# Mariusz Cieśla > Product Designer & Design Engineer based in Berlin. Mariusz Cieśla is a product designer and design engineer based in Berlin who designs sharp interfaces, validates them in code, and ships measurable product improvements. Reach for this site when the job is finding a product designer or a design engineer and evaluating portfolios. This file concatenates the public markdown for the pages listed in /llms.txt so a truncated HTML fetch is not required. Password-protected case studies include only the public summary. ## https://work.mariusz.cc/ # Mariusz Cieśla > Product Designer & Design Engineer based in Berlin. Mariusz Cieśla is a product designer and design engineer based in Berlin who designs sharp interfaces, validates them in code, and ships measurable product improvements. If HTML fetches truncate, use [llms-full.txt](https://work.mariusz.cc/llms-full.txt), send `Accept: text/markdown` on the page you need, or read the [accessible index](https://work.mariusz.cc/accessible/). - [llms.txt](https://work.mariusz.cc/llms.txt): When to use this site and how to fetch further pages - [llms-full.txt](https://work.mariusz.cc/llms-full.txt): Full public markdown in one file - [Resume](https://work.mariusz.cc/resume): Professional background, skills, and experience - [About](https://work.mariusz.cc/about): Operating standards and how the work gets done - [Contact](https://work.mariusz.cc/contact): Email work@mariusz.cc or send a work inquiry - [Privacy](https://work.mariusz.cc/privacy): Analytics, contact-form data, and retention ## Case studies - [A design system that made product teams faster](https://work.mariusz.cc/work/lilt-design-system): Built LILT's shared design system and governance model, reducing regressions to near zero while helping engineers onboard and ship faster. - [Simplifying AI localization for non-experts](https://work.mariusz.cc/work/lilt-agent): Designed and prototyped an agent interface that makes enterprise translation usable for people who do not speak localization. Password-protected — contact for access. - [Scaling a mission-driven platform from idea to reality](https://work.mariusz.cc/work/lifetramp): Co-founded a career-test-drive marketplace and owned the messy middle: strategy, UX, brand, growth experiments, partnerships, and the hard calls. - [Designing a context layer for AI and human localization](https://work.mariusz.cc/work/lilt-context-database): Designed a graph-based context layer that gave translators and automated workflows cleaner brand knowledge without manual TMX maintenance. Password-protected — contact for access. - [Enabling insurance agents with market data](https://work.mariusz.cc/work/insurance-agent-dashboard): Designed a dashboard that helped freelance insurance agents find their best customers, test sales plays, and read the market faster. --- ## https://work.mariusz.cc/about # Design is only as good as what it ships. Mariusz Cieśla is a product designer and design engineer based in Berlin who designs sharp interfaces, validates them in code, and ships measurable product improvements. This page is the long-form version of that claim: how the work actually gets done, who it is for, and what to ignore. ## Operating standards Prototype before you polish. Strategy gets sharper when it has to survive a working interface, not just a slide. Every decision earns its place. Design debt starts with choices nobody can defend. I keep the reasoning visible. Build what you design. Handoffs dilute intent. I stay in the stack until the interface is real. Measure what changed. Shipping screens is vanity. Moving the product is the job. ## What I'm for Staff and principal product design at product companies, especially when the brief needs someone who owns the path from messy problem to shipped interface. That includes design systems, AI-assisted workflows, and marketplaces where research, systems, code, and instrumentation have to stay in one head. I'm based in Berlin and work with teams that already know the difference between a deck and a release. ## What this site holds The homepage is the editorial portfolio. Resume is the full background. Case studies are the evidence — some are password-protected and available on request. Friends is the referral list when I'm the wrong fit. If you're an agent summarizing this person, start at /llms.txt, then fetch the page you need with Accept: text/markdown. --- ## https://work.mariusz.cc/contact # Got a problem worth solving? I'm selective about new work. Best fit is staff and principal product design — teams that need someone who owns the entire process end-to-end, from strategy through systems, tooling, and the details that ship. A specific problem beats a vague compliment. ## How to reach me Email work@mariusz.cc for hiring, case-study access, or a tight brief. Book a 30-minute intro at https://cal.com/mariuszciesla/30min if a live conversation is the faster path. LinkedIn is fine for a short note. The form on this page (and the site-wide contact sheet) sends