About

Elena Zabrodina

Product designer and builder based in Switzerland

I audit complex B2B and legacy software, then turn insights into ranked fixes and specs your team can build.

13+Years in UX
7Years in B2B SaaS
NN/gUX certified
Send inquiry See how I can help
Elena Zabrodina
01

My Approach

02

Why Teams Bring Me In

I've worked inside product teams like yours

Seven years in B2B and enterprise software. I know how product, engineering and business make decisions, and what engineers need before they can build.

See my experience ↓

I start from evidence, not opinions

Analytics, support tickets, interviews and usability sessions. Every finding says what happens, how we know and why it matters, so priorities are easy to agree on.

See a sample UX audit →

What I hand over can be built

Specs with flows, states, edge cases and acceptance criteria. Engineers, QA and AI coding agents all work from the same source, so less gets lost between design and code.

See a sample spec →

Complex is where I'm most useful

Data integration, banking, test automation, trading. Deep workflows, expert users and legacy constraints don't slow me down; they're where most of my work has been.

See case studies ↓
03

Build the Right Thing, Faster

Most teams spend months building before learning they built the wrong thing. AI-accelerated prototyping compresses that feedback loop from months to days.

Traditional Approach ∼6 months
Research
Research 4–6 weeks

Market analysis, competitor review, stakeholder interviews. Often too broad, not tied to testable hypotheses.

Design
Design 4–8 weeks

Wireframes, mockups, design reviews. Static deliverables that can't be tested with real users.

Development
Development 8–12 weeks

Handoff, implementation, QA. The biggest cost center, and assumptions are already baked in.

Test
Testing 2–3 weeks

First real user feedback comes here. Changes are now expensive and demoralizing.

Launch
Launch 2 weeks

Ship and hope. Often followed by “Why aren't users converting?”

Wrong?
Wrong Thing Built After launch

Users don't engage. Metrics are flat. The team realizes the core assumption was off. Start over?

High risk of building the wrong thing
AI-Accelerated Prototyping ∼6 weeks
Discover
Discover 2–3 days

Focused problem framing. Identify the riskiest assumptions to test first.

Prototype
AI Prototype 3–5 days

Build a working prototype. Not mockups—a real, clickable product people can use.

Test
User Testing 2–3 days

Put the prototype in front of real users. Get feedback on something tangible, not theoretical.

Iterate
Iterate 1–2 weeks

Adjust based on real data. Rapid cycles that cost hours, not months.

Validate
Validate 3–5 days

Confirm the solution works. Test with a wider audience. Confidence, not guesswork.

Ship
Ship Ongoing

Launch with confidence. You already know users want this because they told you.

Build the right thing, validated by real users
0x Faster to first user feedback
0% Lower risk of building the wrong thing
0 weeks From idea to validated prototype
Read the full approach →
04

Sample Deliverables

S · Spark
UX Audit Report

Friction map, ranked findings and a roadmap.
M · Ignite
Spec & Prototype

A working prototype and a spec your team can build from.
L · Orbit
Roadmap & Monthly Update

A shared roadmap, UX metrics and guidelines.
See them as sample decks → More in the Lab → My approach to prototyping →
05

How We Can Work Together

S Spark (UX Audit) Find out where your product loses users, and what to fix first. 1 – 2 weeks → M Ignite (Spec & Prototype) Turn findings or mixed input into a solution your team can build without guessing. 3 – 6 weeks → L Orbit (Embedded Partner) Strategic and hands-on UX support as part of your team, without a full-time hire. 3 – 6 months →
06

Is This a Good Fit?

Good fit

  • You have an idea and need a reliable partner to make it real fast
  • You have a live product with usability problems or friction
  • Your dev team needs clear specs, not just pretty screens
  • You're modernizing legacy software
  • You can make decisions fast
  • You value lean collaboration over layers of process

Not the right fit

  • You can't commit to fast feedback loops
  • You're optimizing process, not outcomes
  • You value meetings over momentum
  • You want process documentation more than a working product
07

Experience

FounderUX audits & requirements elena. (CH) 2026–
Sr./Lead UX DesignerData & software solutions B2B SaaS Datahouse (CH) 2023–2026
Sr.Product DesignerData integration platform B2B SaaS Adverity (AT) 2022–2023
Sr.UX DesignerCorporate banking, George Business B2B SaaS Erste Bank (AT) 2020–2021
UX DesignerEnterprise test automation B2B SaaS Tricentis (AT) 2019–2020
Art DirectorDigital agency TOWA Digital Agency (AT) 2015–2019
UX DesignerDigital agency MassiveArt Digital Agency (AT) 2013–2015

Certificates

UX Strategy NN/g UX Certification UX Metrics

Industries

SaaS Fintech Startups AI & ML
08

Work You Can Look At

Case studies

Data mapping configuration interface for Adverity
Data Integration · Complex Enterprise Software
Data Mapping

Addressing the users' most critical pain point in a highly technical domain.

 Digital account opening for corporate clients
Banking · B2B SaaS
Digital Account Opening

Digitizing paper-based account opening process for corporate clients.

 Augmented reality maintenance workflows
Augmented Reality · Start-up
Workflows

Content-rich augmented reality instructions to support maintenance tasks.

 Currency pair trading platform concept
Finance · Concept Sprint
Currency Pair Trading

Rapid concept design for a currency trading platform, from zero to high-fidelity in a 48-hour design sprint.

Let's see if I can help

Tell me what's not working, and I'll come back with first thoughts and a suggested starting point.

Send inquiry Take the quick assessment
Still exploring? Clarify your idea → LinkedIn → Dribbble →