Pavle Lucic

Senior UI/UX Designer @ Toptal | Prototyping, Branding, UI Development

I am a Senior UI/UX Designer at Toptal, a network of the world's top 3% of software engineering, design, and finance talent. With over 10 years of experience in the design industry, I have a proven track record of creating visually engaging and user-friendly interfaces for in-car navigation systems, SaaS apps, and marketing websites.

My background in business and economics gives me a unique perspective on how to design UX and UI that are not only aesthetically pleasing, but also functional, efficient, and user-friendly. I am passionate about solving complex problems, collaborating with diverse teams, and learning new skills. I am also Adwords Search Certified, which demonstrates my ability to optimize the online presence and performance of my clients. My goal is to help tech companies increase their revenue by improving the user experience of their products.

Senior UI/UX Desiger

This is how I work now:

1. Think
2. Write
3. Plan
4. Ask
5. Wait
6. Then design

It’s slower. But it works.

Because UX isn’t just what you make.
It’s what you understand first.

(Repost ♻️)

P.S. What is your process?

Senior UI/UX Product Designer | UX Strategy | Figma

No alternative text description for this image

This might be a controversial post but it's true.

I don't have a formal design degree.

I'm pretty sure a lot of self-taught designers experience this too.

Examples:

Every time I share my work online, someone asks "where did you study?"
I can feel the judgment coming.

Every time I'm in a room with "formally trained" designers.
I hear the whispers: "They probably just watch YouTube tutorials."

Every portfolio review, every job interview, someone implies "you're not a real designer without the credentials."

But then...They see just ONE of my projects and:

That skepticism closes immediately
I get genuine compliments in my DMs
I get referrals + new client inquiries

So...

Why do we judge credentials before we judge the work?
Especially with creative fields? 😊

Fear that talent and hustle might matter more than a piece of paper. 
Which, honestly, they often do.

To my fellow self-taught designers who've "made it work" I love you. 

Keep building. Keep proving that skills speak louder than diplomas.

Keep letting your work change people's minds. It's worth it.

Pavle ❤️

Most designers aren't designers.

(they're technicians who happen to use design tools)

Yesterday I lost 2 hours on a shelf.

Just me obsessing over form and function.
And here's the thing...

That "is" design.

Not the logo you send on Friday.
Not the mockup in your portfolio.
Not the deliverable in your inbox.

Design is how you "think."

- How you can't ignore a bad detail.
- How you see a room and want to fix it.
- How you solve problems no one asked you to solve.

Just think about this:

1. The Bauhaus school understood this.
↳ They didn't teach "tools." They taught living.

2. Japanese carpenters understood this.
↳ No nails. No shortcuts. Every cut is intentional.

Design is form.
Design is function.
Design is creation.

It doesn't "clock in and out."

If you only design when you open your laptop...
And stop when you close it...

You're not a designer.
You're a technician who uses design tools.

Nothing wrong with that.

Just don't confuse the two.

P.S. Agree or disagree? 👇

Loading states matter.

Blank screen = user thinks it's broken.

Progress bar = user knows how long.
Spinner = user knows something's happening.
Skeleton screen = user sees structure forming.
Instant feedback = user doesn't notice the wait.
Steps = user knows where they are ("Step 2 of 4").
Active waiting = user is entertained while waiting (tips, facts).

Never leave users guessing.

Show them the system is working.
Even if it takes time, show progress.

(Repost further ♻️)

17 genuine tips for using illustrations to improve UX

(I wish someone told me number 8 sooner)

1. Empty states feel less scary
2. Error messages feel friendlier
3. Users remember visuals 6x better
4. Onboarding completes 40% more
5. They reduce mental effort instantly
6. They help users know where they are
7. You will add illustrations way too soon
8. They reduce support tickets by 30-40%
9. Permission requests make more sense
10. Complex steps feel simpler with visuals
11. They answer questions before users ask
12. Visual metaphors beat long explanations
13. Users understand faster than reading text
14. They build trust during frustrating moments
15. Empty spaces feel intentional instead of broken
16. They guide without overwhelming with instructions
17. Strategic placement turns confusion into confidence

Repost this free value for others ♻️ Thank you!