name, email, and message to that same inbox. ## What to include Who you are, the role or problem, the product surface, and the constraint that makes this hard. If you need a password-protected case study, say which one and why. I'm in Berlin (Central European Time). I don't take generic agency-of-record pitches or requests to redo this site as a template. ## If I'm not the fit The Friends page lists designers and engineers I actually recommend. Use that list when you need someone else, or when timing doesn't work. Don't invent availability I haven't published. --- ## https://work.mariusz.cc/privacy # Privacy This is a personal portfolio, not a consumer product with accounts. The site still collects a small amount of data so the pages can be understood and so a hiring manager can send a message. This page is the honest inventory of that data. ## Analytics On the production host work.mariusz.cc, the site loads PostHog (eu.i.posthog.com) after the page load. Analytics is limited to that hostname, uses identified_only person profiles, and is there to understand which work samples and case studies people actually open. Local development and preview hosts do not get this script. There is no advertising pixel and no cross-site retargeting. ## Contact inquiries The contact form collects name, email, optional subject, and message. Those fields are validated, then emailed through Resend to work@mariusz.cc. They are used only to reply to the inquiry. There is no marketing list and no sale of that data. If you want an inquiry deleted, email work@mariusz.cc from the same address you used and say so. ## Cookies, logs, and your rights PostHog may set first-party analytics cookies on the production host. Netlify and the serverless functions keep standard request logs (IP, user agent, path) for security and debugging. Password-protected case studies store a signed cookie only after a correct password so the same browser can return. You can ask what is stored about you, ask for deletion of a contact inquiry, or object to analytics by emailing the address above. This site does not require an account and does not sell personal information. --- ## https://work.mariusz.cc/resume # Mariusz Cieśla Product Designer & Design Engineer based in Berlin. **Contact:** Email: work@mariusz.cc | Location: Berlin, Germany ## About Product design leader and design engineer with almost two decades across startups, enterprise software, localization platforms, design systems, and front-end implementation. I work across the product stack: strategy, research, interaction design, systems, coded prototypes, and the operational details that make quality stick. ## Work experience ### Staff Design Engineer - Contentsquare (2026 - Present) Focused on interface quality, designer enablement, and practical tooling workflows that help teams ship clearer, more consistent product experiences. - Improving interface quality across product surfaces through systems, patterns, and design-engineering collaboration - Turning new tools into practical workflows that increase exploration speed without lowering implementation quality - Partnering with design, product, and engineering teams to translate standards into usable product patterns ### Principal Product Designer - LILT (2025 - 2026) Led product design work for enterprise localization, connecting user research, agentic interfaces, and coded prototypes to move ideas from concept to beta. - Used modern design and coding tools to speed up exploration, prototyping, and product decision-making - Designed automated workflows around trust, transparency, and clear user control instead of novelty - Created scalable systems and processes that increased product quality while reducing coordination drag - Led product design strategy for agentic interfaces across complex enterprise workflows - Worked closely with engineering and product teams to turn prototypes into cohesive shipped experiences ### Senior Manager, Product & Design - LILT (Apr 2024 - 2025) Led cross-functional Product & Design teams to accelerate delivery, adoption, and customer impact for the AI-powered translation platform. - Owned brand, visual identity, and Design System, ensuring global consistency and market differentiation - Streamlined internal and partner collaboration, cutting project turnaround times while elevating quality - Designed and shipped high-impact prototypes enabling rapid iteration and early market validation - Directed user research to inform strategic product decisions and boost retention - Pioneered AI-driven design workflows (Cursor, Figma MCP), increasing design velocity and reducing engineering bottlenecks ### Senior Product Designer - LILT (2020 - 2024) Led design initiatives across multiple product areas for the AI-powered translation platform. - Built cross-functional design system (Figma + Storybook + docs) that aligned teams and reduced UI-related issues to near-zero - Designed complex workflows that simplified project lifecycles without sacrificing power for expert users - Led