Hello! I’m Maria!

I’m a senior product designer, passionate about UX and an optimisation specialist by nature.

I’ve worked across organisations & brands in multidisciplinary environments in the UK and Europe. I have a technical background supported by strong marketing acumen with expertise in driving engagement across cultures & building tangible deliverables. I’m hands-on, and I love to design, build and deliver!

Enjoy my portfolio, just a same few samples of my work to date with some beautiful brands.

  • Strong foundation in design principles, design systems and patterns including visual, interaction, UI, and UX, proficient with Adobe and Figma to present journeys and prototypes.

  • A confident communicator capable of communicating clear and compelling product vision and strategy, understanding requirements, customer needs, and leveraging research findings.

  • Great collaboration skills having worked with product, tech and CX teams on large projects across territories om complex roadmaps requiring localisation.

  • Attention to detail and data are key throughout and essential to building success metrics and KPIs - a strong believer in analysis of customer feedback and reviews to continuously improve the product. Adept at capturing feedback and incorporating user input into the development process.

Watchfinder.co.uk – International luxury watch marketplace

2023 (Remote)

Reporting to Chief Product Officer to support delivery of ambitious product roadmap to transform applications across platform to achieve business objectives including launching new services for both customers and the end consumer.

Projects included development of price/quotation engine, implement search and marketplace solution, development image recognition tool, funnel to checkout transformation, with
AB Testing, user research and analytics driving KPIs with strong engagement from leadership teams.

Rakuten Europe - Rakuten.co.uk

2023 (Remote)

Rakuten Europe are merging with Rakuten US with significant changes/opportunities to their platform and teams and needed senior support to enable new features and new brand experience.

Activity
- Mentoring Product Designer to build competence in creating design library + components Figma
- Supporting UX Research through analysis of competitors, user feedback and data sources
- Validate business requirements + build recommendations
- Implement brand design system
- Managing UX Product Backlog by providing designs for UX optimisations + brand transformation across UK and US platforms

Results
Rebranding has been successfully released with UX designer now using core Rakuten US Design System and guiding content managers to optimise content.

Rakuten Europe - Brand Localisation

Rakuten Europe - Brand Localisation

Rakuten Europe - Banner Formats

Rakuten Europe - Banner Formats

Rakuten Europe - New Look & Feel

Rakuten Europe - New Look & Feel

Rakuten - Account Management Functions

Rakuten - Account Management Functions

Rakuten - Brand Recommendations

Rakuten - Brand Recommendations

Rakuten - User Research Interviews

Rakuten - User Research Interviews

Feelunique.com - Sephora

2018 - 2020 (London, UK)

In the build up to the sale of the business in 2020, optimisation of web performance across core templates to push mobile experience + drive engagement was key.

  • With a key objective to increase mobile conversion, the UX team focused on driving a prioritised backlog in collaboration with CX, SEO and Merchandising to create new product components to enhance catalogue, CRM, and personalisation services.

  • Launched new mobile app channel to serve mulitple European markets - working with external partner, app released within 6mth period with a conversion rate 20% higher among app users.

  • Integration of Aloglia and Attracq required significant UX/UI support to ensure stakeholder support, smooth release and promised user engagement.

DuBray Books

2023 (Ireland)

Working directly with UI developer to design and optimise new Tailwind storefront framework to elevate end to end customer experience.

  • Revision of ecommerce front-end platform to push
    conversion, drive engagement and loyalty proposition.

  • Implement brand design system

  • Create banner asset guidelines

  • Use tailwind components to assemble core templates
    complete funnel optimisation using new payment features
    optimise Klayvio email templates to reflect new branded experience

MurphyBond - Digital Detective

Product Designer/Digital Optimization Consultancy (May 2020 – )
I started my own consultancy due to pandemic circumstances in May 2020 and I never looked back as digital services were in high demand!
Reaching out to my network, I managed to secure a number of contracts supporting a portfolio of diverse clients across Europe including Easons | Grenade | L'Oreal | 47Skin | Schuh | AKT | Nixi Body | The Giving Movement and featuring:

Nixi Body - Shopify UI/UX Optimisation

Nixi Body - Shopify UI/UX Optimisation

Tidal Rum - Shopify ... beautiful rum!

Tidal Rum - Shopify ... beautiful rum!

Italian Petstore - Salesforce

Italian Petstore - Salesforce

Grenade - Everyone's Favourite Protein Bar

Grenade - Everyone's Favourite Protein Bar

TheFoodMarket - UX/UI Funnel Optimisation

TheFoodMarket - UX/UI Funnel Optimisation

Schuh - Digital Optimisation Report

Schuh - Digital Optimisation Report

Hotpoint and Indesit became Whirlpool in 2015

2015 - 2017 (UK + Italy)

Multiple digital transformation projects across multiple brands within the groups: Hotpoint, Indesit + Whirlpool. Transformed relationships and service models across GIS & EMEA Digital Centre of Excellence
Optimisation of customer experience channels - Book a Repair and Helpdesk. Launched multi-country digital data strategy; aggregating product & brand data to provide services across web platforms to 28 different markets across 4 (+) brands

  • Guardian of the brand in the UK - released rebrand on Hotpoint UK to roll out to EMEA.

  • Huge value of Customer Service portals required constant solution integration to ensure efficient user flows and smooth interactions.

  • All services would be developed and trialled in the UK, it being the biggest market, and then localised to deliver to EMEA.

Let’s chat!

Loads of experience! Clearly I’m old. Not!

I like running and I like a pint.
I generally can’t stay still so I like to travel whether its from Dublin to Waterford on the weekends to smell the sea and see the folks or hop on a flight and go to Italy to see my other family for a quick bite to eat! My son is old enough to watch Breaking Bad which is ace!

My next ambition in life is to restore a house, if I can ever gather enough funds!