Hey I'm Ola*

I am a

Product Designer

Healthtech Enthusiast

Inclusivity Advocate

Ex-Engineer

Avid Traveler

*Short for Aleksandra in Polish

All people have transformative ideas and have the capacity to change the world. This includes me. Being a designer means that I look for the impact of my actions on people, especially the most excluded. I humbly carry my passion to design new stories. I design.

Mantra by Michelle Molitor and Neby Teklu from their excellent talk on inclusive design, Race and Recess

Services

Design Strategy & Leadership

Strategy

I provide design strategy across all stages of the product development lifecycle, from concept through launch. Effective, high-impact strategy requires balancing business objectives with user needs - particularly in complex, high-stakes environments. While working on multi-million-dollar financial and e-commerce products, I navigated this balance by aligning stakeholders on prioritization through data-driven narratives and by reinforcing that great design benefits business outcomes.

While leading design for Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits multi-billion dollar B2B e-commerce platform, I was charged with overseeing experiencedesign strategy for the rollout of a $100k product expansion. I worked together with business stakeholders to prioritize features, align on a bird's-eye-view design strategy, and delegate work to the team according to a reasonable timeline.

Leadership

Whether managing junior designers, co-leading a project, or operating as an individual contributor, I want to foster a collaborative design culture. I love learning from team members of all disciplines and adapting processes to suit different working styles. Furthermore, I believe design reviews should be constructive and empowering, where work can be discussed honestly. When everyone feels trusted and supported, collaboration thrives and ideas are strengthened rather than existing in a vacuum.

MoSCoW feature mapping for Southern Glazer's expansion project

Experience Design (UX)

With experience across medical, e-commerce, and financial industries, translating complex systems into clear, intuitive experiences is my bread and butter. My web and app design solutions balance technical and regulatory constraints with real user needs. I begin each project by aligning stakeholders and cross-functional partners, including engineering, around low-fidelity artifacts such as user flows, customer journey maps, and information architecture. From there, I refine functionality and interactions through wireframes and prototypes

I joined the American Express team during the concepting phase of the new travel app and remained a core contributor throughout the full product design lifecycle. I executed through all stages, from defining foundational flows such as hotel booking to refining interaction design across the broader ecosystem, guiding the product through to launch.

Methods

Customer Journey Maps
User Flows
Wireframing & Prototyping
Information Architecture
Sitemap Design
Interaction design

Tools

Figma
FigJam
Miro
LucidChart
ChatGPT (UX writing)

UX artifacts from marketing workflow tool for major distributor

Visual Design (UI)

Visual and experience design are two sides of the same coin; without a robust design system, digital products quickly become confusing and inaccessible. I use Figma’s component architecture and Dev Mode to ensure consistency through clear documentation, and smooth handoff to engineering. All dev-ready designs account for responsiveness, web and native patterns, and accessibility standards (WCAG).

While I believe in the principle of ‘form follows function,’ branding plays a critical role in shaping product experiences. Thoughtful use of typography, color, and visual language contributes to the emotional dimension of a product. I advocate for brand consistency across all digital touchpoints to create cohesive user experiences.

Methods

Design System Management
Accessible Design
Responsive Design
Branding & Typography

Tools

Figma
Adobe Suite
Lottie
Figma Make

Section of Medituner design system

Research & Workshopping

Research is central to my design approach, informing decisions from early discovery through validation. I conduct generative market analysis, co-design workshops, and usability testing to ground designs in evidence rather than assumptions. By integrating user and stakeholder feedback early, the insights help shape data-driven product strategy, uncover user needs, and validate design solutions before they're too far down the funnel.

At the digital health startup Medituner, testing for regulatory compliance was a nonnegotiable phase in product development. During my time there, I led risk analysis initiatives to ensure designs supported asthma care for patients and providers.

Research Methods

Interviews
Surveys
Workshops
Card Sorting
Think-Aloud & Usability Testing

Analysis Methods & Artifacts

Affinity Diagramming
Data Visualization
Journey Maps
Personas
Service Design Blueprints

Pediatrician co-design workshop for Medituner

How I Use AI

What Is AI?

When I use the term AI, I’m describing tools and systems that use machine learning (ML) and/or large language models (LLMs) to anticipate user intent, personalize experiences, and make workflows more efficient, while still keeping people responsible for strategy and outcomes.

In My Workflow

As with any time-saving tool, I use AI intentionally for refinement and busy work, not to outsource design thinking. For example, I use tools like Figma Make for prototyping or animation, generating flow templates, or quick visuals to facilitate discussion, and ChatGPT to refine UX writing. However, in all cases I remain responsible for the strategy, decision-making, and execution. These tools function to support my process, not substitute it.

In My Design Solutions

While I have experience designing LLM-powered chat interfaces, I'm most interested in using machine learning for highly-personalized experiences. At Southern Glazer’s, I redesigned the B2B, e-commerce search experience by leveraging customer behavior data to anticipate intent and streamline filtering and selection, which significantly reduced time to cart. I see significant opportunities to use these capabilities to support behavior change, improve efficiency, and forecast trends.

AI-powered, highly-personalized search solution for B2B e-commerce platform

A Bit About Me

Where Am I From?

I am currently based in NYC, though I've bounced around my entire life. Between being born in Poland, raised in Singapore and Boston, studying in Sweden, and a sunny stint in Miami, I've had the privilege to live in a variety of different contexts and cultures. Traveling is invaluable for designers because it reveals the influence culture has on us as individuals; I'm consistently challenged to reevaluate my cultural patterns and attitudes, both at a personal level and within my designs.

Free Time?

I've always been designing in one way or another. As a kid, I had a million art projects going at once and nowadays... nothing's changed. If I'm not creating something for work, I'm editing my design podcast or sketching my next art piece. I just really, really love the craft.

When I do take time off, I'm probably hiking.