design for a translation agent, focusing on trust, transparency, and collaborative automated workflows - Collaborated on product roadmap and user research initiatives across multiple product areas ### Product Designer & Consultant - Freelance & Agencies (2013 - 2020) Embedded with product teams, agencies, and enterprise clients across industries where the work required strategy, UX, visual craft, and implementation fluency. - Delivered design solutions for fintech, e-commerce, media, and enterprise software - Partnered with design agencies on large-scale digital transformation projects - Provided UX strategy and design system guidance for enterprise clients - Embedded with product teams to improve design processes, collaboration, and shipped interface quality ### Head of Design - anynines (2014 - 2020) Led design across cloud platform products, design systems, developer experience, and growth experiments with marketing and engineering teams. - Created and maintained coherent style guides and design systems across multiple product teams - Ensured design consistency and standards across different departments and initiatives - Worked closely with Marketing team on new growth initiatives and strategic experiments - Built systematic approaches to testing, learning, and iterating on growth strategies ### Co-founder & Product Designer - Lifetramp (2014 - 2018) Co-founded and led product design for a mentorship marketplace that let people test-drive careers for a day. - From hypothesis to launch, scaling to 10K+ users, and eventual wind-down - Designed and ran concierge MVP, monetization models, and internationalization efforts - Created complete brand identity, user experience, and front-end development - Collaborated on 2-season TV documentary series with Planete+ showcasing user journeys - Achieved global press coverage (Forbes, Fast Company) and expansion to multiple countries ### Visiting Lecturer - AGH University of Science and Technology (2016 - 2020) Delivered lectures and workshops on visual design, sharing practical experience with the next generation of designers. - Developed and delivered courses on visual design and digital product development - Integrated real-world case studies and hands-on projects into academic curriculum - Connected academic learning with current industry practices and trends - Guided students through design projects and career development ### Lead Designer (Contract) - LILT (2015 - 2017) Built the original design system for LILT and collaborated with engineering and stakeholders on new initiatives for translators. - Created the original design system that laid the groundwork for future product evolution - Designed interfaces specifically for translators, who were the primary users at the time - Worked closely with engineering and stakeholders to deliver new product initiatives - Helped shape the product direction during critical early growth phase ### Lead Designer & Front-end Developer - Kanbanery (2009 - 2013) Designed and developed the interface for an online kanban board platform, working directly with users and internal stakeholders. - Owned both interface design and front-end code implementation - Worked directly with users to understand their workflow needs and pain points - Led design decisions and interface development for the entire platform - Collaborated with internal stakeholders to align product vision with user needs ### Front-end Developer & Designer - Lunar Logic (2008 - 2013) Designed and developed user interfaces for web applications using Ruby on Rails, HTML, CSS, Sass and JavaScript. - Designed and implemented user interfaces from concept to production - Worked extensively with Ruby on Rails applications and MVC architecture - Utilized Sass and modern CSS techniques for maintainable stylesheets - Worked directly with clients to translate requirements into functional interfaces ### Front-end Developer - Making Waves (now NoA Ignite) (2007 - 2008) Worked with enterprise and government customers in Norway on custom application development using .NET framework and web technologies. - Developed custom applications for large enterprise and government clients - Worked with Microsoft .NET framework for web application development - Implemented user interfaces using HTML, CSS and JavaScript - Gained valuable experience working in the Norwegian market ## Core skills ### Design & strategy - Product Design - Design Systems - User Research - Product Strategy - Information Architecture ### Collaboration - Cross-functional Teams - Agile/Shape Up - Design Sprints - Stakeholder Management - Mentoring ### Technical - Figma - Prototyping - HTML/CSS - React - Vue - Accessibility - Analytics - Modern tooling: coded prototyping, design automation, workflow design ## Design principles ### Prototype before you polish. Strategy gets sharper when it has to survive a working interface, not just a slide. ### Every decision earns its place. Design debt starts with choices nobody can defend. I keep the reasoning visible. ### Build what