About me
Profile summary
Photography
View some of my selected photos
Writings
Some topics I've written about.
Overview
Skills
Breakdown of skills and experience
Work History
Where I've worked.
Portfolio
A sample of my work.
Testimonials
What people are saying about me.
Design Process
My design process.
A multi-skilled Product Designer bridging UX, Business and Technology.
Image Credit
I'm a Principal / Lead Product & User Experience Designer with a strong foundation in designing complex, high-stakes systems. I understand that real-world UX lives at the intersection of user needs, business goals, and technical constraints.
Recognised as a full-stack, technical Product / UX Designer, I bring a broad skill set spanning interaction design, systems thinking, and front-end development knowledge. My expertise is especially deep in complex domains like banking, finance, and asset management, where clarity, usability, and precision are critical.
Over the course of my career, I've led and contributed to projects across finance, enterprise tools, and beyond – navigating domain-heavy, data-rich environments and delivering scalable, user-centred solutions that have consistently driven ROI, earned stakeholder trust, and shaped team-wide outcomes.
Accustomed to high-pressure environments, I'm highly adaptable to shifting priorities, ambiguous requirements, tight deadlines, and technical constraints — bringing both strategic thinking and hands-on execution to every stage of the product lifecycle.
Extremely senior, with 20+ years experience, spanning:
Worked extensively in:
A T-shaped designer is someone who possesses breadth of knowledge across a wide range of design disciplines and depth of expertise in one or more specific areas.
The horizontal bar of the “T” represents their broad understanding of related fields — such as UX, UI, research, content strategy, and front-end collaboration — enabling effective cross-functional teamwork. The vertical bar represents deep expertise in a core specialty, such as interaction design, visual design, or user research.
The term 'fat-stemmed' was used to describe the fact that I had multiple areas of deep expertise.
This combination of breadth and depth allows T-shaped designers to collaborate widely while making meaningful, expert-level contributions in their area of focus.
"T-shaped individuals are naturally curious, continually growing and learning, and constantly seeking new challenges. These are the kinds of people you should want in your organisation — regardless of whether they have expertise in your particular domain." — UX Matters
A π-shaped (pi-shaped) professional has broad knowledge across multiple areas (breadth) and deep expertise in two distinct specialisms (depth) — often combining strategic thinking with execution. 'Fat-stemmed' T-shape was an attempt to describe multiple areas of deep expertise, before the 'π-shaped' term became into being. However, I feel the π-shape reference doesn't quite align with my skills and experience that well, as its limited to two areas of deep expertise.
An X-shaped designer combines:
They excel at cross-functional leadership, mentorship, and bridging silos — often taking on senior, lead, or principal-level roles that require both execution and high-level decision-making.
According to ChatGPT — and echoed by peers in their testimonials — I align most closely with the profile of an X-shaped designer: someone with deep expertise, broad cross-functional skills, and the ability to lead, connect disciplines, and deliver impact both strategically and practically.
Additional reading: I, X, and T-Shaped Designers: What's the Difference?
Highly experienced
lifecycle
(Real-time, mission-critical, high-impact, multi-user, non-linear workflows, large data-sets, variable underlying tasks, supporting hand-offs to other roles, inter-connected systems and applications)
Expert
Advanced / Expert
Advanced
Some organisations see these job titles as inter-changeable — and that's fine, for the most part. But in my view, there is a difference.
In short, I'm a:
Product Designer— grounded in UX, but also operating at a broader strategic and product level.
