Product Designer Design Systems

WAHEED AKHTAR

Lead Product Designer

Email: ******.******@*****.***

+61.436.335.417 Address: Melbourne, Australia

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/waheedakhtarwahid/ Design Portfolio: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ml2qE5tnxqEle99skLlFyjoSro_xjmo_/view?usp=drive_link Experienced Product Designer with a strong foundation in user-centered design, design systems, prototyping, and product strategy. Skilled in translating complex requirements into intuitive and impactful digital experiences for web, mobile, and emerging tech platforms. Proven track record in delivering end-to-end design solutions across fintech, government, and enterprise sectors. Founder of multiple start-ups with a strong reputation in the EduTech/EdTech industry as an authoritative and respected thought leader, remaining at the forefront of innovation and bringing an array of pioneering ideas to life in the sector. SKILLS

• Articulate and energetic communicator with notable creative, technical, leadership, managerial, interpersonal and active listening skills.

• Passionate about designing, building, managing, mentoring, and empowering high-performing cross-functional teams.

• Proactive and fast-paced execution; innovative, adaptable, decisive and high attention to detail.

• Proven ability to manage multiple, complex projects simultaneously under deadlines and time pressures.

• Self-starter, results-driven and capable of working autonomously with minimal supervision. Leadership Skills

• Pre-sales

• Creative and Technical leadership

• Digital Transformation and Strategic Thinking

• Agile Methodology

• Lean Start-Up and Entrepreneurship

• Project/Product Management

• Agile Methodology

• Communication Collaboration

• Problem-solving Conflict resolution

• Adaptability Time management

Product and UI/UX Design Skills:

• Core Skills: Design and Discovery, UI/UX best practices, Design Thinking, Human-centered design (HCD), UI/UX Design, Product Design, System Design, Branding, Process Design

• Design Systems: Design, Build and deploy

• User Experience (UX) Design: User Research, User Interviews, Personas and Segmentation, Prototyping, Wireframing, Design guidelines

• User Interface (UI) Design: Design Guidelines, Typography, High- fidelity UI design, Interaction Design

• UI/UX Design Testing: Design Validation, Usability/User Testing,

• Frameworks: Atomic Design, Carbon Design System, Ant Design, Bootstrap, Tailwind

• Design Tools: Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator

• Collaboration Tools: Mural, Miro

• Efficiency boost: UX Pilot, ChatGPT, Prompt Engineering Technical Skills:

• Cloud Platforms: AWS (EC2, S3, RDS, Lambda, ECS, EKS, CloudFormation, VPC, IAM, Route 53, CloudWatch, MSK/Kafka), Firebase, Digital Ocean

• Architecture and Design: Microservices architecture, Cloud- enablement, Cloud solution design, Cloud migration, Solution and technology architecture, Application architecture, Open Architecture, Gen-AI

• Databases: AWS RDS, MySQL, Maria DB, MongoDB

• Data Analysis: Python, Pandas, NumPy, Elastic Stack (ELK), Power BI, Excel

• Banking Platforms: Backbase

• No Code / Low Code: Adobe AEM, Outystems

• Front-end Architecture: Design systems, Front-end architecture design, Web Development, Hybrid App Development, Atomic design, Component Driven App Development, Micro Frontends

• Data Migration: Enterprise Data Migration Solutions, for Data Migration Tooling, Data Monitoring, Data Reconciliation, Data Warehouse, ETL.

• Integrations: System integration with APIs, Event Orchestration

(Kafka), Batch Jobs.

• Languages and Frameworks: Javascript HTML/CSS/SCSS, React JS, Angular, Node JS, Bootstrap, Tailwind

• Testing: Test Cases, Unit Testing (Jest), Functional Testing

(PlayWright)

• DevOps Tools: GIT, Jenkins, GitHub Actions, Docker, Kubernetes

• SEO: Website Technical Analysis for Search Engines, Website Technical Optimisation for Search Engines

• Collaboration: JIRA, Trello, Slack, MS Teams

• Efficiency boost: Copilot, ChatGPT, Prompt Engineering Noticeable Clients: Cultivated relationships and frequently worked with all the leading banks in Singapore and ASEAN, as well as leading financial institutions, media companies, telecom and government agencies as well as regional banks and financial institutions including but not limited to: Singapore Government SCB (Siam Commercial Bank) BPI Chinabank MINDEF (Ministry of Defense, Singapore) DSTA SingHealth Singtel DBS UOB OCBC Standard Chartered Citi PUB Singapore AIA Adira Parkway SIA ABS-CBN XL Axiata Celcom Samsung EXPERIENCE