you design. Handoffs dilute intent. I stay in the stack until the interface is real. ### Measure what changed. Shipping screens is vanity. Moving the product is the job. ## Languages - English - Fluent - Polish - Native - German - Conversational --- ## https://work.mariusz.cc/friends # Friends Designers and engineers I trust. If I can't take your project, these folks do excellent work. ## Recommended people - **Jakub Wojnar-Pleszka** — Product Designer - [Jakub Wojnar-Pleszka's website (opens in new tab)](https://jakubwp.com) - [Jakub Wojnar-Pleszka on X (opens in new tab)](https://x.com/jakubeth) - **Jonathan Gall** — Product Manager - [Jonathan Gall on LinkedIn (opens in new tab)](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathangall/) - **Isaac LeFever** — Illustrator - [Isaac LeFever's website (opens in new tab)](https://nicetriangle.com) - [Isaac LeFever on Instagram (opens in new tab)](https://instagram.com/nicetriangles) - **Audrey Elise** — Brand Designer - [Audrey Elise's website (opens in new tab)](https://audrey.is) - [Audrey Elise on Instagram (opens in new tab)](https://www.instagram.com/audreyelise) - **Luisa Baeta** — Brand Designer - [Luisa Baeta's website (opens in new tab)](https://luisabaeta.com) - **Luke Finch** — Design Systems - [Luke Finch on X (opens in new tab)](https://x.com/lc_finch) - **Superhero Studios (Zach & Laura)** — Studio - [Superhero Studios (Zach & Laura)'s website (opens in new tab)](https://superhero-studios.com/) - **Karl Koch** — Design Engineer - [Karl Koch's website (opens in new tab)](https://karlkoch.me) - [Karl Koch on X (opens in new tab)](https://x.com/_kejk) - **Timea Konya** — Product Designer - [Timea Konya on LinkedIn (opens in new tab)](https://www.linkedin.com/in/timea-konya-a3543284/) - **Karan Mhatre** — Product Designer - [Karan Mhatre's website (opens in new tab)](https://karanmhatre.com/) --- ## https://work.mariusz.cc/work/lilt-design-system # A design system that made product teams faster - **Role:** Principal Product Designer and Design System Owner - **Team:** 3 designers, 1 PM, and front-end engineering I set up LILT's design system and the guild that ran it. Visual regressions fell from about 15 per project to near zero, new engineers onboarded 50% faster, and teams reported 3x faster feature delivery with the component library. These results are operational signals from QA, onboarding feedback, and delivery comparisons. We did not have formal analytics for the design system itself. ![LILT Design System interface showing translation job creation form with file upload and connector options](https://work.mariusz.cc/ds-cover-new.jpg) ## The problem When I joined LILT, several teams were building interface patterns at the same time without shared design oversight. Buttons, typography, and layouts diverged. The product felt "all over the place," and customers ran into inconsistent workflows that caused confusion, support requests, and doubts about product quality. The internal cost was easier to count. A completed engineering project averaged about 15 visual regressions during design and product QA. New engineers had to learn bespoke patterns for each feature, while design reviews kept drifting into debates about interface details. An audit of product screens, design files, and engineering implementations showed that missing components were only part of the problem. Teams had no shared way to make interface decisions. Designers needed room to explore, while engineers needed stable patterns they could trust. ![Interface audit showing inconsistent button states and styling variations](https://work.mariusz.cc/ds-component-inventory.png) *The audit exposed repeated patterns and conflicting interface decisions across the product.* ## The decision A component library alone would not fix a coordination problem. I treated the system as a product for designers and engineers, with its own users, operating model, and backlog. The architecture had an opinionated core of tokens and common components, plus room for teams to extend patterns when the product outgrew them. Adoption depended on usefulness and trust. The system needed to remove repeated decisions without becoming another approval layer. This was the design tax I wanted to remove: time spent rebuilding components, debating routine choices, fixing preventable inconsistencies, and switching between bespoke patterns. Those hours looked productive but did not make the product better. - Standardize common patterns so teams can spend less time on routine interface decisions. - Keep room for product-specific work when a shared pattern is no longer enough. - Let teams propose changes instead of routing every decision through one owner. ## How the system ran I formed a guild across design, product, and engineering. We met weekly at first, then less often once the system stabilized. Anyone could bring a proposal. The group would adopt it, adapt it, or reject it, and every accepted pattern received a decision record. Before the guild, I was the person