Kalina

|

Today I channel all my skills and curiousity to build products
that feel as good as they look.

What people say

"She works fast, with attention to detail" — Darina Z. "Above and beyond. Definitely going to keep working with her" — Nikolai M. "Adapts quickly to any situation" — Nikolai M. "Delivered in record time" — Darina Z. "She works fast, with attention to detail" — Darina Z. "Above and beyond. Definitely going to keep working with her" — Nikolai M. "Adapts quickly to any situation" — Nikolai M. "Delivered in record time" — Darina Z.

Double Diamond Design Process

Well-Defined Problem
…and again
Define the right problem
Solving the problem right
Problem Space Leveraging AI for primary
and secondary research.
Solution Space Rapid AI prototyping, testing
and iterating with users.
Discover
Research & insights
Define
Focus the problem
Develop
Ideate & prototype
Deliver
Test & ship
Kalina

Hello

A Bit About Me

It turns out creativity simply comes from absorbing information fast — and then our creativity just starts working. That's exactly what UX/UI design did to me. It switched something on that never turns off — I design during the day, wake up at 3am with the solution I couldn't find at my desk, and honestly wouldn't have it any other way.

Today I channel all my skills and curiosity into products that feel as good as they look.

Hobbies
Aspirations
Travel
Reading

Case Studies

Dual-Audience SaaS Platform · Direct Express

I led the redesign of a payment platform serving 2 distinct audiences — cardholders and program managers — into a unified experience. Designed to eliminate drop-off at every step of the user journey.

My Role
Product Designer
Users Impacted
2 Audiences
Conversion
+35%
Drop-off Reduced
-60%
Dual-Audience SaaS
Full Case Study View detailed breakdown →
Real Estate SaaS Platform · Basi Imota

Designed a real estate SaaS platform around trust, clearer user journeys, and usability-tested flows for buyers, sellers, agents, and investors.

My Role
Sole UX/UI Designer
User Journeys
4
Testing
2 Rounds
Scope
End-to-End
Basi Imota real estate SaaS platform
Full Case Study View detailed breakdown →
Productivity Tool · Focus App

Reduced task friction by 40%. Built a productivity tool designed for focused, deep work — featuring smart scheduling, distraction blocking, and progress tracking.

My Role
Product Designer
Users
10K+ Beta
Task Friction
-40%
Retention
+52%
Productivity Tool
Full Case Study View detailed breakdown →
Real Estate OS · PropTech Dashboard

Real estate agencies close faster. Designed a SaaS dashboard that puts the full pipeline in one place — from lead capture to closing, with automated follow-ups and analytics.

My Role
UX/UI Designer
Agencies
50+
Deal Velocity
+45%
Pipeline Visibility
100%
Real Estate OS
Full Case Study View detailed breakdown →


Key Insight




Next Case Study

Kalina Dakova

Download CV
Sofia, Bulgaria 0885 930 365 ekalinadakova@gmail.com linkedin.com/in/kalina-dakova kalinadakova.com

Core Capabilities

Design & Prototyping / User Interface Design · Interaction Design · Design Systems · Information Architecture · Accessibility (WCAG 2.2) · Visual Design · Responsive Design · Scalability · Prototyping · Motion Design · Service Design

Research / User Interviews · Usability Testing · Journey Mapping · Affinity Mapping · Empathy Mapping · Data-Driven Synthesis · Metrics Tracking

Process / Cross-Functional · Agile · Stakeholder Communication · Product Strategy

Engineering / Claude Code · Cursor · Vercel · Figma MCP · Codex · T3 · HTML · CSS · Tailwind · Radix UI

Tools / Figma · Figma Make · FigJam · Adobe Creative Suite · Lottie · Jitter · Rive · Miro · Maze · User Testing

Communications / Slack · Notion · Jira · Confluence · Asana · Monday.com · Kanban

Education

New Bulgarian University / Bachelor's in Interior Design and Visual Communication · 2018 – 2022

New Bulgarian University / Minor Program: Marketing and Brand Building · 2019 – 2020

Google UX Design Certificate / Professional Certificate — Coursera · 2022

IBM Enterprise Design Thinking Practitioner / Enterprise Design Thinking — IBM · 2024

IxDF — Design for Neurodiversity / Master Class — Interaction Design Foundation · 2025

Analytics and Conversion Optimisation / Professional Certificate — Masters Academy · 2026

Business Strategy / Professional Certificate — Masters Academy · 2026

Digital Performance Marketing / Professional Certificate — Masters Academy · 2026

Social Media Marketing / Professional Certificate — Masters Academy · 2026

Email Marketing Mastery / Professional Certificate — Masters Academy · 2026

Ecommerce Mastery / Professional Certificate — Masters Academy · 2026

and more...

Languages

Bulgarian (Native) · English (Fluent)

Inspiration

The Design of Everyday Things — Donald Norman

Don't Make Me Think — Steve Krug

Thinking, Fast and Slow — Daniel Kahneman

Nielsen Norman Group — nngroup.com · Research & Articles

Work Experience

AI Product Designer · Hybrid B2B & B2C Platform as a Service

As the Sole UX Designer, built with stakeholders and engineers a real estate platform as a service that serves two fundamentally different audiences within a single product — each with their own journey, needs and revenue model.

  • Ran end-to-end product discovery — used AI vibe coding tools to prototype, test with users, and validate ideas before sprints were scoped.
  • Conducted 9 user interviews to understand user pain points, shaping early design direction and platform vision.
  • Developed and maintained the design system with 25+ reusable components, including branding, layout, content, and grids, ensuring WCAG accessibility compliance and consistency across customer experience.
  • Drove project management across every quarter — scoping, execution, and success metrics tracked in Monday.com.
  • Reduced task completion time by 40% through 3 rounds of usability testing with 5 participants.
UX/UI Design Studio Founder Aftertone
  • Delivered 12+ projects in under 8 months with a 95% on-time rate serving SaaS and eCommerce businesses.
  • Worked closely with an engineer building Epitrack, a web and mobile app for people with Epilepsy — focused on tracking and documenting when episodes were occurring and alerting their personal assistants.
  • Partnered with the business owner to define and build a digital experience for Playville, a brand new children's play center, from the ground up.
  • Partnered with a skincare brand to design a full UX/UI experience and ad campaign, achieving 5% CTR at launch and validating product-market fit.
  • Grew a self-sustaining client pipeline through strong stakeholder relationships, clear communication, and consistent delivery quality.
  • Collaborated and led meetings with diverse audiences and people from different industries, aligning on goals and driving projects forward.
Freelance Designer Contractor
  • Managed multiple projects from concept to completion, executing product design and visual design as a multidisciplinary designer working at the intersection of design, brand, and business strategy.
  • Retained 95% client satisfaction by managing scope, timelines, and quality while adapting quickly to evolving requirements and stakeholder feedback.
UX/UI Design Intern · UX Solutions
  • Applied user-centered design principles to create seamless, accessible shopping experiences across eCommerce platforms.
  • Delivered high-fidelity Figma designs and interactive prototypes, working closely with engineering and stakeholders to ensure seamless handoff and client satisfaction.
  • Drove a 2% churn reduction, impacting an e-commerce store with 2,500+ product listings.
Interior Designer · IDEA by Alex Kovachev
  • Translated client briefs into spatial concepts and technical drawings, balancing aesthetic and functional needs across residential and commercial projects.
  • Defined material strategies through moodboards and visual presentations, ensuring cohesive outcomes and clear stakeholder alignment.
  • Shaped project scope through structured discovery sessions, reducing revisions and delivering on time with consistent quality.