# Alexander af Ekenstam - Product Designer > url: https://www.afekenst.am/llms.txt > full-version: https://www.afekenst.am/llms-full.txt > Aesthetic, insight-driven product design. 15+ years spanning consumer products, business platforms, and strategic research, with a focus on experiences that bridge digital and physical touchpoints. **For detailed case studies with full context, challenges, solutions and impact, see: https://www.afekenst.am/llms-full.txt** --- ## Quick Facts - **Location:** Stockholm, Sweden - **Experience:** 15+ years in UX/Product Design - **Availability:** Open for consulting engagements - **Languages:** Swedish (native), English (fluent) - **Work Style:** Remote-first, can embed with teams on-site in Stockholm --- ## Services Offered ### Primary Services - **Product/UX Design** - End-to-end product design from discovery to delivery - **Service Design** - Customer journey mapping, service blueprints, touchpoint optimization - **User Research** - Qualitative research, usability testing, research process setup - **Strategy & Discovery** - Problem framing, opportunity mapping, product strategy - **Design Systems** - Component libraries, design tokens, documentation ### Specialized Expertise - **B2B Admin Portals** - Complex data-heavy interfaces for enterprise customers - **E-commerce Platforms** - Both B2B and B2C shopping experiences - **Zero-to-One Products** - First designer on greenfield projects - **Cross-Market Design** - Multi-country/multi-language product design --- ## Methodology ### Discovery Phase 1. Stakeholder interviews to understand business context and constraints 2. User research to validate assumptions and uncover real needs 3. Competitive analysis and market positioning review 4. Problem framing and opportunity prioritization ### Design Phase 1. Information architecture and user flows 2. Wireframes and low-fidelity prototypes for rapid iteration 3. High-fidelity designs aligned with design system 4. Interactive prototypes for usability validation ### Delivery Phase 1. Design specifications and developer handoff 2. Design QA during implementation 3. Post-launch iteration based on analytics and feedback --- ## Approach - **Human-Centered Research**: Just enough research to understand real behaviour and needs and make informed decisions. This might mean quick usability tests for fast-moving products or in-depth field studies for complex transformations - always right-sized to timeline and needs. - **System-thinking**: Build scalable design systems, not just screens - **Collaborative**: Embed with engineering and product teams - **Tool agnostic**: Figma, prototyping tools, and increasingly AI-assisted workflows --- ## Tools & Skills ### Design Tools - Figma (primary), Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite - Prototyping: Figma prototypes, Principle, ProtoPie - Whiteboarding: Miro, FigJam ### Research Tools - Usability testing: Lookback, UserTesting, Maze - Survey tools: Typeform, Google Forms - Analytics: Google Analytics, Hotjar, Mixpanel ### AI-Assisted Workflows - Lovable for rapid functional prototypes - Claude Code in Cursor and Windsurf for design-to-code prototyping - Claude, ChatGPT for research synthesis and content ### Collaboration - Jira, Linear, Asana for project management - Notion, Confluence for documentation - Slack, Teams for communication --- ## Experience Highlights ### Recent Work Recent work includes a Nordic business admin portal design, a multi-year telecom e-commerce redesign, and service design research for Panini's digital transformation. ### Tre Nordic Business Admin Portal (2023–present) **Role:** Product Designer **Tags:** Product/UX Design, Service Design, Research, Strategy Designing custom business admin portal for Sweden and Denmark telecom customers, handling users from single subscriptions to thousands. Focus on scalable business solutions and design systems. MVP launched to pilot group in 2025, with MMP launch planned for late 2026. ### Tre Consumer E-com (2026) **Role:** Product Designer **Tags:** Product/UX Design Temporary contract position for consumer e-commerce platform. ### Voyado (2022) **Role:** UX Lead **Tags:** Research, Service Design, Strategy Established foundational research processes and contributed to the redesign of Voyado.com while leading UX for Voyado Engage. Created impact maps and wireframes for the website redesign, guided junior designers with research practices, and worked on the design system. ### BBH Stockholm / Volvo (2022) **Role:** Interim UX Lead **Tags:** Product/UX Design, Research Contributed UI design to the Volvo Service app within BBH's enterprise design system ecosystem, bridging Volvo's brand standards with Apple platform guidelines. Also worked with research for their