Perola Da Cruz

Digital Product Designer (UX/UI/AR)

Location: London, England

Telephone: +44 7523336417

Email: perolajanice1@gmail.com

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/perolajanice

Website: www.perolajanice.com (password: ilovefood) | www.theoddspace.com


Professional Profile 

Perola is able to transform brands and help them launch amazing new products. She works across User Research, User Testing, UX Design, UI Design, Interactive Prototyping, XR and Social Media. With 7+ years of experience working within technology, she is able to design efficient products that are incredibly easy to use from concept to delivery. But more than desirable products, she helps design successful and sustainable companies. Perola’s approach is by creating digital solutions that accelerate user experiences. 
Throughout the years Perola has gained extensive hands-on experience building digital products in an agile environment using Sketch, Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, Invision as well as Blender, HTML, CSS and JS. Perola has since worked for multiple global companies providing innovative design solutions to enhance the overall user experience. 
Keen to contribute to the success of digital products, extend or optimise existing solutions and improve user experiences through excellent problem-solving and communication skills, as proven through past experience. 
Previously, Perola founded a digital agency (Clamp Digital) that aimed to build digital e-commerce experiences as well as provide initiatives to learn and has worked with brands such as Alexander McQueen and GiffGaff. During Perola’s time, she was featured in articles on Net-a-porter and Forbes before she left in 2021. 
Perola has since founded an experimental design company (Odd Space). Its aim is to create unique and sustainable products using emerging technology such as Augmented Reality. Perola has worked with brands such as Atlantic Records, Size?, Reebok and Clarks to create social Augmented Reality experiences to strengthen their marketing as well as workshops to teach others about Augmented Reality and 3D Modelling.

Key Skills and Expertise 

Design Techniques 

Design thinking, Interaction design, Visual design, User-centred designs, User stories, User flows, Storyboarding, User Journeys, User Research, Information architecture, Experience Maps, User Personas, Prototyping, Experimentation, and Augmented Reality.

Information Gathering

Interviews, Questionnaires, Observations, Workshop facilitation, Document review, A/B testing and prototyping user manuals.

Tools

Figma, Sketch, AdobeXD, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Invision, Marvel, SparkAR, and Blender.

Languages

English, Portuguese.

Education

Experience Haus | Product Design UX/UI Course (Jan 2020 - Apr 2020)

General Assembly | UX Design Bootcamp (Sept 2019)

Goldsmith University | Computer Science BSc (Sept 2016 - April 2017)

Work Experience 

UX Specialist | Phlexglobal, London (Oct 2021 - Present) 

Transforming the user experience of web applications across the business and delighting users. Strengthening the clinical trials process through understanding and optimising customer interactions. Working collaboratively in sprints with the Product and Development teams and having wider interaction with internal and external users.

  • Leading UX/UI initiatives and user workshops.

  • Analysing user behaviour using appropriate tools.

  • Providing recommendations on tools and methodologies to understand user behaviour and inform product design.

  • Creating technical user guides, reducing support tickets for the customer team.

  • Providing recommendations to improve user satisfaction and efficiency.

  • Assisting in designing new interfaces to transform the application interface.

  • Providing wireframes, mock-ups, prototypes and other deliverables to assist with validating user requirements with key product stakeholders.

  • Contribute ideas and suggestions to the product team meetings to help ensure we are developing products in the best way using the latest technologies.

  • Manage UI design team.

  • Reducing support tickets by creating user guides for software users.


Creative Lead Consultant | RAFFL (September 2022 - Present) 

Consulting for an augmented reality raffling application company.

  • Advising on UX/UI Design and collaborating with developers as the company begins testing on users.


Founder/Creative Director | Odd Space, London (Nov 2021 - Present) 

Delivering immersive experiences that help people engage with things they love (brands/music/artists) and creating unique and sustainable products (physical and digital) using emerging technology.

Providing products with purpose and digital solutions.

  • Planning and creating marketing campaigns

  • Creating 3D assets using Blender

  • Creating AR experiences using SparkAR/Effect House/Lens Studio

  • Creation of NFC-enabled AR experiences 

  • Product development


Founder/UX/UI Designer | Clamp Agency, London (Nov 2019 - Dec 2021)  

A company I founded that built digital and phygital experiences. My responsibilities included; Delivering user-centred design solutions on a variation of projects and helping businesses achieve their user goals, increasing visits on websites/apps and increase in e-commerce sales. As well as providing initiatives for others to learn. Catered to over 10 clients including Alexander Mcqueen and GiffGaff. Previously featured in Forbes and Net-a-Porter magazine.

  • Meet with clients to gather information about their requirements.

  • Being the key point of contact for the overall delivery of an idea from inception through to rollout.

  • Create user personas, user journeys and site maps. 

  • Conduct A/B experiments, usability tests, tree tests, design sprints and more.

  • Work collaboratively with other designers, development teams, business analysts, engineers and project managers.

  • Solve UX problems in the most creative ways.

  • Provide design and UX direction within the Product team.

  • Designing low-fidelity and High-fidelity wireframes.

  • Presenting work to clients.

  • Doing company admin, emails and invoicing.


User Interface Designer | Karakuri, London (Sept 2020 - June 2021)

Contributing to the growth of the business by creating UI designs and prototypes to show investors and secure 6.3 million pounds of investment. Carrying out user research on the canteen robot to improve the user experience and interactions.

  • Propose and sketch out a range of visual concepts both on paper and using software applications.

  • Translate concepts into wireframes, prototypes and user flows using specialist tools such as Axure, InVision, Marvel, and Sketch, as well as the Adobe product suite.

  • Work on cross-platform applications to develop user experiences covering mobile phones, tablets and computers.

  • Work collaboratively with other designers, product design and development teams, business analysts, engineers and project managers.

  • Annotation and documentation for handover to the Development team & Involvement in research/competitive analysis.

  • Ongoing maintenance of UX pattern library/style guide.

  • Conduct usability testing.


Product Designer | Foundational, London (Jan 2020 - April 2020)

Devising a solution to empower entrepreneurs. Carrying out user research, designing a solution ready for user testing and then a fully functioning prototype.

  • Carry out user research, conceptual design, prototyping, detailed design, and user testing.

  • Completing competitor analysis. 

  • Producing user stories and task flows.

  • Propose and sketch out a range of visual concepts both on paper and using software applications.

  • Meet with clients to gather information about their requirements.

  • Translate concepts into wireframes, prototypes and user flow using specialist tools such as Axure, InVision, Marvel, and Sketch, as well as the Adobe product suite.

Junior Graphic Designer | Watches2U, London (Dec 2019 - Feb 2020)

Meeting business goals by designing web UI, email campaigns/banners and digital assets leading to an increased in sales and further customer clicks.

  • Production of web-ready design assets.

  • Design Graphical website and email banners. 

  • Create emails using HTML.

  • User testing to improve the customer journey and overall UX.


Junior Software Engineer | TalkTalk, London (Oct 2017 - Mar 2019)

Achieving user and business needs by adding features and fixing bugs in apps using Angular4 and then re-developing a native Android app using Java in an Agile environment. Decreasing customer billing enquiries.

  • Updating website copy and images.

  • Collaborating with other developers, designers, PO, SM, and marketing.

  • Programming features onto the app and fixing bugs.

  • Following OOP and agile methodologies. 

  • Working closely with design and marketing teams to optimise front-end development of the website in line with business requirements.