I'm Erik, a UX Lead and Product Manager from Berlin and specialized in growth-driven, multilingual, and evolutionary product design. I find and solve problems.

Short Facts

• My work is used by 100m+ satisfied users in over 120 countries.
• An e-commerce app in my responsibility had 1m+ downloads with a 4.9 ⭐ rating.
• I strive for a balance between happy users, profitability, and technical advantage.
• I work in multidisciplinary, stationary, and remote teams with developers, designers, and data scientists.

Fields of Expertise

• Conversational Design
• SaaS
• Product Management
• Evolutionary Design
• Iterative Product Development
• E-Commerce
• Problem Analysis
• User Research
• Input Form Optimizations
• UX Copywriting
• Product Strategy
• Multilingual Applications
• Apps for Android and iOS
• Responsive and mobile Websites
• Ideation and Innovation
• Microinteractions
• Typography

Professional Life in a Nutshell

As a teenager, I started working at a small company called Multimedia Studio Rolf-Dieter Klein in Munich as a screen designer. After that, I studied communication design at HfG Schwäbisch Gmünd and the University of Arts in Berlin. Still in Berlin, I took on a couple of smaller jobs and eventually started a career at TBWA, a huge creative disruption agency.

I managed to transform myself into a UX expert and moved on to a well-paying but crappy job, before eventually landing a great gig at Thomann – one of Germany's top e-commerce players. With them, I had the opportunity to achieve some amazing things, like building a design team, a product management team, and implementing thousands of tiny and large improvements.

After my time at Thomann, I leaped into the world of freelance UX work, where I now serve clients in various areas, including e-commerce, SaaS, startups, and yes, even Thomann.

My Strenghts and Weaknesses

Exclusively for you I took the self-analysis tool on 16Personalities and was as honest as possible with the answers. Some of them were honestly tough to answer.

Overall

I am an assertive logistican with mild tendencies towards being observant, thinking, judging, and a tiny bit of introvercy.

My Strenghts as a Logistician

Being honest, direct, strong-willed, dutiful, very responsible, calm, practical, order creating/enforcing, and jacks-of-all-trades.

My Weaknesses as a Logistician

Being stubborn, insensitive, always-by-the-book, and judgemental.

Sing Along

I want your soul, I will eat your soul. I want your soul, I will eat your soul. I want your soul, I will eat your soul. I want your soul, I will eat your soul. Come to daddy. Come to daddy. Come to daddy. Come to daddy. Come to daddy. Come to daddy. Come to daddy. Come to daddy. I want your soul, I want your soul, I want your soul, Aargh.

Richard D. James, 1997

How Aphex Twin Implemented Patterns and Programming into Music

Richard D. James, better known by his stage name Aphex Twin, is a British electronic musician and composer known for his innovative use of programming and patterns in his work. James next to other electronic artists is considered one of the most important and influential electronic musicians of all time, and his music continues to inspire and influence artists to this day.

One of James' earliest breakthroughs was his use of the Roland TB-303, a synthesizer often used in acid house which is a sub-genre of house and electronic music. James manipulated the instrument's programming to create complex and intricate patterns that were far beyond what had been heard in the genre before. This was the beginning of James' fascination with programming, and his music would continue to explore the possibilities of algorithmic composition and generative music.

Another hallmark of James' music is his use of patterns. His tracks often feature complex and intricate rhythms, with multiple layers of percussion and melody interweaving to create a dense and hypnotic sound. James' use of patterns is not just limited to rhythm, however. He has also been known to use patterns in melody and harmony, creating intricate and otherworldly soundscapes.

James' interest in programming and patterns is not just limited to his music, either. He has also created his own software, such as the program Max/MSP, which allows users to create and manipulate their own audio and video signals in real time. James' software has been used by a number of other musicians and artists, and has become a tool for experimentation and exploration in the world of electronic music and art.

In addition to his use of programming and patterns, James is also known for his innovative use of sound design. His tracks often feature unconventional sounds and textures, created through a combination of synthesis, sampling, and manipulation. James' attention to detail and experimentation has helped to push the boundaries of what is possible in electronic music, and his work continues to inspire new generations of musicians and producers.

