Alena Essina
Lead Product Designer specialising in complex SaaS products, UX strategy and product delivery
Combining product thinking, design leadership, and hands-on execution to deliver complex SaaS solutions.
I’m a design-driven strategist who gets things done. 14+ years in design, currently leading design across 3 product teams while driving product strategy, UX execution, and delivery quality.
I care deeply about people, projects, and measurable results—and I advocate strongly for a PDE-focused way of working (Product + Design + Engineering). While I think strategically, I stay hands-on, tackling UX challenges as logic puzzles and shaping solutions through real user feedback.
I value communication, invite critique, and thrive in collaborative teams.
I care deeply about people, projects, and measurable results—and I advocate strongly for a PDE-focused way of working (Product + Design + Engineering). While I think strategically, I stay hands-on, tackling UX challenges as logic puzzles and shaping solutions through real user feedback.
I value communication, invite critique, and thrive in collaborative teams.
My skills
Design
UX research
UX design
Design systems
UI design
Design concept
Design tokens
Prototyping (Figma, Claude, Lovable )
Data visualisation
Design strategy
Technical
Figma
Jira/Trello
Sketch
HTML/CSS
Storybook
Adobe Creative Suite
MS Office
Management
Team leadership
Problem-solving
Design strategy
Roadmapping
Conflict management
Hiring designers
Resource planning
Time management
Project management
Design execution
Cross-functional collaboration
Agile methodologies (Scrum, Shape up)
Key achievements
- Led design across 3 SaaS product teams within a CRM ecosystem serving 10K+ customers.
- Managed and mentored 5 designers, enabling scalable design support across multiple product teams.
- Established design system practices across multiple products, improving consistency and reducing design-to-development friction.
- Partnered directly with engineering and product leadership to align strategy, streamline delivery, and maintain product quality.
- Took ownership of product discovery and delivery processes during organisational transition and after PM departure.
- Progressed from UI Designer → Senior Product Designer → Lead Product Designer → Design Lead across 3 product teams.
Work experience
efficy
2022-Current
Lead Product Designer
Led product design across 3 SaaS teams (10K+ users) — owning UX strategy, design system governance, and end-to-end delivery. Redesigned critical onboarding flows, lifting first-import completion from 62% to 84% and cutting import-related support tickets by ~40%. Led a CRM restructuring that became a key selling point in sales conversations. Managed and mentored 5 designers. Stepped into product discovery and delivery ownership during PM absence.
The Agency.io
2019-2021
Head of Design
Led UX/UI and art direction across client projects — website redesigns, visual strategy, and marketing campaigns — delivering end-to-end design from concept through execution. One website redesign notably increased time on site and contributed directly to sales growth.
Fotonota
2014-2020
UX/UI Designer, Art Director
Redesigned app UI for vending machine platform. End-to-end brand, UX/UI, and visual concept work across events and trade shows. (Freelance, parallel to EPAM)
EPAM Systems
2014-2018
2D Game Artist, Animator, Lead Game Artist
Led a design team, developed style guides, and drove art strategy for mobile game projects. Hands-on across 2D design, animation, and UI.
Grizzly Jr.
2011-2014
Art Director, UX/UI Designer
Led art direction and UX/UI for mobile game projects. Brand development and team leadership across game and client work.
Education
Master of Design & Arts
Omsk State Institute f Service & Art School
2003-2009
Art Direction and Advertising Production
INSA, Business, Marketing & Communication School
2018-2019
User Experience, Research & Design
University of Michigan. Coursera
2021
A Practical Guide To Managing People At Work
University of London, Birkbeck. Coursera
2020