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Mariusz Ciesla

Principal Product Designer

Berlin, Germany

About

Product design leader and design engineer with almost two decades of experience. I specialize in design systems, user experience research, and collaborative design processes. I've worked with product teams, agencies, and consulted for large corporates, always focusing on continuous improvement and purpose-driven design.

Experience

Principal Product Designer

LILT

2025 - Present

Focused on exploring AI tooling capabilities and building user-centered design solutions that bridge human creativity with AI efficiency. Leading strategic design initiatives to enhance product experiences through innovative AI-powered workflows.

  • Exploring and implementing cutting-edge AI tools to enhance design workflows and product development velocity
  • Building intuitive design solutions that prioritize user needs while leveraging AI capabilities for enhanced experiences
  • Creating scalable design systems and processes that maximize impact while minimizing complexity
  • Leading product design strategy with focus on AI integration and human-centered innovation
  • Working closely with engineering and product teams to deliver cohesive AI-enhanced user experiences
AI Tooling
Product Strategy
Design Systems
User Experience
Innovation
Strategic Design

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.

  • Led cross-functional Product & Design teams to accelerate delivery, adoption, and customer impact
  • Owned brand, visual identity, and Design System, ensuring global consistency and market differentiation
  • Streamlined internal & 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
Design Management
Team Leadership
Design Systems
AI Workflows
User Research
Brand Strategy

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 AI-powered translation agent, focusing on trust, transparency, and collaborative human-AI workflows
  • Collaborated on product roadmap and user research initiatives across multiple product areas
Design Systems
AI/ML Product Design
Workflow Design
User Research
Accessibility

Product Designer & Consultant

Freelance & Agencies

2013 - 2020

Worked with various product teams, agencies, and consulted for large corporates across different industries.

  • 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 and collaboration
UX Strategy
Digital Transformation
Enterprise Design
Process Optimization

Head of Design

anynines

2014 - 2020

Created and maintained coherent style guides and design systems across different teams, while collaborating with Marketing on growth initiatives and experimentation frameworks.

  • 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
  • Developed and implemented systematic approaches to testing and iterating on growth strategies
Design Leadership
Developer Experience
Enterprise Design
Cloud Platforms
Design Systems

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
Product Strategy
Brand Identity
Growth Experiments
Community Building
Prototyping

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
Education
Curriculum Development
Mentoring
Visual Design
Workshop Facilitation

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
Design Systems
User-Centered Design
Cross-functional Collaboration
Early-Stage Product

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
Product Design
Front-end Development
User Research
Interface Design
Kanban/Agile

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
Ruby on Rails
HTML/CSS
Sass
JavaScript
Interface Design

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
.NET Framework
HTML/CSS
JavaScript
Enterprise Applications
Government Projects

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
Accessibility
Analytics
Claude Code
Gemini CLI
Cursor
Lovable
Onlook
Subframe

Design Principles

Iterative

Every product is a cycle of testing, learning, and continuous improvement. First drafts are rarely the best outcome.

Intentional

Good design makes hard things feel simple. Every decision should be informed, deliberate, and grounded in real insight.

Collaborative

The best solutions emerge from diverse perspectives. I value feedback, challenge assumptions, and build on collective wisdom.

Purposeful

Great design solves real problems. Understanding the 'why' behind every decision ensures meaningful outcomes for users.

Languages

English

Fluent

Polish

Native

German

Conversational