Jeff White

Improving Medtech software ➤ Advancing UX careers with storytelling @ uxstorytelling.io/course ➤ UX Consultant ➤ UX Designer & Educator

In 20+ years as a UX/UI designer I've shipped hundreds of apps, websites, and features for big tech companies like Amazon and Motorola all the way down to tiny startups being run from a garage. 

5 years into my career I co-published an article about Agile UX work a colleague and I were doing at a broadcast retail company.

That led to several speaking engagements, and 1.5 years later I was in Seattle presenting the design for Kindle for iPhone 1.0 to Jeff Bezos.

I worked at Amazon for 6 years where I:

→ Designed and shipped dozens of Kindle reading apps used by millions
→ Got promoted 3 times
→ Managed and lead teams
→ Worked on highly visible "special projects"
→ Presented to Jeff Bezos and other execs more times than I can remember
 
And then I got burned out. 

So to recover I co-founded a tech startup. This is not a joke. This is also probably not advice I would give to anyone. 

The startup fizzled out quickly but it was my first exposure to entrepreneurship and I was hooked.

I didn't know what to do, I just knew I wanted to continue being out on my own.

With the help of others I started contracting. Over time that grew into a 7 figure design firm called Stepladder. 

Things about Stepladder that I'm proud of:

→ Short but impressive list of long time clients. We form partnerships.
→ 100% referral based
→ 97% of clients become return customers
→ Experienced designers come here to have more freedom in their life
→ Younger designers come here to get started and learn

I never dreamed that I would speak at conferences, work at a big tech name, or start companies. Yet here I am 20 years later incredibly fortunate, full of gratitude, sometimes a bit tired, and having learned:

→ You can't do it alone
→ Helping people is the best part of this job

I share what I've learned over the years here on LinkedIn and work with clients at www.stepladderUX.com.

Thanks for reading.

Founder and Head of Design

Product Designer in Fintech & SaaS | Webflow Developer | Author of The Psychology Behind Design | Product Owner at Olyn

Hey there 👋 thanks for stopping by my profile!

In a nutshell:

I'm a Product Designer with expertise in Fintech and SaaS — who believes in the power of simplicity and psychology.

I’ve spent 6 years turning complex ideas into user-friendly designs, leading to at least a 30% increase in user satisfaction for the companies I worked with.

What I do:

- Make products easier to use
- Improve conversion & retention rate
- Help customers understand the product’s value

I care about these things, plus good work and making things better.

Balint Bogdan

Small win today.

Just locked in the new email design for Brisk.

This is what your clients will see when you send an invoice and reminders.

It needed to feel:

Professional, not pushy.
Clear, not cluttered.

Like it came from you, not a robot.

This is what we landed on.

Launch is coming soon.

Get early and free access: https://staybrisk.com/

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100 Mentorship Minutes

Product Psychology Masterclass

Growth-Driven Design Certification Course

UX Foundations: Style Guides and Design Systems

Wedbush Securities is the largest subsidiary of Wedbush Financial Services. Since its founding in 1955, Wedbush is widely known for providing our clients, both private and institutional, with a wide range of securities brokerage, clearing, wealth management, and investment banking services. Headquartered in  Pasadena, California with 100 registered offices and nearly 900 colleagues, the firm focuses on client service and financial safety, innovation, and the utilization of advanced technology. Securities and Investment Advisory services are offered through Wedbush Securities Inc. Member NYSE/FINRA/SIPC.

I currently work at Wedbush, designing the new trading platform for financial advisors and clients.

Wedbush is a financial services firm founded in 1955 and based in Los Angeles. It's a major investment bank, broker-dealer and wealth management company. They provide services like securities brokerage, investment banking, equity research, private client services and asset management.

Product Designer

I joined Repocket to help users have a better experience with their apps and website:

• Built a new design language across web and mobile, so users felt at home.
• Fixed important parts to improve conversion rates and keep users coming back.
• Improved the website by making it more clear for new visitors to understand Repocket's value.

Working with Repocket showed me how important it is to look at design from all angles - from someone's first visit to the website to becoming a regular user. I found that when things work simply and make sense, people naturally want to come back.

Senior Product Designer

I joined Climate Savers to guide their product development and shape new features:

• Helped define clear goals and priorities for both web and mobile platforms.
• Created intuitive ways for users to track and reduce their environmental impact.
• Built an MVP mobile app for consumers to help make climate-friendly choices in their daily lives.

Working with different companies and cultures taught me to be flexible while staying focused on what matters - solving real problems for real people. 

Every project added a new perspective to my design approach, showing me there's always more than one way to tackle a challenge. It's been rewarding to see how thoughtful design can help businesses grow, no matter where they're based.

Freelance

At Plytrix, I served as the sole designer, leading design efforts across all products and shaping the user experience for both customers and internal teams.

Key contributions:

• Designed the core web app platform: Turned complex data into clear insights for customers.
• Established an internal design system: Ensured consistency and efficiency across all products.
• Built the marketing website: Defined the company’s brand identity and communicated its value.

This work laid the foundation for Plytrix’s visual direction and user experience as the company moved into its next stage of growth.

At Olyn, I helped bridge the gap between business needs and user goals to guide product development.

• Translated stakeholder needs into clear, actionable user stories to keep projects focused.
• Applied design principles to support product development and improve usability.
• Drove product vision and strategy to align teams and priorities for the long term.

Working at Olyn showed me how important it is to get everyone talking and working together, while always thinking about what users really need.

I joined Abra to help shape and build new features for their crypto app serving over 1 million users.
‍
• Built a robust design system that enabled everyone to work faster and keep designs consistent.
• Designed full experience of Market Order & Limit Order.
• Created new features for the Institutional Businesses platform.
• Contributed to several products like  Borrow, Earn, Fund and DeFi.

