# 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 across digital products, services, and platforms, 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 - **Self-Service Platforms** - 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 - **Design Tools & Utilities** - Building focused tools for designers and developers --- ## 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 spans large-scale self-service platforms, telecom e-commerce, design tools, and service design research supporting digital transformation in consumer-facing brands. ### Meshmallow (2025) **Role:** Product & UX Designer **Tags:** Product & UX A standalone tool for generating, controlling, and reusing mellow, animated gradients without writing shader code. Three modes (Mesh, Warp, Particles) share a unified interface for color, motion, and export. Built with React and three.js. Live at meshmallow.com. ### Tre Self-service Platform (2023–present) **Role:** Product & UX Designer **Tags:** Product & UX, Service Design, Research, Strategy First designer on a cross-market self-service platform supporting complex roles, permissions, and subscription models across Sweden and Denmark. MVP launched in 2025, with broader rollout planned. ### Tre Consumer E-commerce (2026) **Role:** Product & UX Designer **Tags:** Product & UX Short-term contract supporting the consumer e-commerce team during a transition period. ### Voyado (2022) **Role:** UX Lead **Tags:** Research, Service Design, Strategy Established a shared research framework and contributed to the strategic foundation of the Voyado.com redesign, while leading UX for Voyado Engage. ### BBH Stockholm / Volvo (2022) **Role:** Interim UX Lead **Tags:** Product & UX, Research UI design contributions within the Volvo / Apple enterprise ecosystem, including Apple Watch interfaces for the Volvo Service app and research support for Volvo Sales. ### Marshall / Zound Industries (2020) **Role:** Service Designer **Tags:** Research, Service Design Three parallel work streams supporting product comparison design, brand research, and usability testing across Marshall, Adidas, and Urbanears. ### Telia Self-service E-commerce (2018–2022) **Role:** Product & UX Designer **Tags:** Product & UX, Research Designed a modern self-service e-commerce experience connecting legacy systems with digital ordering for complex customer environments. Launched in 2021. ### Panini Internazionale (2017) **Role:** Service Designer **Tags:** Research, Service Design, Strategy Field research supporting a digital transformation pre-study connecting physical store experiences with digital touchpoints. ### Speakerbox (2017) **Role:** UX Designer **Tags:** Product & UX Redesigned a consumer mobile app within a live-streaming ecosystem connecting sports fans, influencers, and teams. ### Motorola (2015-2017) **Role:** UX Designer **Tags:** Product & UX 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) - Design Tools & Developer Tools (Meshmallow) --- ## 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 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. ### Do you build your own tools? Yes. Meshmallow is a recent example - a gradient animation generator I built to solve a real need in my own work, which became a standalone product. I enjoy building focused utilities that solve specific problems well. --- ## 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