Valeria Kovalikova
Product / UX/UI Designer

Product designer with 5+ years of experience in fintech, SaaS and mobile products. Led end-to-end design cycles for banking platforms, international money transfer services and an IoT security ecosystem. Specialising in zero-to-one product launches, building scalable design systems and improving conversion through structural UX decisions.

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CONTACTS
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Portfolio
LinkedIn
Telegram
Email

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KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
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• Led end-to-end design cycles for banking platforms, international money transfer services and an IoT security ecosystem
• Accelerated transition from brief to testable prototype by ~30% using AI at every stage of the process
• Reduced design approval cycle by 40% through user flow restructuring and scalable component implementation
• Reduced average task completion time by 30% via improved information architecture
• Built a scalable design system, cutting new feature design time by 30%

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SKILLS
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Product & UX: User Research, UX Strategy, Information Architecture, Wireframes, CJM, Prototyping, Usability Testing, A/B Testing, Atomic Design, Design Systems
Tools: Figma, Adobe Suite, Pixelmator, Canva, Wix, Tilda, Miro, Notion, Jira, Confluence
AI in Design: Uizard, ChatGPT, Claude, Midjourney, Runway
Processes: Agile/Scrum, Design Sprints, Stakeholder Management, Design Handoff, WCAG 2.1
Front-end basics: HTML5, CSS3, Tailwind CSS
Languages: Russian — Native, English — Fluent, Chinese — Intermediate

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EXPERIENCE
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Sova Lab — Product Designer
Apr 2025 — Present
  • Developed brand identity from scratch — logo, visual system and brand book for product and marketing consistency
  • Designed cross-platform security application for iOS and Android — UX architecture, onboarding, notification logic and device interaction
  • Built product SaaS website, improving value proposition clarity and user acquisition support
  • Created scalable design system (components, tokens, documentation), reducing new feature design time by 30%
  • Integrated WCAG 2.1 accessibility requirements into the design system, making compliance a standard part of the process
  Figma, Uizard, Midjourney, WCAG 2.1, iOS, Android

AZN Research — Product / UX/UI Designer
Feb 2023 — Apr 2025
  • Designed banking website from scratch — UX architecture and key user scenarios for financial services
  • Designed international money transfer platform (Africa ↔ Europe), simplifying transaction flows
  • Contributed to Ecobank UX ecosystem improvements (mobile app, website and AOP platform), identifying systemic issues and adding new user scenarios
  • Designed SaaS website for a video verification system, combining marketing positioning with product demo for B2B clients
  • Reduced design approval cycle by 40% through user flow restructuring and scalable component implementation
  Figma, Miro, Notion, Jira, Confluence

Anhui Dadao Company — UX/UI Designer
Oct 2020 — Dec 2022
  • Designed mobile app for finding educational and entertainment activities for children aged 2–15 (search, filters, booking)
  • Conducted UX research and parent interviews to understand decision-making models
  • Created new user flows accommodating a wide age range and varying levels of digital literacy
  • Reduced average task completion time by 30% through improved information architecture
  • Worked in an international team on a product competing with Meituan in the Chinese market
  Figma, Adobe Suite, Miro

Freelance — Product / UX/UI Designer
Feb 2020 — Present
  • Designed digital products in healthcare and mental health, including veterinary platform VetPet and psychologist-finder app Vipsy
  • Built scalable UI systems for early-stage startups, enabling faster product and feature development
  Figma, Tilda, Wix, Canva

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EDUCATION
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Google — Google Professional Certification, UX Design (2020)
Kemerovo State University — Translator's Diploma (English) (2017–2018)
Kemerovo State University — Bachelor — International Relations (2014–2018)

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LANGUAGES
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Russian: Native
English: Fluent
Chinese: Intermediate