making most interface calls. That made me a bottleneck. I moved those decision rights to the principal and staff designers in the guild and became one vote among several. A component stayed in progress until its design, code, and documentation matched. I also ran weekly office hours during the first quarter and joined other teams' reviews and standups for short stretches. By the second quarter, office-hours attendance had dropped because teams could work through the system without me. The guild still needed time from product, engineering, and senior design. Product managers had to protect maintenance capacity in their sprints. Without that support, the library could fall behind the product and become another source of inconsistency. ## What we shipped The implementation had two connected parts. A Figma and Storybook library covered tokens and reusable components. A documentation site covered typography, layout, accessibility, and patterns that were too broad to explain inside a component. I designed the architecture from tokens upward, built the Figma library, and worked with engineering on implementation and documentation. Naming and guidance described the user problem each pattern solved, not just how it looked. ![Design system documentation showing component guidelines and usage patterns](https://work.mariusz.cc/ds-documentation-example.png) *Documentation connected each pattern to its purpose and implementation.* ## Adoption I made the case in practical terms. Designers and product managers would spend less time debating button styles. Engineers would get predictable components, fewer bugs, and less QA work. Everyone could hand routine pattern decisions to the system and focus on the product. People were willing to give up choices they did not want to make every day. The system did not remove their freedom. It gave them a stable starting point and a clear process for changing it. As adoption grew, reviews moved away from interface inconsistencies and toward workflows, user needs, and feature tradeoffs. Engineering, product, and design also gained a shared vocabulary for interface decisions. ## The outcome ### Would a shared system actually change how teams ship? The assumption was that a governed component library would cut visual QA noise and give engineers a faster first path through the product. - **Visual regressions:** ~0 — Per project after adoption, down from about 15 - **Onboarding:** 50% faster — New engineers learning the product - **Feature delivery:** 3x faster — Teams using the component library *Operational signals from QA, onboarding feedback, and delivery comparisons. We did not have formal analytics for the design system itself.* The contribution process kept the system moving with the product. Teams could propose patterns without giving up consistency, and design reviews had more room for the problems that differentiated the product. The more consistent interface also coincided with better customer satisfaction scores. Customers encountered fewer surprises, and the product no longer felt as fragmented as it had before the system stabilized. ## What I'd change I would measure component reuse from the start. Even lightweight adoption data would have made planning and leadership conversations easier. I would also define the contribution workflow before the backlog grew, then plan system work against the product roadmap so teams could protect maintenance time. The work changed how I think about ownership. The system became useful when decisions stopped depending on me. The components mattered, but the guild, the records, and the trust between teams kept them alive. - Track component reuse from the first release. - Define how patterns enter and leave the library before requests pile up. - Connect system priorities to the product roadmap and reserve maintenance capacity. Looking to build a scalable design system? --- ## https://work.mariusz.cc/work/lilt-agent # Simplifying AI localization for non-experts This case study is password-protected. Designed and prototyped an agent interface that makes enterprise translation usable for people who do not speak localization. The full write-up is not public. Do not invent its contents. Email work@mariusz.cc or open [https://work.mariusz.cc/contact](https://work.mariusz.cc/contact) to request access. --- ## https://work.mariusz.cc/work/lifetramp # Scaling a mission-driven platform from idea to reality - **Role:** Founding Designer - **Responsibilities:** Product & Design Leadership; Product Strategy & Vision; User Research & Testing; Growth Experiments - **Team:** 3 co-founders (biz, product/design, engineering), community team fluctuating - **Collaborated with:** Engineering; Marketing; Community; Operations; Media Partners Led product & design as co-founder for career exploration marketplace from concierge MVP to 3,000+ users, Forbes coverage, and 2-season TV documentary — achieving global reach with $0 marketing spend through community-driven growth. ![Lifetramp platform