Start with the problem and the goal
I figure out whose pain we’re solving, what matters to the business, and which metrics will tell us it worked. When there’s no brief, I define the problem together with the CEO and the product manager
[Ekaterina Lukoyanova, Senior Product Designer, 6 years of experience]
Work
Selected work
An interface stuck in the 2010s
We rebuilt the Dolphin{Anty} interface from scratch on shadcn/ui, with light and dark themes. The core screens shipped in two weeks, with Claude connected directly to the frontend
Read case study
Hundreds of profiles, zero repeat setup
Templates: configure settings once, then create profiles from them in a single click
Read case study
A design system AI understands
Figma tokens, code, and Claude speak the same language. Designers fix drift from the system themselves in minutes
Read case study
Approach
How I work
Six principles I apply to every project, from understanding the problem to checking the result in the product
Research before mockups
I talk to users, watch how they work today, and study how competitors solve the same problem. Decisions rest on what I’ve learned, not on taste
Test hypotheses with prototypes
I show an interactive prototype to the same people and iterate before development. That’s how templates moved from the navigation to the Create Profile button, where users actually look for them
Design the whole flow
Not just the happy path, but errors, empty states, roles, permissions, and plan limits. Engineering gets a flow with no blind spots
Build systems, not screens
Colors, sizes, and states live in design system tokens. New screens and both themes are built from the same parts and stay in sync with the code
Carry it through to the product
I write clear specs, discuss decisions with engineers, and make visual fixes in the frontend myself with Claude Code. After release, I check how it works for real users
Skills
What I do
The skills I use every day in product work, each backed by real case studies
Key strength
AI in the design workflow
I work in the product repo alongside Claude Code. Figma is connected via MCP, and the project rules live in CLAUDE.md. I ship visual changes to the frontend myself instead of waiting on engineering
Hard skills
- 01
End-to-end ownership
I take a problem from discovery and user interviews through release and post-launch validation
- 02
Complex interfaces
Tables with hundreds of rows, filters, roles and permissions, plan limits, settings
- 03
Information architecture
I decide where a feature should live and how people get to it. Example: templates moved from the side navigation to the profile creation button
- 04
Design systems
Five layers of tokens, around 670 variables, light and dark themes, components in every state. We started moving the documentation to Storybook
- 05
User research
User interviews and prototype testing with the same participants
- 06
Advanced Figma
Variables and modes, components, auto layout, interactive prototypes
- 07
CSS
I know CSS well and understand HTML, so I edit styles in the frontend myself and speak the same language as engineers
- 08
Accessibility
I check contrast and component states so the interface works well for everyone
Soft skills
- 01
Product thinking
I can drive a project without a product manager. The redesign started with a conversation with the CEO, not a ready-made spec
- 02
Comfortable with ambiguity
When something isn’t clear, I pause and go talk to users instead of designing on guesswork
- 03
Decisions backed by evidence
I rely on interviews and prototypes, not personal taste
- 04
Strong partnership with engineering
I work closely with developers: I push back when it matters and listen to their reasoning
- 05
Cross-functional collaboration
CEO, product, engineering, art director, users
- 06
Mentoring
I mentored a junior designer on the team and run design system workshops at Akadem City
- 07
Clear written communication
I’ve worked remotely since 2020, so I write clear specs, descriptions, and comments
- 08
Curious and self-driven
I figured out on my own how to connect Claude to the codebase and Figma, then rolled it out across the team
About
Ekaterina Lukoyanova
Senior product designer
I design complex web interfaces people use all day: tables, roles, settings, hundreds of objects on a single screen. I own the work end to end, from interviews and user flows to mockups, specs, and checking the result in production.
In my products I built a design system connected to code and worked in the repo alongside Claude Code. I mentored a junior designer and run design system workshops.
- Location
- Remote
- Focus
- Web interfaces, design systems, AI in the workflow
- Languages
- Russian, 中文, English, Español
Experience
Where I’ve worked
-
2023 — October 2026
Dolphin{Anty}
Senior product designer
A browser for teams that manage hundreds of accounts. Led the redesign of the entire interface, shipped new features from interviews to release, built an AI-ready design system with Storybook, and mentored a junior designer
-
2023
Research Institute of Continuing and Vocational Education
UI/UX designer
UX audit and recommendations, a prototype of the new interface and support during rollout, design system maintenance, design reviews, and adapting layouts to Bootstrap
-
2020 — 2022
CallKeeper
UX/UI designer
Callback widgets, chat, and the customer dashboard. Research, JTBD-based user flows, estimating the business value of tasks, icons and banners, and widget CSS together with the frontend team
Education
- Master’s degreeRSUH, International Relations
- Study abroadA year in Beijing, 北京语言大学
- Bachelor’s degreeRSUH, Regional Studies: China
Languages
- 中文Chinese · HSK 4
- EnglishEnglish · B1
- EspañolSpanish · A2