In conclusion, Richard D. James' use of programming and patterns has made a significant impact on the world of electronic music. His innovative approach to algorithmic composition and sound design has helped to push the boundaries of what is possible in music, and his work continues to influence and inspire artists to this day. James' legacy as a pioneer of programming and patterns in music is sure to endure for years to come.

A Few Examples of Other Musicians Using Programmatic Patterns

1. Autechre, a British electronic music duo, are known for their use of algorithmic and generative music techniques in their music. They have developed their own software, called Max/MSP patches, to create intricate and constantly evolving patterns.
2. Carsten Nicolai, better known by his stage name Alva Noto, is a German electronic music artist who frequently uses programmatic patterns in his music. His work often involves the use of complex mathematical algorithms to generate patterns and rhythms.
3. Squarepusher or Tom Jenkinson is a British electronic music artist who often uses programmatic patterns in his music. He is known for his use of complex rhythms and intricate melodies that are often generated using algorithmic techniques.
4. Boards of Canada, a Scottish electronic music duo, are known for their use of ambient textures and complex rhythmic patterns that are often generated using algorithmic techniques. Their music often evokes a sense of nostalgia and has been described as "hauntological" in nature.

Tiny Website Experiment

A visualization of your browser's viewport height in comparison to all other vistors of the website iamthefold.com.

The Fold: Its Impact on User Experience, Conversions, and SEO

"The fold" refers to the area of a webpage that is visible to the user without the need for scrolling. Historically, the fold has been a crucial consideration in web design, as it can have a significant impact on user experience, conversions, and SEO.

User Experience (UX)

The fold can greatly impact a user's experience on a webpage. It is the first thing a user sees when they land on a page, and it sets their expectations for what they can expect to find. The placement of key content, such as headlines, calls to action, and important images above the fold can greatly improve user engagement and satisfaction. Users are more likely to stay on a page longer and explore further if they are immediately presented with content that is relevant to their needs or interests.

Conversions

The fold can also have a significant impact on conversions, which is the primary goal of many websites. If important conversion elements, such as a sign-up form or a purchase button, are placed below the fold, users may not see them and be less likely to convert. Placing conversion elements above the fold can greatly increase the likelihood of a user taking the desired action. This is why many websites place their most important content and calls to action above the fold to increase the chances of a conversion.

SEO

The fold also plays a role in search engine optimization (SEO). Google's algorithms place more weight on content that is visible above the fold, as it assumes that this content is more important and relevant to the user's search query. As a result, having important keywords, headlines, and other SEO elements above the fold can help a website rank higher in search engine results pages. However, it's important to note that Google's algorithms are complex, and many other factors can impact a website's search ranking.

In recent years, the rise of mobile devices has complicated the concept of the fold, as different devices have different screen sizes and resolutions. However, the importance of placing key content above the initial viewport still remains, as it can greatly impact user experience, conversions, and SEO.

The Conclusion

The fold has been an important consideration in web design for many years, and its impact on user experience, conversions, and SEO cannot be ignored. By placing key content and calls to action above the fold, websites can greatly improve their chances of success. While the concept of the fold may continue to evolve as technology advances, its importance in web design is likely to remain a key consideration for years to come.

Patterns in UX

User experience (UX) patterns are a set of design solutions that address recurring user needs or problems. These patterns, also known as design patterns, are widely used in various fields, including web and app development, to improve user experience and increase user satisfaction. UX patterns help designers create efficient and effective user interfaces by providing a tried and tested framework for solving common design challenges.

One of the most well-known UX pattern is the Hamburger menu, a three-line icon used to indicate a hidden menu. The Hamburger menu is used to conserve screen space, especially on smaller screens, and is now a common element in mobile app design. Another popular UX pattern is the Card layout, which organizes information into bite-sized chunks for easy consumption. Card layouts are used in a variety of contexts, from news websites to e-commerce platforms, and are particularly effective for mobile interfaces.

In addition to these well-established patterns, designers can also create custom UX patterns to meet specific user needs. For example, the "Swipe to Refresh" pattern, first introduced by Google in their Gmail app, allows users to update the contents of a page or screen with a simple swipe gesture. This pattern has since been adopted by many other apps and has become a widely recognized way of refreshing content.

