design, Fintech, UX Strategy, UX Specifications, Design Strategy, Digital Product Design, Data Visualization, Design Systems, Information Architecture (IA), Usability Testing, Product Development, Digital Transformation, Concept Development, User Experience (UX), Visual Design, Presentations, Dashboards, Enterprise SaaS, B2B, Design, Prototyping, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Usability, User Interviews, Web App Design, Agile, SaaS Design, Component Libraries, Responsive Web Apps, MVP Design, User Experience Design, App Design, CX Strategy, User Experience Strategy, Web Portals, Mobile Design, Web App UX, Mobile Apps, Mockups, User Personas, Wireframing, User Stories, User Journey Maps, Landing Page Design, UI Prototyping, Management, Customer Experience, Customer Experience Management, Design Sprints, Experience Strategy, Workshops, Adobe Creative Cloud, User Testing, UX Research, Product Discovery, Artificial Intelligence as a Service (AIaaS), Design Leadership, Finance, Graphic Design, Social Media Design, Product Owner, Product Ownership, Lean, UX Wireframes, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), UX Audits, Complex Application User Interfaces (UI), Web Applications, Complex Web Systems, Web App UI, SaaS, Payment Gateways, Dashboard Design, UI Components, Web Components, Web Application Design, Design Reviews, Angular, Web UI Design, Material UI, Web UX Design, Desktop App Design, Enterprise Application Design, B2C, Software as a Service (SaaS), High-fidelity Prototypes, User Flows, Lean Startups, Product Roadmaps, Design Documentation, User Journeys, Web Dashboards, Compliance, Push Notifications, Scrum, Illustration, Interface Design, AI Design, Artificial Intelligence (AI), AI Content Creation, Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), Communication Strategy, Cryptocurrency, Web3, UI Animation, IT Management, Qualitative Research, Quantitative Research, Computer Graphics, Information Systems, Economics, Behavioral Economics, Process Economics, Abstracts, Analytics, UX Analysis, Consumer Behavior, Customer Success, Leadership, Tax Software, Tax Systems, Web UX, Conversion, iOS UI Design, iOS App Design, iOS UX Design, Android UI Design, Android App Design
Experience
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