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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

    Kaizen

    Using Japanese philosophy of continuous improvement through small, incremental changes to continuously improve processes and workflows.

    Purpose

    Learning to understand 'why' behind every decision. Great design solves real problems and creates meaningful experiences for users.

    Collaboration

    The best learning happens together. I value feedback, diverse perspectives, and the collective wisdom of teams working toward common goals.

    Iteration

    First draft is rarely best outcome. I use user data and business goals to ensure the final product actually performs.

    Languages

    English

    Fluent

    Polish

    Native

    German

    Conversational