UX patterns can also be used in combination to create more complex and sophisticated user interfaces. For example, the "Wizard" pattern guides users through a series of steps to complete a complex task. The Wizard pattern often combines the "Step Progress" pattern, which provides users with a clear indication of where they are in the process, and the "Tooltip" pattern, which offers helpful hints and guidance.

In conclusion, UX patterns are an essential tool for designers looking to create user-centered and effective interfaces. By incorporating established patterns and customizing them to meet specific user needs, designers can create interfaces that are both intuitive and efficient. Whether working on a website, mobile app, or other digital product, designers should always consider the potential of UX patterns as a powerful tool for creating engaging and effective user experiences.

Patterns in a Broader Context

The Challenge

Dario from Coding Pioneers approached me with a project on one of Germany's hidden champions: Reinhold Keller. They do world-class interior and construction for corporations like Hilton, Dunkin Donuts, and John Reed. Despite an extremely tight budget I had to come up with some nifty deliverables for the engineers from Coding Pioneers and the in-house design department of Reinhold Keller could benefit from while developing an iteration of their landing pages and recruitment platform.

Content Analysis

I asked for a list of all URLs to analyze the content. Based on those URLs I dissected the website in template types and modules like content scrollers, downloads, footer, and such. Those insights were transformed into a good old sitemap. The two takeaways from that analysis were many dead-end user paths and the number of modules. Those problems lead to high bounce rates and a significant complexity in the code base. In a simpler language: users leave the page and it's expensive to maintain.

Map with Benefits

Based on the new insights from the content analysis I came up with a sitemap that improved the lives of different individuals (and objects):

1. Modules were now recyclable and used on different templates. That's a simplification of an engineer's life.
2. Crosslinking between sections and follow-up content at the end of pages invites B2B users and job seekers to spend more time on the page. This is a benefit for the marketing person, HR, and users.
3. PDF downloads and such were replaced with digital-only content. Truly a relief for trees and printers. And a benefit for mobile users.

Bernadette – the founder of Neustarter and Loopings – asked me if I want to collaborate on creating a rebranded relaunch of their previous platform Neustarter. And guess what: I said yes.

As a result we created Loopings.ch which empowers an audience with a 50+ age and their employers in all aspects of career and personal development. They provide workshops, a service directory, a magazine, learning models, podcasts and so much more.

Challenge: An Appealing Site and Content Architecture

Bernadatte and her team had a pretty good idea what types of content and categories should be placed on the new platform. But they were not yet sure about naming, structure and priorities.

So I started creating a super rough Figma clickdummy and a sitemap. With the help of this clickdummy and a variety of workshops including stakeholders and potential users we could narrow down everything to a neat information architecture.

After everyone involved was satisfied copywriters and visual designers could start with their part of the deal.

Automated Language Routing

It was mandatory that the platform should handle the three major language groups of Switzerland. German, French and Italian. Luckily I was involved in internationalization projects before so it was easy to come up with a variety of strategies how to handle languages and automatic redirections.

Branded UX for an Elderly Audience

It was lot’s of fun collaborating with the team in the branding and design process. Luckily we did not create an experience that make people feel old or impaired. The visual design (from Jacob@TPWD) was a modern brutalistic approach you’d not expect from a platform like this. The majority of my feedback regarding readability, color contrast, font sizes and such was appreciated and implemented. Nothing beats team spirit I guess.

Final Thoughts

I definitely enjoyed working with the team. I suggest everyone who came this far to follow them on LinkedIn or any other of their inspiring channels. We all age and maybe we’d appreciate to participate in one of their workshops to pivot our careers one day.

I'd be happy to talk about digital product, branding, mobile apps, typography, e-commerce, specialty coffee, travelling, nomad lifestyle, multilingual interfaces, chatbots, digital subculture, marketing and beyond. Feel free to write on LinkedIn or use the message form below.

