Hi there 👋 nice to meet you!
My name is Tanja. I’m a freelance Product Designer * and I love complex design challenges … I live for this stuff.
* As a designer I’ve had many titles: UX Designer, UI Designer, Interaction Designer, Visual Designer and even Webdesigner.
I like to work on projects that solve a complex issue. I like fixing applications or e-commerce websites, and contributing to design systems also scratches that nerdy complexity itch. I’m a challenger of assumptions, asker of 1.000 questions and the one that finds that one weird bug.
I ❤️ Complex interfaces
I love these projects because it’s like solving a blank puzzle with sometimes missing pieces.
The journey is often complex, and the user’s motivation differs greatly from e-commerce. There can even be a lack of motivation. It’s a goal to create an interface that removes friction and adds a bit of delight in getting the task done.
These projects usually require aligning with a large group of stakeholders and closely collaborating with Business Analysts, Architects, Frontend- and Backend developers. Not only designing deliverables but often just keep asking the questions no one is asking and always finding that one weird bug.
I ❤️ E-commerce
I once read an article on form design, on the art and craft inside the complexity, and it all fell into place when I got my first e-commerce job in 2001. I started working for one of the largest insurance companies in the Netherlands. As soon as I learned, they did A/B testing on printed ads and their Direct Writing efforts. The first thing I asked was, “Why don’t we do that online”?
It didn’t take much convincing, actually, and I got that ball rolling pretty quickly. After that, I developed skills to identify and design experiments and analyse the results. I even contributed to the “Design for Conversion” conferences in 2008, 2009 and 2011.
As soon as you mention “Conversion”, you’ll have my attention, I cannot help myself.
Designers & Developers
In the past, I might have said things like, “The original design is better than the live version”. It is a real struggle for designers, and there can be many causes at play, but the least of it should be your relationship with your team.
As a designer, you have such a responsibility to be open, to communicate and to onboard the right people into the right discussions. I’ve written an article, “Don’t be a tool“, about the subject. And these days, I go by the motto “Happy team = Happy & Proud Designer“.
Recent clients & work experience
- LeasePlan – Senior Product Designer – Responsible for the design and user experience of an internal application, used in multiple countries. (since June 2021)
- Utrecht University – Senior Product Designer – Responsible for the design and user experience of the online campus, allowing future students to get a taste of studying in Utrecht. (10/2020 – 12/2021)
- LiveHelfi – Senior Product Designer – Responsible for the design and user experience of the webshop. (09/2021 – 12/2021)
- InterGAMMA – Interim Senior UX designer – Responsible for the online experience of gamma.nl, gamma.be and karwei.nl. Improve and optimise conversion-flow and usability-issues. In the 2018 Mobile benchmark report by Google, the brand gamma.nl (5th in Retail) got a special note about the mobile design. (05-2016 – 04-2018 & 2019 – 2021)
- Healthyworkers (startup) – UX strategist. I help clarify their product and complex dashboard design (May 2018).
- Energiedirect.nl – Interim Senior UX designer. Responsible for the online experience. Improve and optimise conversion-flow and usability-issues. Energiedirect received the Usabilityaward (WUA! 2016) and reported a significant increase in conversion (05-2015 – 04-2016)
- ESSENT.nl – Interim Senior Interaction designer / interface designer. Responsible for the online experience. Improve and optimise conversion-flow and usability- issues (11-2014 – 04-2015)
- Inismo – Creative co-founder – UX designer.
UX design and product design, investment platform. Joined accelerator program NestGSV in Silicon Valley (2013-2015) - VGZ.nl – Interim Senior Interaction designer / interface designer. Improve and optimise conversion-flow and usability-issues, created a solid position for an interaction designer within the company in a newly structured process. (05-2013 – 08-2014)
- Independer.nl – Interim Senior Interaction designer / interface designer. Improve and optimise conversion-flow and usability-issues, coaching of junior interaction designer and guarding online corporate identity. (08-2010 – 12-2011 + 3 months in 2012 (project))
- Other clients like: VASA Sport, Mount Reachmore, Onna-Onna, Alliander, Brightway, Aartjan van Erkel, Centraal Beheer Achmea, Jungle Minds, Stroomt, 24 Sessions, TNT Express, Triodos Bank, Bedrijfslaboratorium Grond en Gewasonderzoek, VPRO, Cardif Cares, Peter Vonk, Gemeente Amsterdam, Qelp, Budgetticket bv, spotONvision, Yargon…
- Avid Cyclist (All work and no play?)
Riding bikes and writing is what brings me peace of mind, a healthy body and balanced work-life. I produced content for both online and offline media: FIETS and PEDALA magazine.