I've written a short piece that explains the similarities, differences and overlaps — and where I sit. Read article
UBS Investment Bank, HSBC Global Banking & Markets, Lloyds Banking Group, Thomson Reuters, Refinitiv, London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), Financial Conduct Authority, Centradia, Insight Investment
Insight Investment – part of Bank of New York (BNY), P-Solve (River & Mercantile)
PwC, Fujitsu, Pitney Bowes, Sapient, Easynet
Classified facilities for HMRC and high-street banking clients
Sapient, Easynet, various freelance contracts
Homebase, Opodo
Financial Market Data (London Stock Exchange Group, Refinitiv, Thomson Reuters), Telegraph Media Group, TSO
Opodo, HolidayRisk.com (MoneySupermarket partnership)
Imperial College London
UBS, HSBC Global Banking & Markets, Insight Investment, Thomson Reuters, Lloyds Banking Group
Insight Investment, Thomson Reuters, P-Solve
Thomson Reuters, Insight Investment, Lloyds Banking Group, HSBC Global Banking & Markets, UBS
Insight Investment, Lloyds Banking Group, Thomson Reuters, UBS
Insight Investment, Lloyds Banking Group, Pitney Bowes working for Fujitsu on behalf of FCA and high-street banks, Telegraph Media Group
Thomson Reuters
LSEG Workspace, Refinitiv Workspace, Thomson Reuters' EIKON, Insight Investment, UBS
All companies and organisations
PwC on behalf of Financial Conduct Authority
EBS, UBS, Easynet, Telegraph Media Group
UBS, HSBC Global Banking & Markets, Insight Investment, Thomson Reuters, Lloyds Banking Group, Pitney Bowes on behalf of HMRC and high-street Banks
UBS Investment Bank, EBS, freelance, and many designed under Easynet Internet Consultancy Services
Insight Investment, Refinitiv, Thomson Reuters, UBS, Pitney Bowes on behalf of HMRC and high-street banks
Lloyds Banking Group, Thomson Reuters, UBS Investment Bank, HolidayRisk.com (Freelance)
Opodo, Homebase, HolidayRisk.com
Insight Investment, Lloyds Banking Group, Pitney Bowes (on behalf of HMRC and high-street banks), Easynet, Telegraph Media Group
Lloyds Banking Group, Thomson Reuters, Pitney Bowes (on behalf of HMRC and high-street banks), TSO (for public-sector websites), UBS Investment Bank
Key skills and traits consistently mentioned across all Linkedin testimonials (analysed and summarised by ChatGPT)
"Yooch [is] creative and pragmatic in his approach towards UX for digital products."
— Hussnain M., Principal Designer
"Yooch was easy to work with and reliable, and added value to the overall project we were part of."
— Carmen P., Product Owner
"[Yooch] is armed with a rock-solid set of core skills, covering interaction and UI design, prototyping and technical work, and the ability to systematically analyse, deconstruct, and improve complex workflows."
— Andrew M., Director - Financial & Risk Experience Design Team
"It is rare to find a highly experienced creative talent like Yooch, who has the perfect combination of expertise in UX, great understanding of digital technologies, as well as in-depth knowledge of the financial industry."
— Qiong L., Principal Quant Business Analyst
"Yooch is an exceptional designer capable of creating logical and intuitive interfaces for a wide variety of users."
— Alex K., Content & Conversation Design Lead
"The [trading] system that Yooch was in charge of UX for was received very well, adoption experience for users was smooth, which I believe is due to a well thought through user experience."
— Sergey C., Product Owner
"He brings vast experience to his projects and executes them diligently, displaying a real understanding of the design lifecycle and how it fits within overall product development."
— Paul H., Senior UX Designer
"Working with [Yooch]] was a pleasure - mostly because every time I needed his help or advice I got just what I needed."
— Ray T., Head of Search Content & Experience
"[Yooch] regularly demonstrates an exceptional ability to transform complex business processes into intuitive, engaging user experiences."
— Matthew G., Software Developer
"Yooch, absolute professional, joined our project team, came up to speed quickly with the Product Solution being developed and contributed straight away helping us resolve the direction for the UI which had been floundering."
— Keith F., Test Manager
"has the perfect combination of expertise in UX, great understanding of digital technologies, as well as in-depth knowledge of the financial industry."
"He actively promotes a user-focused approach to building software, with a great balance between creative design and technical feasibility."