Small Talk Topics

1. A digital product is any product that is created or delivered digitally, such as software, e-books, or music.
2. Rescue dogs are dogs that have been abandoned, neglected, or surrendered by their previous owners and are in need of a new home and care.
3. Electronic music refers to music that is created using electronic instruments, such as synthesizers or drum machines, and often relies heavily on computer-based production techniques.
4. Branding is the process of creating a unique name, design, or image that identifies and differentiates a product, service, or company from others in the marketplace.
5. Mobile apps are software applications that are designed to run on mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets.
6. Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable, and appealing when displayed.
7. E-commerce refers to the buying and selling of goods or services online, typically through a website or mobile app.
8. Specialty coffee refers to high-quality coffee beans that are roasted and brewed with a focus on flavor, aroma, and complexity.
9. Traveling involves going to different places, often for the purpose of experiencing new cultures, landscapes, or activities.
10. The nomad lifestyle means living a location-independent lifestyle, often traveling and working remotely while embracing a minimalist and self-sufficient lifestyle.
11. Multilingual interfaces are user interfaces that support multiple languages, allowing users to interact with software or websites in their native language.
12. Chatbots are computer programs designed to simulate conversation with human users, often used for customer support or sales purposes.
13. Digital subculture refers to online communities that form around shared interests, such as gaming, fandom, or niche hobbies.
14. Marketing refers to the process of promoting, advertising, and selling products or services, often through digital channels such as social media or email.

Context

The guys from Wizoo Publishing wanted to create an information portal for pianists. The name pianoo.de was already defined and a ton of ideas were available.

Problem

The development budget for this project was limited and Wizoo was unsure about what topics and services would matter most for people playing and learning piano, keyboard and synthesizer. Instead of sending the writers in a random direction they wanted a clear path for a successful launch of the site.

Preparation

I offered to do user research and facilitate an ideation workshop which Ralf from Wizoo happily accepted. So my team and I did following:

1. Started documenting everything within Confluence.
2. Gathered insights with field interviews.
3. Collaborated with a SEO company to learn about popular topics.
4. Handcrafted a workshop format based on design thinking.
5. Invited workshop participants from various backgrounds including a pianist, dev and writer.
6. Bought a bunch of material from Modulor (awesome shop BTW) to have enough paper, stickers, glue and colors.
7. Prepared a room with the sorted insights from the previous research.

The Workshop

Split in two groups many ideas were created and scribbled. Those were then thrown on the wall and quickly sorted into different topics like learning or buying. The participants voted for the desirability, technical feasibility and viability.

The Results

1. One of the top 3 ideas was implemented as a service tool within Pianoo.de.
2. The learnings from user research went straight into the sitemap and information architecture of Pianoo.de.
3. The designer gathered knowledge and built empathy for the audience and used that for creating a custom tailored UX.

Thomann is an online retailer specialized for musical equipment serving millions of customers each year. I started working there in 2013 as a remote freelancer building a remote team of designers and product owners.

Core Problems

• Rising number of mobile users had no mobile optimized shop.
• An app was demanded through various feedback channels by hardcore users.
• A very small dev and design team gave only limited possibilities for improvements.
• No documentation or design system was available.

Solutions

As all of the mentioned problems above are connected I provided a couple of measures to find a permanent solution. I do not claim ownership for the technical aspects. Pretty much everything else was in my responsibility:

1. Research to provide a solid base for a product roadmap.
2. Product roadmap to have a shared vision within the teams. This evolved from handwritten notes over a Jira pipeline to a custom-tailored Kanban board.
3. Recruitment of a UX team and product owners.
4. Launch of a responsive mobile website.
5. Launch of an iOS and Android app.
6. Transformation of the desktop website to a responsive website.
7. Iterative improvements from 2013 until 2019 of all the things mentioned above.

Iterations of the Mobile Website's Home Screen

A. The menu icon was modified in color, dimension, and outline based on the results of a multivariate test in VWO.

B. Main USPs were visualized with badge icons in mobile and desktop. Hundreds of scribbles and style variations were tested until this finalized and size optimized version.

C. The media gallery consumed too much vertical space. It's size was reduced to show additional content above the fold.

D. The search field was moved towards the user's thumbs for for easier accessibility.

Tremendously Positive Feedback From Users

Thomann App Stats 2019

User Quotes

I should never have installed the Thomann-app. You also sometimes lie in bed and then suddenly bought a new microphone, right? RIGHT? – Daniel Wallace via Twitter

Complete success on the Thomann app icon. Brutal!!! Its up to eleven!!! – MilFuegos via Twitter

Very slick, professional and easy to use App. – Ricey81 via iOS AppStore

Love this app i just buy too much music gear now – Wayne via Google Play

The app is perfectly laid out and easy to navigate and Thomann’s service is second to none. Like many Brits I don’t want to leave the EU and I will be devastated if Brexit affects my Thomann experience. – Mart via iOS AppStore

Really easy to use – Jesse via Google Play

Image Copyrights

Hero Image by Amin Hasani
Screenshots & Designs by Thomann

I was responsible for the responsive redesign of the entire online shop Thomann.de including mobile and app for iOS/Android. In this article, I show a tiny extract of solved problems in the header area of the desktop shop.