P.S. Hey, which one (1-17) do you like most?

If there's one thing I'd eliminate in UX design...

It's birthday pickers like this. You know the ones:

1. Scroll wheels flicking through 40+ years to find 1986
2. Calendar grids tapping "previous month" 480 times
3. Three separate dropdowns, praying the order is right

There's a much better way.

It's called "TIF = Text Input First". 
Rooted in real behavior.
Backed by research. 

TIF is simple:

1. Let users type their birthday
2. Auto-format date as they go
3. Offer a picker as backup only

Why it works:

People know their birthday by heart.
Typing takes 2 seconds.

Scrolling through a picker takes 15+ seconds of frustration.

Hope this helps! (Repost if so ♻️)

P.S. Anything worse than a scroll-wheel date picker?

undefined undefined

I was in a meeting last week.

One designer talked for 60 of them.

References to everything. 
"What if we..." on repeat.

Opinions on everything.

Loud. 
Confident. 
Influential.

Everyone nodded along.

Then someone asked:
"So who's going to build this?"

Silence.

The loud one? 
"I'm more of a strategy person."

The quiet one in the corner?

She opened Figma.
Had 3 options ready.
Built while they debated.

That's when I realized:

The best designer in the room?
Often the one who says the least.

Repost this ♻️ if you've seen this happen too.

Good UX is boring.

Users complete tasks without thinking.

They don't notice the design. They just finish.

Bad UX is memorable.
Users remember frustration. Confusion. Friction.

Stop trying to impress users.

The best interfaces are simple.

P.S. When was the last time you noticed good UX?

A client came to me with a "broken" product. 

Here's what happened:

They spent 8 months building an app.

It worked perfectly. But nobody used it.

Refund requests? Daily. 
App store reviews? 2.1 stars.
Support tickets? 200+ per week. 

They thought the product was broken.

It wasn't.
The design was.

I changed 5 things:

1. Moved the main CTA
2. Simplified the onboarding
3. Fixed the mobile navigation
4. Added visual feedback on buttons
5. Reduced the menu from 15 items to 4

4 weeks later?

Retention doubled.
Reviews jumped to 4.4 stars. 
Support tickets dropped 73%. 

Same code. Same product. Same features. 

I didn't "make it pretty."
I made it usable.

That's what designers actually do.

Repost ♻️ if this changed how you see design.

P.S. Have you ever blamed your product when design was the problem? 😊

My first client ever:

"Make the logo bigger."

Quoted Steve Jobs.
I argued for 20 minutes. 
Sent 5 articles about white space. 

They made it bigger themselves in PowerPoint.

My latest client:
"Make the logo bigger."

I said: "Let's test it. I'll send you 2 versions. You pick."
They picked the smaller one.

What changed?

I stopped convincing. 
I started collaborating.

People don't resist ideas. They resist being told what to do.

Give them ownership. 
Watch them choose wisely.

♻️ Repost if you wish you knew this earlier.

Junior designers have a fear of asking "dumb" questions.

So let me respond to this right now:

Should I just Google this instead? No. 
Will asking slow down the project? No.
Should I already know this by now? No. 
Will this question make me look stupid? No.
Will senior designers judge me for asking? No.
Should I just pretend I understand? One big NO!

I'll be honest... 

"Creating safe spaces to ask" is my thing in design teams. But some of these fears take it too far.
Over the years, I've seen many brilliant designers hold back.

And as my seniority grew, so did my empathy.
(and so did my appreciation for good questions)

I get it, we're all in the business of "looking competent" here. 

But nobody should be afraid to learn.

You want to learn for free? Ask questions in critiques. 
You want personalized guidance? Hire a mentor.

As simple as that. ✌️

P.S. What's the "dumbest" question you've ever asked that turned out to be brilliant? (I know I'll probably regret asking this question LOL)

Entry-level means no experience.

It's for juniors to begin their careers, learn, and grow.

Yet job posts say:

"Entry-level position"
"Requirements: 3-5 years experience"

That's not entry-level. That's mid-level.

Stop lying in job descriptions.
You're not finding candidates because you're asking for the impossible.

Entry-level = zero experience required.

If you need experience, it's not entry-level.