— Katie M., Business Analyst
"His professionalism, expertise and people skills would make him an excellent leader for any user-centric organisation."
— Alan H., Product Manager
"Yooch's design outputs are always top-notch with very well thought-through solutions. He is always able to quickly understand a design problem and evaluate different solutions to come up with a feasible one."
— Yeevon O., Senior Interaction Designer
"A dedicated team player who consistently goes the extra mile to drive our development efforts forward."
"Yooch is a highly skilled and creative designer with a deep understanding of user-centered design principles."
— Venugopal M., Senior Developer
"He has a great ability to break down very complex requirements... and turning them into precise, detailed, and clear designs."
"Everything he delivers is backed by his years of experience and solid professional expertise."
— Lai W., Developer
"Hired him for two companies already and I'll do it without the shadow of hesitation."
— Jiri S., Human-Centred Design Lead
"An excellent UX designer with extremely high work ethics and professionalism."
— Phil P., Senior UX Designer & Researcher
"His contribution and Design expertise have been key in driving the Product forward."
— Jorge S., Global Head of Product Management
"Yooch is a spectacular UI and interaction designer, with a rich skill set and the talent to back it up."
— Jeremy H., Netflix Alumni, UX Designer & Leader
"I worked with Yooch on various projects. I validated his design concepts on some key projects. They were well received by internal and external users. His designs are very well thought through and intuitive. He is very professional, easy to work with and an expert in his field."
— Rupal S., Senior User Researcher
"Yooch is a great UX Designer, we worked together on a few projects and I found his strong skills in prototyping and design fast-tracked our iterative process."
— Andrew W., Senior User Experience Designer
"I met Yooch on my last project and soon realised that this calm and collected individual is a powerhouse of UX talent. He is truly creative and adds value to every aspect of UX project delivery. A thorough professional and someone who is a practitioner in the science of UX."
— Nur S., Senior UX Architect
"After just a conversation and a brief walkthrough of my half-finished user research, Yooch was inspired and went off to create a Blue Sky Thinking sketch that not only comes close to solving the main user problems, it's so good that it has the potential be white-labelled!"
— Renée VB., Senior Business Analyst
"Yooch's depth of experience in UX design and understanding of users' real needs are phenomenal."
"Yooch can be both a great team leader and player."
— Giorgio V., Director, Product Design
"A passionate, committed and talented individual who has the respect of everyone."
— Matt S., Freelance Business Analyst
"His commitment and quality of UX work was always of the highest standard."
— Ben C., UX Team Engagement Lead
"A professional, reliable, technical UX'er and an all-round good person to know."
— Rachel R., User Experience / Product Design Consultant
"He's a rare find, a creative thinker with a remarkable combination of skills."
— Balazs M., UX Consultant, Creative Technologist
"One of the senior lynchpins of the team, and we wouldn't be the same without him."
"His commitment to quality is matched with his deep knowledge of user goals, his grip on technical boundaries and his ability to translate design intent across non-design teams."
— Abhishek D., Product Design Consultant
"He's definitely one of the key figures holding the team together."
"Yooch is always a fantastic person to have on the team. Always staying up to date with Design, Technical and Financial innovation - Happily sharing any learnings along the way. He can always be relied upon, both as a team member and project lead."
— Mike A., Senior UX Designer
"He's a very knowledgeable hard-working UX designer and someone who I value the opinion of. His work is always well considered and to the highest quality. I would gladly recommend and work with Yooch on other projects."
— Chris W., Senior Visual Designer
Helen J. Director, Product Design
September 27, 2021
"Yooch, you were called out by David R. in today's Spotlight as being one of the team who helped deliver the OTC App.
David R. said:
"A massive thanks.....I cannot say 'Thank you' enough. We (the OTC product team) feel extremely lucky ... you and the team ... saved the day."
This app provides a workflow that Bloomberg doesn't have.
Early user feedback is promising, and it looks like it will contribute to retaining existing customers and gaining new ones.