Context and General Conditions

• The header consists of elements such as logo, search, USP, main categories, customer center, and wish list.
• All customizations must work in 16 different languages.
• Changes to the header have to be made with great care. They have a huge impact on the perception of the brand. Adjustments are visible at the most prominent point within the entire browsing and selling process.
• Careless changes can cause a loss of existing customers.
• The desktop shop covers devices from small tablets (e.g. iPad Mini) to large screens. It is used by users with PCs, laptops, phablets, and tablets.
• For technical reasons, a full-responsive solution is excluded. However, this restriction is unproblematic from the customer's perspective, as a mobile-optimized site for small displays is delivered.
• Vertical space is particularly valuable in e-commerce. The header pushes important content such as product pages down. This can lead to page exits.

Rough Overview of Various Problems

1. No visual highlighting of conversion-relevant elements such as shopping cart or wish list.
2. Categories are hidden behind a tab "weitere..." (German for "more...") to save space.
3. The logo appears unstable and the branding suffers from missing typographic white space.
4. No option to flexibly choose the country of delivery, language, and currency.
5. No reference to the customer center.
6. Missing references to guarantees and shipping conditions.
7. High space demand of the search feature with an unfavorable small input form.
8. Dozens of others that would go beyond the scope of this page. :)

The Solution

In the following subsections, the process from thesis to technical implementation is described. For this purpose, I choose point 2 from the list above.

Thesis and Causes

Because not all categories are directly visible in the header, we do not show the entire product range to the user. That's why there are fewer additional sales within these categories.

This thesis arises from my observation of Thomann's shop and the competition. To find out if the statement is true or false it should be checked later. For this purpose it's helpful to identify possible causes:

1. Three categories (cases, cables & accessories) are hidden behind the tab element "weitere..." (German for "more...").
2. The browser width is narrower than the screen width for some users. For example, when two browser windows are positioned side by side.
3. More categories are hidden in other languages like Finnish.

Thesis Verification

Do we have a problem? These steps have been taken for verification:

1. The measurement is based on this hypothetical cause: The browser width is narrower than the screen width for some users.
2. The "Noten" (German for "Sheet Music") tab is selected for a quick comparison.
3. Within Google Analytics I check whether users with browser widths below 790 px click "Noten" less frequently.
4. Comparing whether the visibility of the tab "Noten" has a direct impact on sales.
5. Points 3 and 4 are true: we have a significant hit.

Therefore I decided to develop solutions to the problem to improve it sustainably.

Solutions

In the years 2013–2019 hundreds of scribbles, wireframes, final artwork, and dynamic prototypes will be created.

Now the creative phase begins. What can be done to contain the problem while keeping the basic conditions mentioned before? The solutions have been defined over several project phases in wireframes, visual designs, prototypes, and also Jira tickets. In retrospect, it's very clear which decisions contribute to the solution of the problem:

1. A narrow running font needs less horizontal space.
2. Just text requires far less space than a tab element.
3. The categories are given the full width of the page, meaning a complete line. This costs space but improves cross-selling in the previously hidden categories
4. The "Home" tab is removed. It's redundant to the click on the logo.
5. Dynamic width through a responsive design. Font sizes and elements adapt freely. The most important elements are always visible. Categories are only hidden on the right in very narrow views.
6. The tab element "weitere..." (German for "more") costs a lot of horizontal real-estate and is replaced by a > icon.

Implementation and success measurement

Screenshot of the Online Store

The solutions mentioned above have all been implemented alongside hundreds of others. This happens step by step and building on each other iteratively. This minimizes the risk of confusing or losing customers and risking a drop in sales. When changing the font, users with older browsers were kept in mind who have problems displaying web fonts. The impact on sales conversions is generally important. Micro-conversions such as simply clicking on a category are secondary. The bottom line is that sales and clicks on the categories that are now visible have increased.

