Joelson Leal
Senior Product Designer and UX Researcher
London, UK.About
A Senior Product Designer and UX Researcher with over 8 years of experience, Joelson excels at driving end-to-end experiences across fintech and digital platforms. He has a proven track record of leading complex redesigns, boosting user engagement by 40%, and architecting scalable design systems. Poised to leverage his expertise in cross-functional strategy and high-fidelity interaction design to deliver intuitive, secure experiences for millions of users at scale.
Work
Austin, Texas, United
Full-time (Remote)
Summary
Led end-to-end design for growth-critical surfaces including onboarding, profile creation, activation loops, and monetization entry points. Design and shipped growth experiments focused on increasing activation and profile completion, working closely with PMs and Engineers to define hypotheses, success metrics, and rollout plans.
Highlights
Improved onboarding comprehension and activation signals across early user cohorts
Enabled faster experimentation cycles through reusable components and AI-assisted prototyping
Kriolish, Inc.
|Senior UI/UX Designer
London, England, UK
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Summary
Currently leading the end-to-end redesign of a crowdsourced language learning platform, focusing on enhancing user experience, visual consistency, and scalability.
Highlights
Orchestrated the comprehensive redesign of a crowdsourced language learning platform, applying advanced visual design principles to elevate usability and ensure consistency across diverse devices.
Boosted user engagement by 40% through iterative prototyping, rigorous usability testing, and strategic design optimizations, leveraging advanced tools.
Defined and executed a comprehensive design strategy, collaborating closely with leadership to align product vision with key user needs and revenue objectives.
Architected and implemented a robust, component-based design system, significantly accelerating development cycles and ensuring future scalability for the platform.
hello.cv, Inc (ola.cv)
|VP of Product Operations
Cabo Verde, Cabo Verde, Cabo Verde
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Summary
Spearheaded product operations for the .CV top-level domain, focusing on optimizing support channels and enhancing user satisfaction.
Highlights
Led the design and deployment of automated support channels and comprehensive multilingual knowledge bases for the .CV top-level domain, improving service accessibility through localization best practices.
Achieved a 70% reduction in support response time and decreased user drop-off by implementing user-centered support workflows.
Conducted in-depth stakeholder interviews and data analysis to inform strategic enhancements in service delivery, elevating overall user satisfaction.
Cabo Verde Digital (Government Program)
|Design and Innovation Manager
Cabo Verde, Cabo Verde, Cabo Verde
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Summary
Managed design and innovation initiatives for a government program, driving digital transformation and fostering startup ecosystem growth across public and private sectors.
Highlights
Led strategic design for digital transformation initiatives across public and private sectors, significantly improving service delivery and user experience.
Developed and launched digital services and internal platforms, successfully accelerating startup ecosystem growth and fostering innovation across the region.
Spearheaded comprehensive UX audits and facilitated impactful workshops for early-stage entrepreneurs and government partners, enhancing design literacy and adoption.
Ministry of Culture and Creative Industries
|Advisor, Branding and Marketing
Cabo Verde, Cabo Verde, Cabo Verde
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Summary
Advised on national branding and marketing initiatives, leveraging strategic design thinking to boost public engagement and promote cultural identity.
Highlights
Developed and launched impactful cultural campaigns, increasing public engagement by 20% through targeted digital outreach and strategic branding initiatives.
Provided expert advisory on national initiatives, effectively promoting local identity through strategic design thinking and public messaging.
Bonako
|Lead Product Designer
Cabo Verde, Cabo Verde, Cabo Verde
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Summary
Directed the design and ensured UI/UX coherence for four key digital products, collaborating cross-functionally to deliver high-impact user experiences.
Highlights
Directed the end-to-end design for four major digital products (Muska, MyUnitel, RTC App, Passafree), ensuring consistent UI and robust UX coherence across the entire product portfolio.
Collaborated closely with engineering teams, leveraging React, TypeScript, and Flutter expertise to efficiently deliver cross-platform features on schedule.
Translated complex product requirements into intuitive, accessible, and high-impact interfaces, driving over 50,000 user adoptions across multiple platforms.
Education
Goldsmiths, University of London
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MSc
User Experience Engineering
Grade: Distinction
University of Cabo Verde
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BSc
Communication and Multimedia Design
Grade: Upper Second-Class Honours (2:1)
Awards
UX Awards (IDZ) Autumn 2025
Awarded By
IDZ International Design Center Berlin
Nominated for New Talent & Public Choice.
Chevening Scholarship
Awarded By
UK FCDO
Prestigious, fully funded merit-based award by the UK Government, recognizing outstanding leaders with vision and potential to drive positive change globally.
Mandela Washington Fellow
Awarded By
Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI)
Awarded for demonstrated leadership and commitment to public service and community development.
Languages
English
Portuguese
Kriol (Cabo Verdean Creole)
Certificates
Foundations of User Experience (UX) Design
Issued By
Public Policy & Management
Issued By
Arizona State University
Skills
Product Design
Figma, Design Systems, Wireframing, UI/UX Design, Interaction Design, UX Research Methods, Inclusive Design, Localization, Design Operations, Product Strategy, Visual Design, Prototyping Tools.
UX Research
Usability Testing, Surveys, Personas, Journey Mapping, Data Analysis, Stakeholder Interviews.
Leadership & Strategy
Cross-functional Collaboration, Stakeholder Management, Systems Thinking, Data-informed Design, Strategic Planning, Project Management.
Frontend Collaboration
HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Storybook, Developer Handoff.