(Repost for job seekers ♻️)

P.S. Have you seen this contradiction in job posts?

Mini-masterclass on receiving design feedback:

(save this for your next critique)

Well-delivered feedback = great insight
Well-received feedback = great growth

That being said... Let's dive into 5 levels of receiving feedback:

Level 1: Defensive 
↳ "But here's why I did it this way..." 
↳ You're protecting ego, not improving work

Level 2: Silent 
↳ You nod. You take notes. You change nothing. 
↳ Feedback theater. Everyone sees through it.

Level 3: Selective 
↳ You only hear what confirms your choices 
↳ Cherry-picking isn't growth

Level 4: Receptive 
↳ You listen. You ask questions. You implement. 
↳ This is where most good designers live.

Level 5: Hungry 
↳ You seek feedback before anyone offers it 
↳ "What's not working? Where did you struggle?" 
↳ This is where great designers live.

Getting feedback is a skill. Just like giving it.

And most of us never practiced receiving.
We just practiced defending.

Time to switch.

Repost this ♻️ for your design team.

P.S. What level are you at right now (1-5)? No judgment 👇

Old design workflow:

1. Sketch idea
2. Open Figma
3. Design for hours
4. Export and code
5. Test and iterate

New workflow with Claude:

1. Describe idea to Claude
2. Claude codes it fast
3. See design instantly
4. Iterate with prompts
5. Ship faster

I made glass icon effects this way.

No design tools. 
Just conversation.

The bottleneck shifted from execution to clarity of thought.

Can you describe what you want clearly?

That's the new design skill.

(Repost this shift ♻️)

P.S. How has your workflow changed with AI?

I just found out the best color generator for designers.

uicolors. app/generate

Save it for later or repost ♻️

Three reasons Inter dominates:

It's variable

One font file. 
It's optimized.
Multiple widths. 
Multiple weights. 
Smaller load times.

Letter spacing, x-height, character distinction all tuned for screens.

It's free
No legal.
No licensing. 
No procurement. 
Just download and use.

Hard to compete with that combination.

P.S. What font makes your product memorable?

Feedback feels personal.

It's not.

They're critiquing your design. Not you.

Hard to separate:

"This button is unclear" = design feedback
"You made this unclear" = feels like attack
Same words. Different interpretation.

Train yourself to hear:

"The layout is confusing" not "You're confused"
"This needs work" not "You're not good enough"
"Try another approach" not "You failed"

Your design is separate from your worth.

(Repost if this resonates ♻️)

P.S. Does feedback feel personal to you?

Here's the biggest lesson my son taught me:

Yesterday, I cut my finger.

He saw blood. He didn't freeze. He didn't cry.

He ran to get a napkin. 
Wrapped it around my finger. 
Taped it with whatever he found.

Then he grabbed a pen.

And drew a little stick figure on the bandage.
A tiny man.

"That's you, daddy. So you're not alone."

I looked at this ridiculous napkin-bandage. 
Tape peeling off. 
Little man with "hair".

This is what support actually looks like.

Show up. With what you have. 
And make sure they know they're not alone.

That little stick figure?

Best medicine I ever got.

Repost this ♻️ to spread a good message today.

Branch International

UX Researcher

Qhala

RESPONSIBILITIES

𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬, 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠:

💡A 1-week sprint for Afrexim Bank's pan-African creatives platform (Music, Film, Fashion), recruiting participants and generating insights that informed an ongoing platform design and development.

💡Phase 1 data collection and synthesis for the CIFF project across 5 counties, followed by Phase 2 data analysis and creation of personas and journey maps that informed program design for women in digital work.

💡A comprehensive study for GSMA in Isiolo, conducting interviews, focus groups, and key informant interviews to improve the Safaricom customer experience.

𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐬;

💡Improved bug resolution by 40% through a new feedback loop.

💡Supported a cross-functional team to deliver 5 features within a tight 4-month timeframe, exceeding client expectations.

💡Developed and implemented an onboarding manual for new researchers, ensuring consistent research quality and team efficiency.

𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡:

💡Developing research instruments and onboarding the field team.

💡Organizing and co-moderating a key stakeholder workshop to gather insights on the NTSA regulation framework's impact.