UI/UX Art Director, Mobile and Front-end Lead: Neural Inc. (Contract) – Melbourne Nov 2024 – Present In my current role as UI/UX Art Director, Mobile and Front-end Lead, I am responsible for:

• Directing the creative vision and brand identity across all digital touchpoints, aligning business goals with compelling and user-centered design strategies.

• Responsible for UI/UX processes from research, wireframing, and prototyping to final high-fidelity visuals and developer handoff, ensuring pixel-perfect execution and design system scalability.

• Collaborating closely with product managers, engineers, and stakeholders to translate complex requirements into intuitive and engaging interfaces that enhance user satisfaction and retention.

• Design and implementation of scalable, secure, and high-availability cloud architectures on AWS using TOGAF best practices, ensuring alignment with business objectives and technical requirements.

• End-to-end solution architecture for enterprise applications, integrating cloud-native services with legacy systems.

• Architectural guidance and governance across multi-cloud and hybrid environments, driving standardization and best practices.

• Collaboration with cross-functional teams—including DevOps, security, and application development—to deliver integrated and efficient cloud solutions.

About the Project:

The client is a Tech and Fintech startup who is developing an AI-powered, no-code algorithmic trading platform that combines advanced trading tools with everyday usability. It offers secure, decentralized access to trade markets, featuring an intuitive interface, real-time performance, and powerful trading capabilities through all-in-one seamless solution. he key components and features of the platform include:

• Algorithm Builder: A dynamic visual interface for algorithm design tool with drag and drop capabilities where user can visually connect logic blocks to create strategies, no coding needed and fully customizable.

• Strategy builder: Enables users to define their strategy parameters with a clean, intuitive workflow. Users can choose from stocks, futures, forex, and crypto, all with cleaned, ready-to-use data, perform risk management and setup backtest parameters.

• Dashboard: A streamlined, interactive view to explore and evaluate your strategy's performance. Dashboard enables users to view key charts, ratios, and statistics to evaluate backtest performance as well as inspect every round-trip trade from their backtest. filter by time, symbol, or outcome to surface what matters.

• Deploy: Automates the strategies live with full control, confidence, reliability and live trading. UI/UX Art Director, Mobile and Front-end Lead: IBM – Singapore Feb 2016 – Oct 2024 As a Senior UX/UI Art Director, Mobile and Front-end Lead (ASEAN), I led UI/UX and Frontend practices, driving presales and innovation in mobile and web solutions, Gen-AI, Metaverse, and Spatial Computing for diverse industries. Focused on delivering exceptional user experiences and visual designs. My roles and responsibilities included:

• Strategic Leadership: Defined long-term vision and strategy for user experience design, ensuring alignment with business objectives. Established design principles, guidelines, and best practices to drive the development of user-centric products and services.

• Team Management: Led and mentored a team of UX professionals, fostering collaboration, professional growth, and adherence to design methodologies and processes.

• User Research & Insights: Directed user research initiatives to deeply understand user needs, behaviours, and motivations, translating findings into actionable design insights to inform and validate solutions.

• UX Design & Prototyping: Oversaw UI design, interaction design, and information architecture, guiding the creation of wireframes, prototypes, and visual designs to effectively communicate and test concepts.

• Front End Architecture: Directed and managed all aspects of frontend development, including designing and implementing scalable, efficient, and maintainable frontend architecture for web and mobile applications.

• Design Systems: Developed and implemented scalable design systems with reusable components and detailed guidelines, ensuring consistency across products. Collaborated with cross-functional teams to integrate design systems into DevOps pipelines, streamlining workflows for version control, testing, and deployment.

• Stakeholder Collaboration: Partnered with cross-functional teams, including product managers, developers, and other stakeholders, to ensure alignment and a shared vision for user experience objectives.

• Usability Testing & Evaluation: Developed and implemented usability testing strategies to validate designs and identify improvement opportunities. Leveraged user feedback and metrics to drive continuous enhancements.