Future Outlook

Elements such as categories and subcategories take up a lot of space. This space is always limited and should be used as efficiently as possible. I am proposing a follow-up thesis:

The user is not provided with the most relevant categories within the header element.

Personalization of the order or visual prioritization could help here:

• Perhaps other categories are more popular in third countries (China, Switzerland, USA) than in the core markets (EU).
• You know the favorite categories of registered customers and could put them in the foreground.
• If a user is on a product page (e.g. a specific guitar), cables and cases may be more important than drums in this context.
• Maybe there are situations in which you can completely hide the categories because they are never accessed by users.

Family-owned company Thomann is one of Germany's hidden champions as an e-commerce pioneer. It was founded in 1954 and from 1996 accessible online. They supply millions of musicians worldwide.

My Role

I supported Thomann from 2013–2019 as Head of UX and was part of the e-Commerce Management Team. I contributed to the areas of product design, UX strategy, innovation, conception, design management, service design, and agile transformation. There was a close collaboration with a variety of departments, subsidiaries, and external suppliers for software development, customer service, IT, marketing, SEO, content, logistics, and law.

Milestones

• Built and coached a remote UX team.
• Implemented thousands of iterative improvements to the online store.
• Transformed a static desktop website into a responsive web experience.
• Product development of a shopping app with more than 2 million downloads for iOS and Android, with a 4.9 stars customer review score.
• Created the mobile appearance from the ground up.
• Improvement of the international customer experience. This includes the establishment of international proofreading, multilingual concepts, culturally localized adjustments for 13 languages, and 100+ countries.
• Implemented monetization for free services like the classifieds ads.
• Establishment of user research and the transfer of knowledge into product development.
• Service design in the area of return processes in collaboration with the department for returns management.
• Service design for an optimized CX and internal logistics of gift vouchers.

Besides my trusty physical sketchbook, I use lots of different tools and digital services throughout the years. The elements who are ranked on top are used more often or I just like them more. I love tools, I really enjoy trying new ones, and updating them is for some reason a mood lifting ritual.

Concept, Design, and Prototyping

Figma

It replaced a lot of tools I used in the past. RIP 🪦 Omnigraffle, Sketch, Illustrator, and such. I love fiddling with component and rapid prototyping. I am still processing the takeover from Adobe and not the biggest fan of the move.

Miro

Using it mainly for some sitemaps and userflow diagrams. I prefer it over tools like Mural because of personal taste.

Pixelmator Pro

I ditched Photosshop for this tool because it has a slicker UI and I prefer one time payments over subscriptions whenever possible.

User Research

RapidUsertest

Due to their German tester panel and personal support I'm in favor of this tool especially for German projects.

VWO

Simple to use for AB-Testing, multivariate testing, and heatmaps. Possible to handle it with a small team in contrary to Optimizely.

Tally.so

For survey forms I worked with Google Forms or Typeform but the Notion style UI is just my thing. And you can do a lot with the free version.

Trymata

Formerly known as TryMyUI is a great tool for remote user testing.

Google Analytics

For quantitative analysis a everygreen that never seems to dry out. Even though I prefer open source and privacy focussed solutions like Umami for personal projects.

Documentation and Writing

Notion

It's like a Swiss Army knife and use it for pretty much every aspect in my personal and professional life. It replaced Confluence, Google Spreadsheets, Google Docs and many other tools. They just released an AI copywriting helper.

ChatGPT & Bing Chat

It does a lot of great things and I don't have to teach anyone about the potential I guess. I use it for this and that but also for stupid fun projects.

Google Docs

If I have to write a formal letter, like cancel a fraudy subscription, I dig out good ol' Google Docs. I always liked it over MS Word or OpenOffice.

Other Tools

Kanban

In terms of project management and productivity I worked with a couple of tools like Asana, Jira, Trello, Notion, Basecamp and such. I don't care to much about the tools itself but I love the principle of Kanban.

Coding, Tech & SEO

Even though I am not a coder but I love to fiddle around with Visual Studio Code, GitHub, GitHub Actions, iTerm2, Homebrew, my Linux VPS, Cloudron, Ghost CMS, Ubersuggest or Processing.