My time at Abra taught me what it's really like to work closely with a product team - seeing how small design changes could make a big difference in how people used the app.

I joined Inbound FinTech Agency to help fintech companies grow and reach more customers by working alongside our marketing, design, and engineering teams:
‍
• Designed marketing websites and improved conversion rates.
• Created animations for products, presentations, social posts, and interfaces.
• Contributed to the development of several websites.

I learned that good work comes from really listening to everyone - marketers need to tell good stories, developers need practical solutions, and customers need things that just work.

UX/UI Designer

As the company's sole designer, I managed all aspects of design for startups including web design, product design and marketing assets.
‍
• I redesigned all marketing websites by improving their look and experience.
• Improved user experience on the web applications to make the product easier for new users.
• Created animations and illustrations to give users a better understanding of the product.
• Designed sales decks and guides for investors.

Being the only designer was challenging but rewarding. I learned to spot what needed fixing first and how to make the biggest impact with limited time.

Graphic Designer

Rainfall was my ever first experience working in a marketing agency, they gave me opportunity to experience what it's like to work in a professional team at a very young age.
‍
• Learned how websites work and how to code them.
• Delivered design marketing assets for clients.
• Contributed with feedback and improvements of small projects. Frontend Developer Jan 2017 - Dec 2017 · 1 yr

Frontend Developer

I design products that look great and feel just right for users | Senior Product Designer in Fintech & SaaS | Webflow Developer | Author of "The Psychology Behind Design"

Brisk

I design products that look great and feel just right for users | Senior Product Designer in Fintech & SaaS | Webflow Developer | Author of "The Psychology Behind Design" 🧠

I used to think landing clients was about having:

The biggest portfolio.
The most followers.
The fanciest website.

Then I learned a stat that changed everything:

89% of consumers trust recommendations from people they know.

That's it.

Not your SEO.
Not your viral post.
Not your award wall.

Word of mouth from someone they trust.

Here's what that means for freelancers:

Your reputation is your sales team.

Every project you deliver well = a potential referral.
Every client you treat like a human = someone who'll vouch for you.

When I started building Brisk, I went back to this principle.

Freelancers don't need more tools to "hack growth."
They need tools that help them deliver on time, look professional, and get paid without friction.

Because when clients have a smooth experience, they tell their friends.

Brisk automates the boring parts, invoices, reminders, contracts - so you can focus on doing great work and building relationships that turn into referrals.

That's the long game.

Start building a business people want to refer: https://staybrisk.com/

Every product claims to be user-friendly.

SaaS landing pages. App store descriptions. Pitch decks.

“Easy to use.” 
“Intuitive interface.” 
“Simple and powerful.”

The problem

User-friendly to whom?

A tool that’s simple for experts feels overwhelming to beginners.

A product that’s obvious to tech workers confuses everyone else.

An interface that’s clean to designers hides everything users need.

There’s no universal “friendly.” 

Only friendly to specific people in specific contexts.

Here's my take on "The myth of user-friendly":  https://lnkd.in/dcj-Fq75

P.S. If you enjoyed these ideas, you'll love my newsletter: https://lnkd.in/dmGa5y42

The secret to getting work isn't a secret

It's just boring.

Everyone wants the hack:

The perfect cold email template
The viral portfolio piece
The LinkedIn algorithm trick

But here's the real "secret":

Making positive connections with people.

That's it.

The freelancers who succeed:

Actually talk to people
Follow up after meeting someone
Help others without expecting anything back
They're not smarter.
They're not more talented.

They're just consistently pleasant to be around.

And when someone needs a designer, writer, or developer, they think:

"Oh, I know someone."

You can have the best portfolio in the world.

But if no one knows you exist, you're invisible.

The work doesn't always speak for itself.

You have to speak for it.

By showing up.
By being helpful.
By building relationships.

That's the "secret."

Your interface looks clean.

Good spacing. Nice typography. Consistent colors.

You show it in reviews. People nod. "Looks great."

Then users open it and pause. Confused. Uncertain. Lost.

The problem

The design isn't broken. The structure is.

Apple's design team tests every interface with three questions:

Where am I?
What can I do?
Where can I go from here?
Open your product right now. Pick any screen.

Can someone answer all three in three seconds?

Most can't.

Not because the features are bad.

Because the interface never prioritized clarity.

Here's my breakdown of "The three questions your interface ignores": https://lnkd.in/dMDpH7wZ

P.S. If you enjoyed these ideas, you'll love my newsletter: https://lnkd.in/dmGa5y42

Freelancing taught me skills I never expected:

At first, I thought I was just becoming a better designer.

But freelancing forced me to wear every hat in the business.

Suddenly, I had to budget like a CFO. 
Pitch projects like a sales rep. 
Manage timelines like a project manager. 
Market my services like a marketer. 
Negotiate deals like a business dev. 
Communicate with clients, partners, and vendors.

No one told me learning design was just step one. 

The real experience started when I had to figure out the numbers, the pitch and the plan.

The good thing: Every one of these skills transfers.

Even if you go back to employment, you understand how businesses work.

You know how projects get priced. 
What it takes to keep clients happy. 
How revenue targets shape decisions. 

You're not just a designer anymore.

You're someone who sees how business really works.

But those skills don't matter if you're spending half your time on admin.

That's why I'm building Brisk, an organized client management so you focus on getting better, not just getting by.

Free when we launch: https://staybrisk.com/

Your skills are valuable. 

Your time should reflect that.

taplio

The Battle

Jeff White

Balint Bogdan

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Balint Bogdan's LinkedIn Performance

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