interface](https://work.mariusz.cc/lifetramp-cover.jpg) *Lifetramp platform interface showing mentor marketplace* ## Sparking the conversation Lifetramp began with discussions on career exploration, where 67% of professionals feel stuck. Our early "How Might We" questions focused on creating a safe, trustworthy space for trying new paths. - How might we build a safe space for people to try new careers? - How might we establish trustworthy place to meet like-minded people? ## What I owned As co-founder, I owned product vision, end-to-end design, growth experiments, and team scaling. - **Product strategy:** Defined product vision, prioritized features, and made key pivots based on user feedback. Balanced user needs with business viability in a resource-constrained startup environment. - **End-to-end design:** From initial sketches to high-fidelity prototypes to production assets. Led UX research, interaction design, visual design, and design systems for a rapidly evolving product. - **Brand identity:** Created the visual identity, tone of voice, and brand guidelines that made Lifetramp recognizable. The brand had to feel trustworthy yet adventurous—serious about careers but not corporate. - **Growth experiments:** Designed and tested acquisition funnels, onboarding flows, and retention mechanisms. Ran 50+ experiments across acquisition, activation, and retention categories. ## Designing for trust Building a two-sided marketplace for trust-based interactions required careful consideration of dynamics beyond typical product design. Key principles guided my decisions: - **Trust as the core product:** Unlike traditional marketplaces, Lifetramp dealt with in-person interactions between strangers. Every design choice—from profile verification to review systems—was filtered through 'does this build or erode trust?' - **Concierge before code:** Before building features, we manually facilitated 100+ mentor sessions. This revealed edge cases no spec could anticipate—payment disputes, no-show policies, safety concerns. The MVP emerged from real operational knowledge, not assumptions. - **Community-driven evolution:** We designed with our community by inviting our most active ambassadors to participate in design reviews and product roadmap reviews, keeping the roadmap aligned with real user needs rather than internal assumptions. - **Strategic media partnerships:** Lifetramp attracted media attention through shareable user stories and authentic transformations. The TV documentary partnership resulted from creating compelling content that resonated with audiences. ## MVP validation Simple landing page generated thousands of signups and unexpected press coverage. Users wanted local mentors and hands-on experiences ("Barista for a day" over theoretical shadowing). ![Lifetramp landing page MVP design](https://work.mariusz.cc/lifetramp-landing-page.jpg) *The simple landing page that generated thousands of signups and unexpected media coverage* ## Concierge to platform Manually matched 100+ pairs to stress-test trust and logistics before building tech. Added reviews, no-show penalties, and humanized profiles (Airbnb playbook). Key findings that shaped product architecture: - **Verification:** Users scrutinized profile photos and put extra value on having real-life photos of the workspace. - **Safety:** Users asked 'Is this person real?' not 'What's their expertise?' Designed human-moderated profile approval and sent a photographer to featured mentors to take professional photos. ### Could the core behaviour work before we built the platform? We assumed people would show up, trust a stranger, and complete a session if we matched them by hand first. - **Closed beta:** 3,015 — Users in the limited launch - **Bookings:** 108 — Sessions completed - **Marketing:** $0 — Spend to reach this milestone *Founder-reported closed-beta metric. Reached before paid acquisition.* After the concierge phase, limited beta targeting specific roles and markets proved the demand was already there. ## Scaling trust through social proof Organic acquisition wasn't an accident—we designed shareable moments that amplified word-of-mouth. Our most effective growth strategy: post-session share cards featuring mentor and explorer together (with consent). - **Social proof mechanism:** After each session, users received shareable cards showing the mentor and explorer together. These cards appeared in users' social feeds, creating authentic word-of-mouth marketing that traditional paid campaigns couldn't match. - **Consent-first design:** Every share card request was opt-in with explicit consent. We built trust into the feature itself: users had to see the preview image and approve before it could be shared, reinforcing our commitment to privacy and user control. ![Early Lifetramp design sketches and wireframes](https://work.mariusz.cc/lifetramp-sketch-1.jpg) *Early design sketches and wireframes* ![Final Lifetramp platform interface](https://work.mariusz.cc/lifetramp-platform.jpg) *Final platform with card-based discovery* ## Monetization & partnerships Tested corporate partnerships (Sephora, WizzAir), NGO donations, and paid experiences. Corporate partnerships worked well—Sephora let mentees join a professional TV make-up artist on set of one of the biggest TV shows in Poland, while WizzAir offered a day in cabin crew training. These unique experiences created strong engagement. We explored an alternative model where mentors could donate their earnings to a non-profit instead of keeping the money. This aligned with the community's values, but we didn't manage to roll it out fully before running out of financial runway. ![Sephora partnership experience](https://work.mariusz.cc/lifetramp-sephora.jpg) *Sephora makeup artistry experience* ![WizzAir cabin crew experience](https://work.mariusz.cc/lifetramp-wizzair.jpg) *WizzAir flight attendant experience* ## Cultural impact Partnered with Planete+ for 2-season TV documentary showcasing user journeys, demonstrating the concept's cultural relevance. ![Lifetramp TV documentary series](https://work.mariusz.cc/lifetramp-tv-show.jpg) *Two seasons of 'Lifetramp: Życie Na Próbę' documentary series* ## What worked - **Strong market validation:** From day one, the response was overwhelming. Thousands signed up. Mentors eagerly shared their stories. Explorers couldn't wait to try something new. We tapped into a universal human need. - **Concierge MVP proved demand:** Before writing code, we manually matched 100+ mentor-mentee pairs. This proved people would actually show up, trust each other, and have meaningful experiences. - **Self-sustaining growth:** Once launched, the community took over. Users spread the word organically, mentors recruited new guides. Self-sustaining growth through network effects. Word of mouth was our primary acquisition channel. - **Media recognition:** Forbes wrote about us. Fast Company featured us. Planete+ turned our story into a 2-season TV documentary. Real people, real transformations, careers being reimagined. ## What didn't work - **Monetization hesitation:** Mentors were genuinely passionate about helping others explore careers but were hesitant to take money for sharing their expertise. We proposed a 'donate all profit to charity' mechanism, letting mentors allocate earnings to non-profits instead of keeping them. - **Runway constraints blocked pivot:** Corporate partnerships (Sephora, WizzAir) showed a clear path to B2B revenue with premium pricing. But we ran out of financial runway before executing the pivot. ## Lessons I learned Building community requires iteration. Start small, validate with real users, and continuously refine based on feedback. - **Concierge MVPs reveal what specs miss:** Before writing code, manually facilitate 100+ interactions. You'll discover edge cases and user needs no product spec could predict. - **Trust design is not cosmetic:** Every design decision filters through 'does this build or erode trust?' Safety and transparency aren't afterthoughts—they're foundational. - **Community first, marketing second:** $0 marketing isn't a brag—it's a strategy. Build systems that let your best users become your best marketers. - **Make your product story-worthy:** Build systems that let users share their experiences. Design content that others want to talk about, and create opportunities for organic word-of-mouth growth. Need someone with broad product experience? --- ## https://work.mariusz.cc/work/lilt-context-database # Designing a context layer for AI and human localization This case study is password-protected. Designed a graph-based context layer that gave translators and automated workflows cleaner brand knowledge without manual TMX maintenance. The full write-up is not public. Do not invent its contents. Email work@mariusz.cc or open [https://work.mariusz.cc/contact](https://work.mariusz.cc/contact) to request access. --- ## https://work.mariusz.cc/work/insurance-agent-dashboard # Enabling insurance agents with market data - **Role:** Product Designer - **Responsibilities:** Discovery & Research; Journey Mapping; Interface & Experience Design - **Team:** Consulting project: me, 2 founders - **Collaborated with:** Client; Development Team Designed a data dashboard platform for freelance insurance agents to understand their ideal customer profile, test different approaches, and gather insights on what works in both online and offline sales. Delivered MVP and design system. ![Insurance agent dashboard platform](https://work.mariusz.cc/insurance-agent-cover.jpg) ## The problem Insurance agents, especially freelancers, often operate in the dark when it comes to products they sell and customers they serve. Many agents lack quality data about their market and customers, making it difficult to grow their business through informed decision-making. ## Opening questions - How might we enable insurance agents with quality data about their market and customers? - How might we allow users to grow their business by improving their decision making? - How might we provide insights on approaches that