Communication and Collaboration

Depending on client's and projects I am jumping between Zoom, Slack, Mattermost, FigJam, MS Teams, and whatever comes up. To be fully honest: I am not in deep love with any of those tools. 🤷‍♂️

Social Media

My yay list would be Reddit and TikTok. Not sure why exactly I still have my Facebook account. And also Insta does not feel the freshest any more. You feel the same?

• Identify problems to create sustainable solutions.
• Never bullshit others.
• Always start rough and refine later.
• Favour balance over a perfect single aspect.
• Iterate fast at low risk areas.
• Buddy up with developers.
• Grow mutual understanding by looking beyond core responsibilities and collaboration.
• Engage and empathize directly with users to gather first-hand vibes and feedback.
• Always deliver something useful.
• Prevent jargon.

Organizational Methodologies

1. Kanban for personal use and teams.
2. Transparent documentation starting from the beginning.
3. Use but not overuse various rituals and methods.

Examples for Two Design Processes I Successfully Used in the Past

Option A: Quick and Dirty

This can be less than half an hour from 1 to 4 if a company is flexible enough.

1. See UX bug
2. Write ToDo containing a fix for Dev
3. Assign Task to Dev
4. No review necessary because I believe in everybody's sense of responsibility

Option B: Comprehensive Production Circle

For long-term projects like the creation of a new app.

1. Inspiration
   I either work self-motivated, directed by a client's brief, by a team decision or based on user feedback.
2. Understanding the problem
   I use various tools and methodologies within the fields of UX Audits, user research, product analysis and market review.
3. Creative Phase
   Ideation ➔ Concept ➔ Hi-fidelity concept ➔ Prototype
4. Production
   Task definition ➔ Supervised development ➔ Release
5. Iterate

Inspiration Sources I Use and Recommend

• Product Hunt
• r/UXDesign
• Vincent
• IDEO
• Collect UI

Projects I consider relevant are highlighted in bold. I did not work for Supreme, though – it was meant as a clickbait kinda joke. Maybe I'm the only one laughing.

List of Brands

• Acadias.de
• Absolut Vodka
• Adidas
• Allianz
• Ama Mind
• Amnesty International
• Bayerischer Rundfunk
• Chio
• De:Bug Magazine
• Disney Cruise Lines
• Eduki (Lehrermarktplatz)
• Femtasy
• Fiat
• Henkel
• Jack Wolfskin
• Kraft Foods
• Loopings.ch
• Mars
• McCafé
• McDonald's
• Müllermilch
• Pearl
• Pets Deli
• Reinhold Keller
• Roche
• Schwarzkopf
• Siemens
• Simplicol
• Sky
• StudyCheck
• Thomann
• Volkswagen

Industry Sectors and Verticals

• Apparel and accessories: The design, manufacturing, and marketing of clothing and fashion accessories, such as sports apparel and outdoor gear.
• Insurance and financial services: The provision of insurance and other financial services, such as investment and asset management.
• Non-governmental and non-profit: The promotion of education, human rights and advocacy for social justice.
• Public broadcasting: The production and dissemination of news, entertainment, and educational content through public broadcast channels.
• Snack foods: The production and marketing of snack foods, such as chips and other packaged snacks, by Chio.
• Cruise line: The operation of cruise ships and related activities, such as on-board entertainment and excursions.
• Education: marketplaces for educational material and a comparison platform for students and educational institutions.
• Audio erotica platform: a platform for the creation and distribution of audio erotica.
• Automotive manufacturing: The design and production of vehicles and related components, such as cars and trucks..
• Consumer goods: The production and marketing of consumer goods, including personal care and home care products, by Henkel.
• Food and beverage manufacturing: The production and marketing of food and beverage products, such as candy, dairy products, alcohol and coffee.
• Furniture and Construction: Interior fittings, furniture, interiors, general contracting to to ensure high quality and timely execution.
• Pharmaceutical and diagnostics: Development and production of pharmaceuticals and diagnostic equipment for healthcare applications.
• Cosmetics and Textile: Products for hair and textile care.
• Industrial conglomerate cooperation: Involvement in a range of industrial applications, including energy and healthcare.
• Streaming service: Providing satellite television and streaming services to subscribers.
• Online retail: Providing an online platform for comparing and selling of a multitude of products.
• Music & Technology magazines: The coverage of music and technology trends and news, as well as the intersection of these fields.