Oguz Arıkan
Sr. Product Designer who builds products and systems
Berlin, Germany
moguzarikan@gmail.com
+49 176 235 000 83
oguzarikan.com · LinkedIn
Works without a brief
I move forward on assumptions, build something testable, and adjust from evidence. I don't wait for the problem to be fully defined before starting to solve it.
Owns the full problem
From the first discovery question to the last edge case in the spec, I take responsibility for the whole thing, not just the screens I was assigned.
Stays oriented toward the business
Good design at an early stage means finding the right audience for the value on offer. I keep that goal in view while making product decisions.
Experience
Sr. UI/UX Designer · Contract Feb 2026 – May 2026
Major Turkish retail investment platform
Nebula: Gamification and Financial Education Layer
A widely used retail investment app had powerful trading tools but no bridge between capability and understanding. Users could access advanced features but had no learning path, no motivation system, and no way to build investing habits. I joined as the UX designer responsible for the experience layer across the full gamification and education framework.
Delivered
  • UX and interaction design across 76 missions, 5 categories, and a 3-tier progression system
  • Full simulation mode: profiling flow, virtual budget, smart task sequencing, and real data modes
  • Illustration system with style guidelines, prompt formulas, and a reusable icon and object library
  • UX copy in Turkish across academy, simulation, rewards marketplace, and tournament surfaces
  • Used Claude, ChatGPT, and Lovable throughout: framework structuring, mission clustering, copy at scale, and an HTML prototype built with Claude Code
Case study coming soon
Product Designer · Zalando Aug 2020 – Aug 2025
E-commerce platform with propositions for end customers and businesses
Vision for the Business Profile
The Business Profile had grown organically across multiple business models, leaving a fragmented UX that made scaling harder with every new partner type. As the domain's lead designer, I took this on without a defined brief.
Impact
  • Designed a single Business Profile concept that works across multiple partner models
  • Defined a structural foundation enabling future feature expansion with lower complexity
  • Explored three directions and aligned design leadership on one scalable approach
Case study coming soon
zDirect: Banking Configuration
Partner onboarding was generating manual review work for two internal teams on every submission. I identified the problem, redesigned the banking configuration flow, and made billing modes visible to partners.
Impact
  • 70% reduction in partner submission rejections
  • 80% reduction in Partner Care tickets on banking & billing
  • 2 internal teams unblocked from manual review work
View the case study
Product Designer · Lendico GmbH Mar 2019 – May 2020
Financial technology start-up focused on lending to SMEs
Freelance Product Designer · Istanbul May 2018 – Mar 2019
B2B and B2C clients across fintech and consumer products
MenaPay
A payment startup building digital infrastructure for a region where most people don't use banks. Three user types, complex financial logic, a product still being defined. I was the only designer, responsible for the whole product.
Delivered
  • Merchant dashboard and MenaCash reseller dashboard from first wireframe to final style guide
  • Full product coverage: information architecture, interaction design, and handoff documentation
View the case study
Parentapp
A child psychology expert had deep knowledge and no product. I helped turn that into a viable mobile app, starting from business model selection, through user research, to end-to-end UI.
Delivered
  • Selected a business model from multiple candidates: value proposition, revenue streams, and go-to-market strategy
  • Synthesized a customer profile canvas from surveys and interviews covering gains, pains, and jobs to be done
  • Delivered end-to-end UI: information architecture, all screens, and edge cases
View the case study
UX Mentor · WorkUp Incubation Center May 2018 – Mar 2019
Incubation centre in Istanbul for early-stage start-ups
UX Lead · Avansas May 2017 – May 2018
E-commerce platform in Turkey focused on workspace products
Product Designer · Hürriyet Feb 2016 – Apr 2017
One of Turkey's most-read newspapers with digital products and apps
UX Designer · Userspots Nov 2013 – Jan 2016
UX design agency serving major brands in Turkey across multiple industries
Skills
Product design
Product discovery, interaction design, information architecture, B2B SaaS, mobile app design, prototyping, usability testing, end-to-end ownership
Design strategy
0-to-1 product design, business model framing, value proposition design, problem framing without a brief
Domain expertise
Fintech, B2B partner platforms, SME-focused products, e-commerce, emerging markets
AI and tooling
Figma, Claude, ChatGPT, Lovable
Education
Visual Communication Design
Bahçeşehir University
2008 – 2013