• Workshops and Brainstorming Sessions: Organized and led design thinking workshops and brainstorming sessions to drive creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving across multidisciplinary teams. Utilized user-centric methodologies to identify pain points, generate innovative solutions, and align stakeholders on project goals.

• Emerging Technologies & Gen-AI: Pioneered the adoption and integration of Generative AI tools to optimize and streamline designers’ daily workflows. Identified opportunities where AI could add value, such as automating repetitive tasks, generating design variations, and accelerating prototyping processes.

• Talent Acquisition, Mentorship, and Team Development: Led talent acquisition to onboard top design professionals aligned with organizational goals. Developed mentoring programs to enhance skills and foster growth in UI/UX design, frontend development, and emerging technologies.

• Recognition by IBM top Leadership: Presented a self-developed coding standard directly to IBM CEO Ginny Rometty, receiving executive recognition for innovation and leadership.

Noteworthy Projects:

• I led the design and front-end side side of a large Digital Transformation effort initiated by the Singapore Government, MINDEF (Ministry of Defense, Singapore), and IBM. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and I am honored to be a part of it.

• Led the UX/UI design and front-end delivery of Mae Manee app for Siam Commercial Bank; an intuitive payment app that allows sellers to accept QR code payments from any mobile banking app which is used by 2000+ merchants and POS terminals, facilitating $100M+ in monthly transactions.

• Directed the design, mobile and frontend development of the Siam Commercial App Suite (iWealth, iPlan, CASA, and Wealth apps), built on the Backbase banking platform.

o Oversaw a 40+ member design and dev team as UI/UX, Mobile and Frontend Lead. o Contributed significantly to SCB’s transformation into a top-tier digital bank in the region, recognized by Asian Banker and International Global Finance.

o Resulted in a doubling of the digital customer base, enhanced UX that helped crossing over 6 million daily transactions.

• Recognized with the Delivery & Quality Superstar award (ASEAN, 2020) for impactful design leadership on the BPI digital platform: o Built and led a UX/front-end team to revamp BPI’s corporate site (built on Backbase). o Worked on reimagining the platform’s frontend for performance, accessibility, and usability, reaching 7 million daily users. o The account is one of the largest accounts for IBM in ASEAN with 250 people on board.

• Led the design of a Gen-AI-powered customer support interface for Samsung, transforming complex sentiment and context analysis into a seamless, user-friendly interaction model.

• Designed and developed the Metaverse onboarding experience for IBM, including a Digital Twin of IBM Studio Singapore and a Virtual IBM Museum, integrated with Gen-AI. Showcased at Think Singapore 2023, where it became the most visited booth and received coverage by Channel News Asia.

• Created the UX and immersive design for the Samsung Smart Home Metaverse Experience, delivering a highly interactive digital twin of their physical model house showrooms for enhanced customer engagement. UI/UX Art Director, Mobile and Front-end Lead: Aleph-Labs – Singapore July 2010 – Feb 2016 I led the UI/UX and frontend team, driving innovation in mobile and web solutions across a range of industries. My primary focus has been on delivering exceptional user experiences and developing scalable frontend architectures while fostering team development and encouraging creativity. At Aleph Labs, my core responsibilities include the following:

• Team Management: I mentored and guided UX professionals, fostering collaboration, promoting skill development, and ensuring adherence to established design methodologies.

• User Research and Insights: I directed research initiatives aimed at uncovering user needs, behaviours, and motivations, translating these findings into actionable insights and validating proposed solutions.

• UX Design and Prototyping: I oversaw the processes of UI design, interaction design, and information architecture, creating wireframes, prototypes, and visual designs to effectively communicate and test design concepts.

• Frontend Architecture: I designed and implemented scalable, efficient, and maintainable frontend solutions for web and mobile applications, ensuring seamless integration with established design principles.

• Usability Testing and Evaluation: I developed strategies for usability testing, utilizing feedback and metrics to facilitate continuous enhancements in user experience.

