Alex Simon

Designer + Builder · Berlin

uack.uack@gmail.com linkedin.com/in/simonalex Portfolio

14 years across agency and in-house. Left AKQA to apply agency thinking at product scale, joining Zalando at The Studio, the in-house innovation lab working on initiatives 2 to 3 years ahead of the product roadmap.

Track record: identifying structural problems no one has formally named, building the business case, and shipping it. At Zalando: >€15M GMV from a CRM insight nobody asked for, a co-founder-level vision presentation that changed the product roadmap, first designer to ship a production feature solo. At AKQA: sole UX lead on Ferrari's first connected digital ecosystem.

>€15M GMV — CLM programme
€493M Programme scope — CLM, sole CX designer 2.5 years
€7M/yr Savings — Enhanced Returns redesign
5.3M Users — Project Goldfish CRM experiment, 10 markets
150+ Designers — AI Enablement programme reach
93 Active mentorships — tripled from 31 in one cycle
Principal Product Designer — The Studio Oct 2024 – present

Zalando · Berlin

  • Originated and led AI Enablement: org-wide AI adoption for 150+ designers. Diagnosed the gap with a 90-person survey, designed the Safe Harbor strategy, secured CPO-level backing, ran five simultaneous pairing sessions. First designer to ship a production feature solo, design to merged, production-ready code in half a day.
  • Project Occam: self-initiated AI-native discovery vision for Zalando's fragmented search and feed surfaces. Built a functional SwiftUI app with AI, tested with 12 Gen Z customers, presented to a co-founder and the SVPs. Vision folded into Zalando's two-year product roadmap.
  • Restock alerts, M2 (CLM): self-initiated ghost-prevention mechanic. Named and solved the problem of 56% of restock requests going unanswered. +17.5% YoY GMV (€9.9M), +8.2% orders.
  • Project Goldfish (CLM): self-initiated CRM strategy redesign grounded in behavioural science. Three-layer intent model. Live experiment across 5.3M users and 10 markets. Approved by a co-founder and design leadership.
  • Zilkroad (Zalando, IDEO, Shenzhen): EU design lead, one month embedded in Shenzhen. Designed the core UX architecture, ran a structured user experiment with 22 participants, evaluated KlingAI against Style-It for outfit generation.
  • Android Task Force: analysed 5,000 Play Store reviews, connected CX findings to €35.6M/year revenue loss, sourced physical legacy devices when no testing infrastructure existed.
  • Project FEW: self-identified cross-surface incoherence across Save, Follow, and Subscribe, designed a unified flow, secured sign-off across the Feed, Video, and Boards teams for H1 2026.
  • Mentorship Programme Revamp: co-led two iterations. The 2025/26 cycle tripled active mentorships from 31 to 93. Created a skills taxonomy, built a Notebook LLM for self-service guidance.
Senior Product Designer — The Studio Apr 2021 – Sep 2024

Zalando · Berlin

  • Sole CX designer across the CLM programme for 2.5 years. €493M commercial scope, 277M+ restock requests. Identified opportunities, shaped briefs, and delivered across multiple workstreams. M1 restock-alert baseline shipped August 2024 at a +16% reminder-creation rate.
  • Enhanced Returns: redesigned the multi-parcel returns experience. Perfect returns rose from 88% to 91%, saving €7M a year.
Associate Experience Design Director May 2019 – Apr 2021

AKQA · Milan

  • Ferrari Connesso: sole UX lead (team of 8). Ferrari's first UX-led project — full connected ecosystem: app, HMI, web, dealer tools, preowned platform. Prototype and spec delivered on time. Engagement extended to the full digital ecosystem. The Purosangue launched 2022.
  • Miscusi: full digital ecosystem (ordering, loyalty, reservations) under COVID constraints. Embedded in a Miscusi restaurant for a week. Shipped on time.
  • Co-led the Italian experience design team and headed the Business Transformation business unit.
  • Other clients: MaxMara, OVS, Banca IFIS, Technogym, Doha Film Festival, A2A Milano City Dashboard.
Digital Product Design Director Jan 2016 – Apr 2019

HNRG · Padua

  • Led a team of 7–8 designers. Indesit/Hotpoint: 4 brand websites across 4 European markets in 3 months, international team of 7 nationalities.
  • Clients: Dell, Acer, Alienware, Huawei, Uniper, Coop, Sky Italia, Ducati.
Senior UX Designer Feb 2014 – Dec 2015

Swiss Digital Consulting SA · Chiasso

  • Utility sector customer portals: E.ON Benelux, E.ON France, Jade Energia.
UX Designer May 2012 – Jan 2014

Mediana · Padua

  • E.ON Spain, E.ON Italy, Ferroli, Ferplast, Università Cattolica.
BA Industrial Design — IUAV Venice 2007–2011 · 105/110
Languages Italian (native) · English (fluent)
Speaking PushUX 2026 · Design Matters 2026 · Design Matters 2021