Congratulations Yooch. It's great when we get recognition and feedback from our product partners, of the work that you were involved with."
Telegraph Media Group
At the forefront of "New (online) Media"
Sapient
UBS Investment Bank
HSBC Global Banking & Markets
PwC with Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
Pitney Bowes
Lloyds Banking Group
Refinitiv
(Formerly the Financial & Risk Division of Thomson Reuters)
London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG)
Acquired Refinitiv, now named the Data & Analytics Division
Continuation of work from Refinitiv
Insight Investment
Part of BNY (Bank of New York)
"Not completely sure how we will cope without you but I guess its a consolation that you get to help a new team with your unmatched design confidence... Thank you so much for everything this past year. I appreciate it more than you'll ever know."
— Christiana A, Product Owner
"It has been an education working with you. You are a veritable font, if not an absolute NIAGRA of knowledge - about design [and] trading... It's been really great working with you, and you sir are one of the reasons why I joined this place!"
— Karl S, Principal Designer / Senior Design Manager
"Thanks for the good times and the times we were flying by the... :D [You] have left a permanent impression on myself and I am sure the team and the product. Wish you the very best with your next step."
— Abhi D, Senior Design Manager
"I know at some point our paths will cross again, but until then I just want to say thank you. The advice and suggestions you've given shows wealth of knowledge you have around finance and design, you will be sorely missed."
— Atib C, Senior UX Designer
"[There] will be huge gap after you leave. I often used to bounce ideas at you to get feedback due to your un-biased feedback, thank you for that and continued pestering."
— Hasan K, Senior UX Designer
"[It's] been great working with you mate, shame it wasn't more often! Appreciate all your knowledge sharing and chats... One of the 'old guard' and you will be missed!"
— Prean P, Principal Researcher
"You've been an incredible colleague/friend. Thank you for... so much; your [design system], your critical thinking, your understanding, your support, your overall superheroness."
— Vipul B, User Researcher, Research Ops
"Thanks for all your superb work and contributions to [the design system] and all the design projects... You've always been a great help to solve problems and get things right!"
— Matt E, Lead UX Writer
"People asked [Yooch] about anything, and he could manage it all with impressive mastery."
— Luca B, Principal Designer / Senior Design Manager
"It's been great working with you, from [the design system] to Framework. You're a great designer and one we shall miss. Really gutted."
— John W, Principal Designer
"Keep utilising your highly considered approach to design - It's a great asset."
— Mike A, Principal Designer & Senior Design Manager
"Thanks for everything you've given to the team and best of luck in the new role!"
— Gavin E, Global Head of Product, Research & Content Design
"Au revoir - again. Am sure you'll be back. Again. And Again. :)"
— Helen J, Director, Product Design
"You're a legend, man!"
— Alex G, Senior Visual Designer
"Don't leave me here with them!!"
— Bharti D, Principal Designer
You can read the case studies to some of these outcomes in my portfolio.
Part of BNY Mellon
Reduced the time it takes for Portfolio Managers to model trades and perform unwinds by:
Time taken compared with old system:
New system
Old system
(Less time taken is better)
Reduced potential financial losses for the company and its clients to the range of:
Cost Savings:
£ thousands
£ millions
(Higher is better)
Increased the usability score of a newly designed system (vs. old system) by:
Usability score improvement:
+41%
+100%
Reduced the business customer's "time-to-cash" on commercial loan applications by:
1 day
16 days
Average "ease-of-use" score from public user-testing of a new business banking service:
Ease-of-Use Rating:
1 - Most Difficult
Easiest - 5
(Higher score is better)
Reduced annual operating costs for the company by reducing call-centre usage to the range of:
Reduced the time it takes to on-board a client for a FX service by up to:
15-20 mins
4 hours
Reduced the number of user actions required to on-board a customer by:
User actions:
26
58
(Less user actions/tasks is better)
Received
Most recent: April 2025
Experience Design
User-Interface Design
Interaction Design