Paulo Santos

Lead UX/UI Designer

paulojsantos@icloud.com paulosantos.design linkedin.com/in/paulojcsantos WhatsApp Call · +351 914 560 654 Lisbon, Portugal Lisbon · Remote · Hybrid · Open to Relocation
Profile

Senior UX/UI designer and strategist with 15 years of practice - including 13 years at Celfocus, a digital product consultancy for global telco operators, growing from frontend developer to Lead UX Designer and Team Leader. With roots in development, I bring a practical sensibility to product delivery - and have led design teams of 3 to 6 across 30+ projects in 8 countries, shaping products used by millions of subscribers across Vodafone, Ooredoo, STC, Safaricom, Sky, and du.

Specialist in end-to-end product design, design systems, DesignOps, and AI-augmented workflows. A natural problem solver who finds as much satisfaction in helping others navigate their challenges as in the craft itself. NNG-certified in UX Management and DesignOps. Seeking Senior, Lead, or VP roles.

Experience

30+ projects at Celfocus - digital product consultancy for global telco operators - across 8 countries since 2013. Below, selected projects per era.

Celfocus
Lead UX/UI Designer
Sky Germany · Executive Dashboard · Jan–Apr 2026
  • Conducted comparative analysis of dashboard solutions to define UX strategy; translated Sky's brand guidelines into a consistent, extensible interface with a supporting design system built in Figma.
  • Delivered interactive prototypes across light and dark themes with full KPI documentation, ready for engineering handoff and stakeholder sign-off.
Tools: Figma · Miro
Practice: Comparative Analysis · Design System · UI Design · Prototyping · KPI Documentation
Ooredoo Qatar · Phoenix C · Jan 2023–Mar 2025
  • Led a design team of 6 designers across full digital transformation - Selfcare app, web portal, and institutional portal for 1.3 million users across the Qatari market; established a new design system from scratch covering all three products.
  • Ran the full UX lifecycle onsite in Doha: benchmarking, user interviews, and usability testing with ~60 participants; facilitated numerous client workshops in Qatar and remotely, translating business objectives into design decisions grounded in real user insight.
Tools: Figma · Axure RP
Practice: Benchmarking · User Interviews · Onsite Usability Testing · Workshop Facilitation · UI Design · Design System
Jan 2023 - Present
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Paulo Santos Lead UX/UI Designer · paulosantos.design
Celfocus
Senior UX/UI Designer
STC Saudi Arabia · Digital Transformation · Oct 2020–Dec 2022
  • Led design team across B2B and B2C portal redesigns; built design system from scratch and optimised cross-functional workflows across design, analysis, development, and QA.
  • Facilitated discovery workshops onsite in Riyadh using facilitation maps and rapid prototyping to align stakeholders and accelerate decision-making.
Tools: Figma · Axure RP
Practice: Design System · UI Design · Workshop Facilitation · Facilitation Maps · Prototyping
Jawwy by STC · Portal & Mobile App · Sep 2019–Jul 2020
  • Led design and delivery for Saudi Arabia's digital-first mobile operator - overseeing UX architecture, visual design, and production-ready UI for both the web portal and mobile application.
Tools: Sketch · Zeplin · Axure RP
Practice: Information Architecture · Wireframing · UI Design · Prototyping
Safaricom Kenya · Webselfcare DSP · Feb–Sep 2018
  • Led design team on the ground in Nairobi - ran client workshops, coordinated the team, and contributed directly to UX, visual design, and frontend development in the field.
Tools: Sketch · Zeplin · Axure RP
Practice: Workshop Facilitation · UI Design · Usability Testing · Frontend Development
Sep 2018 - Dec 2022
Celfocus
UX/UI Designer & Frontend Developer
Vodafone Ireland · Unified Frontend · Jun 2015–Mar 2016
  • Designed UX and UI for an Omnichannel Application automating sales and customer care processes across direct, indirect, and call-centre channels - ensuring role-specific flows, process consistency, and pricing rules.
Tools: Axure RP · Adobe Photoshop
Practice: Omnichannel · Wireframing · Stakeholder Interviews · Design System
Vodafone Portugal · VFE · Oct 2013–May 2014
  • Supported the store frontend experience across multiple retail locations; ran stakeholder interviews and wireframing sessions, partnering with the development team on full delivery.
Tools: ExtJS · Adobe Photoshop · Axure RP
Practice: Stakeholder Interviews · Wireframing · Workshop Facilitation · Frontend Development
du Dubai · Dealer Sales Portal · Mar 2014
  • Redesigned DSP to comply with UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority mandate - enabling secure electronic mobile activations, number portability, and fraud prevention across dealer networks.
Tools: ExtJS · Adobe Photoshop · Axure RP
Practice: Wireframing · UI Design · Frontend Development
Oct 2013 - Sep 2018
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Paulo Santos Lead UX/UI Designer · paulosantos.design
Skills & Tools
Design
  • Product Design
  • UX Research
  • Design Systems
  • Service Design
  • Information Architecture
  • Prototyping
  • Usability Testing
  • Figma
Development
  • HTML & CSS
  • React / Next.js
  • TypeScript
  • Tailwind CSS
  • SASS/LESS
  • Design-to-code
  • Accessibility (WCAG)
AI & Tooling
  • Claude Code
  • Figma MCP
  • AI workflow design
  • Prompt engineering
  • Design automation
  • LLM integration
Leadership
  • UX Management
  • DesignOps
  • Design strategy
  • Workshop facilitation
  • Stakeholder alignment
  • Team mentoring
Clients & Brands
VodafoneEU · Group
OoredooQatar
STCSaudi Arabia
JawwySaudi Arabia
SkyGermany
SafaricomKenya
duUAE
ALDI SüdEurope
Education & Certifications
PowerMBA Business Administration
2024 - 2025
Nielsen Norman Group UX Management & DesignOps Specialty
2023 - 2024
IADE Creative University, Lisbon Design Degree
2011 - 2014
EDIT UX/UI Design & Development
2011 - 2012
LX School Advanced Digital Design
2010
IADE Creative University, Lisbon Specialization in Multimedia Products
2009 - 2010
Languages
Portuguese Native
English Fluent · Written & Spoken
Spanish Essential · Written & Spoken
French Essential · Written & Spoken
Beyond Work

Father of two daughters and two dogs. Runner, photographer, writer, PlayStation devotee, and someone who genuinely enjoys helping others with their projects.

Want to see the work behind the work? Case studies, process, and outcomes are available at my portfolio.

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