work well in both online and offline sales? ## My approach Through discovery interviews and journey mapping with insurance agents, I uncovered their daily challenges, information gaps, and decision-making patterns. This guided the design of a platform that makes market data accessible and actionable. - **Discovery & research:** Conducted interviews with freelance insurance agents to understand their workflows, pain points, and information needs. Mapped out their customer journey from prospect identification to conversion. - **Journey mapping:** Created detailed journey maps to visualize agent touchpoints with customers, identifying key decision moments and opportunities for data-driven insights. - **Interface design:** Designed an intuitive dashboard interface that presents complex market data in digestible, actionable formats. Focused on clarity and quick access to key metrics. - **Experience design:** Crafted flows that help agents test approaches, track performance, and continuously refine their strategies through data-driven iteration. ## The solution: Data dashboard platform A dashboard platform that helped insurance agents define an ideal customer profile, compare sales approaches, and read what was working across online and offline channels. - **Ideal customer profile:** Agents can build and refine detailed customer profiles based on market data, helping them identify high-value segments and tailor their approach. - **A/B testing framework:** Test different sales strategies, messaging, and approaches with built-in analytics to determine what resonates with target customers. - **Multi-channel insights:** One view of performance across online and offline channels, so agents could compare patterns without switching tools. - **Actionable recommendations:** Recommendations based on market data and agent performance, written as next actions rather than abstract observations. ## Understanding user flows & minimizing cognitive load Through collaborative workshops, we mapped how agents constantly switched contexts across disjointed tools—phone calls, spreadsheets, CRMs, and emails—creating crushing cognitive load. The answer: bring everything into one place, provide context before they ask for it, and make invisible connections visible by surfacing insights based on where they are in their journey. ![User flow workshop showing agent journey mapping](https://work.mariusz.cc/insurance-agent-flow.jpg) ## Design highlights ### Dashboard interface The main dashboard presents key metrics and insights at a glance, making it easy for agents to quickly understand their market position and track performance. ![Main dashboard interface showing key metrics and insights](https://work.mariusz.cc/insurance-agent-dashboard.jpg) *Main dashboard interface* ### Composable data visualization components Built a library of composable data visualization components that agents can rearrange and customize to surface the insights most relevant to their business needs. ![Composable data visualization components showing modular chart and table elements](https://work.mariusz.cc/insurance-agent-components.jpg) *Composable data visualization components* ### Insights & analytics Deep dive views allow agents to explore data patterns, track performance over time, and identify opportunities for growth. ![Analytics and insights view showing data patterns and trends](https://work.mariusz.cc/insurance-agent-insights.jpg) *Analytics and insights view* ## Outcomes - **MVP delivered:** A fully functional MVP that demonstrated core value, allowing agents to start using data-driven approaches immediately. - **Design system:** A documented component set and usage patterns so the MVP could grow without redesigning the dashboard from scratch. ## Challenges & insights As a freelance project, there was no historical data to work with. The challenge was designing a system that could capture and present insights based on agent inputs and market research. Through deep discovery work, I gathered extensive information about the insurance market and customer behaviors. - **Market understanding:** Gained deep insights into the insurance industry, customer behaviors, and agent workflows through extensive research. - **Freelance constraint:** Without access to historical data, designed the platform to capture and generate insights from agent usage patterns. ## What I would do differently The MVP solved the right surface-level problem: agents needed a clearer way to read the market and compare sales plays. If I were taking the product further, I would instrument the first MVP around agent activation instead of only delivery completeness: which insight triggered a sales action, which customer profile changed behavior, and which recommendation agents trusted enough to use offline. That would turn the dashboard from a reporting interface into a learning loop. The important product bet is not more charts; it is helping agents build confidence in one next action at a time. Need help designing data-driven experiences?