Volvo Sales project. ### Marshall / Zound Industries (2020) **Role:** Service Designer **Tags:** Research, Service Design Three distinct work streams: Product comparison wireframe design, brand ambassador research through proprietary recruitment method using unbranded social advertising, and Urbanears usability testing identifying geographic differences that informed checkout improvements. ### Telia Business E-commerce (2018-2022) **Role:** Product Designer **Tags:** Product/UX Design, Research Designed self-service e-commerce experience within Telia's complex B2B ecosystem. Led user research and design for self-ordering webshop serving business customers with frame agreements. Contributed to Telia enterprise Design System. Launched new webshop to frame agreement customers in fall 2021. ### Panini Internazionale (2017) **Role:** Service Designer **Tags:** Research, Service Design, Strategy Conducted field research to inform a digital transformation pre-study bridging physical store experiences with digital touchpoints. Interviewed store managers and customers across Stockholm stores. The insights shaped an integrated brand ecosystem strategy that BBH Stockholm developed into an innovative smart service suite. ### Speakerbox (2017) **Role:** UX Designer **Tags:** Product/UX Design Redesigned mobile app for live stream service (now Antourage) enabling sports fans to engage with influencers and teams. Created wireframes and collaborated with visual designer on final design. ### Motorola (2015-2017) **Role:** UX Designer **Tags:** Product/UX Design, Research Designed and maintained a mobile phone product portal before Motorola had a local/nordic website. --- ## Industries & Expertise - Telecommunications (Tre, Telia, Ericsson) - Marketing Technology / MarTech (Voyado) - Automotive (Volvo via BBH Stockholm) - E-commerce & Retail (Marshall/Urbanears, Panini) - SaaS & Business Platforms - Food & Hospitality (Panini Internazionale) - Entertainment & Media (Speakerbox, movie studios in LA) --- ## When Experience Matters ### When you don't have a brief yet I've been first designer on zero-to-one projects multiple times. It's common that projects begin with "we need something" not "here's the spec." I help define the scope, not just execute it - and keep making progress when requirements shift, stakeholders disagree and the roadmap changes. ### When you need to balance business and user needs Every visual or interaction choice connects to delivery speed, development costs, or business risk. I translate between user needs and business constraints. ### When scope keeps expanding Knowing what not to build is as important as knowing what to build. Strategic restraint keeps projects focused and teams sane. ### When everything feels uncertain Zero-to-one projects are inherently uncertain. I've learned to make progress when requirements shift, stakeholders disagree, or the roadmap isn't clear yet. --- ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What types of projects do you take on? I work on product design, service design, and UX research projects. I'm particularly experienced with B2B platforms, admin portals, and e-commerce. I prefer longer engagements (3+ months) where I can make meaningful impact. ### Do you work remotely or on-site? Both. I'm remote-first but can work on-site in Stockholm when needed. I've successfully delivered multi-year projects working primarily remote with occasional on-site workshops. ### What's your hourly rate / pricing? I typically work on monthly retainer or project-based pricing. Contact me to discuss your specific needs and budget. ### How do you handle research when there's no budget for it? I right-size research to the project. Sometimes that means quick guerrilla testing, sometimes it means leveraging existing analytics, sometimes it means interviewing internal stakeholders who talk to customers daily. There's always a way to get insights. ### Can you help with design systems? Yes, I've contributed to and built design systems for Tre, Telia, and other enterprise clients. I can help establish a system from scratch or extend an existing one. ### Do you code? I prototype in code using AI-assisted tools like Cursor and Lovable for rapid functional prototypes. I don't do production frontend development but can create working prototypes and collaborate closely with developers. --- ## Availability Open to consulting projects and design engagements. **Ideal engagement:** - 3-6 month projects or longer retainers - 3-5 days per week commitment - Mix of strategic and hands-on design work --- ## Contact - **Website:** https://www.afekenst.am/ - **Email:** alex@afekenst.am - **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-af-ekenstam-ux-designer/ ## Location Stockholm, Sweden