• Talent Acquisition and Mentorship: I established high-performing design teams through strategic hiring practices, mentorship initiatives, and skill development programs, ensuring alignment with organizational objectives and emerging technology trends. Noteworthy Projects:

• Led the UX and front-end redesign of OCBC’s Internet Banking, Mobile Banking, and Corporate Banking platforms (OCBC Velocity), playing a key role in Singapore’s first major banking digital transformation (2012–2014). o Managed a sizeable in a complex multi-vendor setup, delivering improved user experience, modernized UI, and mobile-first interfaces that set new benchmarks for digital banking in the region.

• Drove the UI/UX design, mobile and frontend implementation for four pioneering apps at DBS, kickstarting the bank’s digital transformation journey for the bank:

o Apps included DBS RM Workbench, MEx, FNA, and YFP, each designed with a focus on clean workflows, accessibility, and mobile responsiveness.

o Helped transform DBS from outdated platforms to a world leader in digital banking through intuitive, user-centric product experiences.

• Led the design and front-end development of Singapore’s first digital wallet app, OCBC Pay Anyone, offering peer-to-peer transfers, QR-based payments, and request payments through personalized codes while focused on simplifying everyday payments through modern, frictionless mobile interfaces.

• Spearheaded the UI/UX design and development of Singapore’s first social wallet, DBS PayLah!, revolutionizing the local digital payment experience.

o The app enabled NRIC and phone number-based transfers as well as group bill-sharing under the Dutch system, becoming especially popular among students.

o By 2019, the platform facilitated over SGD 1.5 billion in transactions in a year and reached 1.6M users, with DBS projecting 3.5M users by 2023.

• Directed the frontend and experience design for Singtel Dash, an all-in-one wallet for daily payments. o Led a cross-functional in a multi-vendor setup to launch the product; Dash now has over 1 million registered users. o Originally built for Standard Chartered and later acquired by Singtel, the solution was rebranded and optimized for the local market. Senior UX Designer and Front-end Developer: Various Companies Jan 2001 – Jul 2010 In the first decade of my career, I gained extensive experience working across multiple IT companies, where I held various roles, including Art Director, Senior Developer, and Team Lead. I played a key role in talent development and mentoring teams.

• Played a pivotal role in software development and architecture, focusing on mobile, web, and cloud solutions

• Led UI/UX design initiatives and provided creative leadership

• Led numerous teams for the successful delivery of multiple high-impact projects

• Developed and maintained complex data models, ensuring optimal performance and scalability of applications EDUCATION

• MBA, Project Management (2019 – 2021)

Cardiff Metropolitan University

• BSc Computer Science (1998 – 2001)

The National College

CERTIFICATIONS, TRAINING & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

• Adobe Experience Manager for Architects

Accreditation (2022)

• Adobe Experience Cloud for Architects

Accreditation (2022)

• Security and Privacy by Design for Software

Development (2022)

• Amazon Web Services Training (2021) • Garage Methods for Cloud (2020) • Cloud fundamentals (2020)

• Digital Transformation for Client Success

Workshop (2019)

• Backbase CXP Training (2017) • Backbase Front End Training (2017)

• Backbase Solution Architect Training (2017) • Backbase Forms training (2017) • Agile training (2017)

• IBM Enterprise Design Thinking (2016) • Cybersecurity and Privacy (2016) AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS

• Special Appreciation Award for Solution

Design, Presales (2022, 2021, 2020)

• Special Appreciation for Team Leadership

and Mentorship (2022, 2021)

• Manager Appreciation Award (2022, 2016)

• Performance Bonus (2022, 2021, 2017,

2015)

• Delivery & Quality Super Stars in ASEAN

(2020)

• Special Appreciation for Client Success

(2020, 2019)

• IBMer Appreciation Award (2018) • Outstanding Achievement Award (2018) • Client Value Award - Digital (2018) WORKSHOPS, MENTORSHIP & CONTRIBUTIONS

• Led talent-hunt workshops for IBM and clients including DBS, BPI, AIA, Chinabank, Techcombank & MINDEF Singapore (2016 – 2024)

• Conducted Enterprise Design Thinking workshops for clients like SCB, AIA, ABS-CBN, and BPI (2017–2024)

• Delivered Backbase, front-end architecture, and developer training for IBM and banking clients (2016–2024)

• Delivered Cloud Architecture and Agile workshops for IBM and partners (2017–2023)

• Delivered Cloud Architecture and Agile workshops for IBM and partners (2017–2023)

• Organized coding hackathons for DBS (2018–2020)

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