💡Synthesizing data from field interviews, stakeholder workshops and platform submissions to create a comprehensive report that exposed platform worker conditions and influenced policy changes aimed at improving their work environment.

💡Organized the 2023 report launch event.

UX Research Associate

RESPONSIBILITIES

💡Contributed to the design and development of an innovative Insuretech product for bonfire, collaborating with Britam.

💡Partnered with the product manager in the Afrigility project to design usability test guides and conduct a heuristic evaluation, leading to the identification and resolution of over 10 bugs and minor UX/UI improvements.

💡Developed and improved usability test protocols, ensuring comprehensive user feedback and a user-centered design approach.

💡Created and maintained detailed project documentation, fostering transparency and facilitating knowledge transfer.

💡Synthesized data from the Fairwork project, driving the creation of a comprehensive report that exposed platform worker conditions and influenced policy changes aimed at improving their work environment.

UX Researcher/Designer Intern

Cybermakini

I lead a community of cyber security enthusiasts which aims at raising a digitally empowered and responsible society. We do so by equipping the everyday internet user with resources and conducting workshops of how to safely navigate and engage in these online spaces

Team Lead

Skyfire East Africa Ltd

RESPONSIBILITIES

💡Established and maintained a centralized user research repository, empowering cross-functional teams with easy access to valuable insights.

💡Spearheaded UX research initiatives, leading to the development of robust UX research frameworks and coaching product teams on conducting effective user research.

💡Effectively communicated research findings to clients and stakeholders, ensuring clear understanding and informed decision-making.

💡Collaborated with a lead interior designer to integrate user needs, accessibility standards, and functional requirements into the physical environment design.

Mentor Sacco LTD

RESPONSIBILITIES

💡Collaborated with the senior IT staff at headquarters to diagnose and resolve complex network and hardware issues impacting branch operations. Quickly identified and implemented cost-effective solutions, restoring normal system functionality within 3 days and saving the company 50% in manual task time.

💡Maintained organizational efficiency by collaborating with a team to update and manage Windows operating systems, ensuring smooth operation across the company.

💡Provided comprehensive technical support and training to 50+ end-users, enhancing their productivity and knowledge base.

IT Support Technician 

Have you ever wondered why users abandon a seemingly perfect product?

Often, the answer lies in unmet needs they may not even be aware of. As a UX Researcher, I specialize in uncovering these hidden desires and frustrations. By leveraging user research, I bridge the gap between what users do, business assumptions and what users truly need.

The result? I create relevant products that enhance user livelihoods, resonate deeply, and drive engagement—unlocking new opportunities for sustainable business growth.

📌𝐌𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬:

💡Uncovers Unarticulated Needs: I conduct user research (e.g., interviews, usability testing) to go beyond the surface and identify the underlying desires and pain points driving user behaviour.

💡Prioritizes Solutions: I analyze user research data to identify the most impactful solutions that address both conscious and unconscious needs, maximizing user value.

💡Informs Design Strategy: My research insights inform product design strategy, ensuring user-centered development that fosters long-term engagement.

💡Optimizes User Experience: I leverage industry knowledge to create intuitive solutions that minimize user learning curves.

📌𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞:

Conducted user research across diverse sectors (Fintech, Creative, Logistics, Adventure tourism, Non-Governmental Organizations. Insurance.) to create user-centric solutions for African audiences.

📌𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐔𝐗 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐛𝐲: 

💡 Sharing my knowledge by writing articles and creating content on the power of UX research to unlock hidden user potential.

💡Empowering others by teaching students and mentoring businesses on integrating UX practices to drive user engagement and business success.

📌𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 & 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭:

💡Currently expanding my expertise in UX research and design for AI+ML systems.

📌𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐓𝐨:

💡UX Research & Design opportunities
💡Guest lecturing/tutoring roles

𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐃𝐌! Let's unlock the power of user research to create products that users love and businesses thrive on.

taplio

The Battle

Pavle Lucic

Annmercy Wairimu (TheUXDetective)

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScorePavle Lucic's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Pavle Lucic

Annmercy Wairimu (TheUXDetective)

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

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);}Pavle Lucic's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScorePavle Lucic's LinkedIn Performance