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?

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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.

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.

"Wait, you actually use AI for prototyping?"

I get this reaction a lot from other designers.

Yes, I use AI tools daily. 

When did it become normal for designers to hide that they use AI? 
Like it's some dirty secret that makes your work "less valid"?

And...

↳ I prototype 10x faster than I did 2 years ago. 
Yes, full flows in minutes. 
Yes, clients can't tell the difference. 

↳ I refine everything myself. 
I bring the soul. 
AI gives me the skeleton. 
Never shipping raw AI output. 

So to answer this once and for all:

"Is it cheating?"
"Is AI doing your job for you?"
"Is your work even original anymore?"

No. It's leverage.

Try it. 
You'll see.

It's not that scary. 

(Repost if it hits home ♻️)

P.S. What's YOUR resistance to AI prototyping?

Founder, Strikethrough Digital Marketing Services | Building Brands

With a proven track record of elevating personal brands and purpose-driven businesses, 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐀𝐮𝐥𝐮𝐜𝐤  is recognized as a 𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝐕𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲 on LinkedIn.

As the Founder of 𝐁𝐞𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 (formerly known as Strikethrough Digital Marketing Services), Preety brings deep expertise in 𝐖𝐞𝐛𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧, 𝐒𝐄𝐎, 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝𝐈𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬 designed to help individuals and businesses grow with clarity and confidence.

Her passion lies in crafting authentic digital identities—through 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐞𝐛𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬, 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐩 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬. With a designer’s eye and a marketer’s mind, Preety ensures that every touchpoint, from visuals to voice, aligns with the brand’s deeper purpose.

She also offers specialized services in 3𝐃 𝐏𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐕𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, helping brands build a standout presence both online and offline.

📩 Email: letstalk@benextcorp.com
📞 Phone: +91-97166 62000

Preety Auluck

A woman is blessed twice.
Once with a child.
And once with the courage to build her own business.

What no one prepares you for
is how heavy it can feel to carry both.

You’re raising a human
while building something from scratch.
And neither world fully understands the other.

>Other moms talk routines and playdates.
>You think in deadlines and deliverables.

>Entrepreneurs talk speed and scale.
>You schedule calls between naps.

>Family says, “Just focus on the child.”
>The internet says, “Hustle harder.”

So you learn to hold both quietly.

Social media shows:
→ Smiling moms
→ Flexible schedules

It hides:
→ Late nights
→ Guilt on both sides
→ “Am I doing enough?”

That gap?
That’s lived experience.

Mompreneurship isn’t about doing more.
It’s about becoming more 
with less time, more heart, and no shortcuts.

Some days feel lonely.
Most days feel exhausting.
But the strength it builds is unmatched.

Cheers to all my fellow women in business. 🥂

Drop a DM if you are looking to chat about how I manage this thriving business at BeNext.

Preety Auluck بريتي أولوك

LI Personal Branding for Founders | Coaches • Building Brands That Rank, Attract & Sell • LinkedIn Management • Website Design • Founder@BeNext

If you could fix ONE thing about your LinkedIn profile, what would it be?

I asked 50 founders last week. The answers were surprising:

Most said: “My headline.”

A few said: “Better posts.”

Some said: “More followers.”

But here’s the reality:

Their headline was fine.
Their posts were decent.
Their followers didn’t matter.

The real problem?
Nobody knew what they actually do in the first 3 seconds.

Let me show you:

Profile A:
“Entrepreneur | Innovator | Thought Leader | Helping Businesses Grow”

Profile B:
“I help tech coaches go from 1:1 services to scalable income system| Coach & growth startegist

Which one makes you want to learn more?

Here’s the truth:
Your LinkedIn profile isn’t a resume.
It’s a sales page.

It should answer one question immediately:
“What’s in it for me?”

Not your experience, beliefs, or mission statement.
What problem do you solve? For whom? What’s the result?

When you get this right:
→ The right people reach out
→ Your content gets more engagement
→ Conversations turn into clients faster

When you get it wrong, you’re just another “passionate entrepreneur helping businesses succeed.”

Challenge:
Look at your headline.
If someone from your ideal client profile saw it, would they immediately think:
“This person can help me”?

If not, you know what to fix.

DM me “HEADLINE” and I will help you write a better headline.

I don’t help people go viral on LinkedIn.

Because virality is rented.
Authority is owned.

A post can get 100K views
and still do nothing for your business.

No leads.
No trust.
No recall.

What I do help with is this:

→ Being remembered
→ Being understood in 3 seconds
→ Being the obvious choice when someone needs help

Most people chase reach.
Serious founders build recognition.

Viral posts spike.
Personal brands compound.

That’s why I don’t start with:
• posting daily
• trending hooks
• copying formats

I start with:
• clarity of problem
• sharp positioning
• a profile that works even when you’re offline

Because when someone lands on your profile,
they shouldn’t think:
“Nice content.”

They should think:
“This is exactly who I need.”

If your LinkedIn disappears tomorrow,
virality won’t matter.

Recognition will.

That’s the kind of LinkedIn brand I build.

We help founders and coaches book meetings and convert clients via customised and humanised outreach. 
DM ‘Outreach’ to know more.

The anatomy of a viral LinkedIn post:

Most people think viral posts are luck. They’re not. Here’s what makes a post travel:

The Hook
You’re competing with the scroll. Start with:
→ Bold insight, number, or question
→ Something that makes people stop
→ Create curiosity in the first 2 lines

White Space
Short lines = engagement.
→ Break up paragraphs
→ Create rhythm for readability
→ Give the reader room to breathe

A Real Moment
People trust experience over expertise.
→ Share a personal story or lesson
→ Make it human, not perfect
→ Show vulnerability or growth

One Clear Takeaway
Value isn’t volume.
→ Focus on one actionable idea
→ Keep it simple, no clutter
→ Give them something to use today

Emotion
Posts get shared when they make people feel:
→ Inspired, challenged, or validated
→ Uncomfortable but thoughtful
→ Connected to the story being told

Credibility
Show, don’t tell.
→ Share relevant experience or results
→ Use client examples or data
→ Make it relatable, not bragging

Clear Next Step
Tell them what to do next.
→ Comment, save, reflect, follow
→ Be direct and specific
→ Don’t assume they’ll figure it out

The real truth:
You don’t need a big audience to go viral. You need clarity. One well-crafted post can outperform months of random posting.

Want help turning your ideas into posts that get noticed?
Comment “POST” or DM me.

Three months ago, a creator came to me frustrated.

Not because LinkedIn wasn’t working.

But because it was.

High reach.
Consistent engagement.
Growing follower count.

Yet every win felt… empty.

She said something I hear way too often:

“People know my content.
But they don’t know me.”

So I asked her to show me her last 10 posts.

They were polished.
Well-written.
Perfectly algorithm-safe.

And completely interchangeable.

You could remove her name,
put someone else’s,
and nothing would change.

That’s when it clicked.

She didn’t have a content problem.
She had a replaceability problem.

So we did something uncomfortable.

→ She stopped posting advice everyone agrees with
→ She started naming what she doesn’t believe
→ She shared opinions she couldn’t Google

Her reach dipped slightly.
Her confidence shot up.
And then something better happened.

People started tagging her instead of tools.
Quoting her instead of posts.
Referring to her as:
“the person who’s great at this.”

That’s personal branding.
Not aesthetics.
Not consistency.
Not hacks.

It’s when your absence would be noticed.

If your content disappeared tomorrow,
would anyone feel the gap?

If not,
you don’t need more posts.

You need a point of view.

DM me “POSITIONING” if you want to stop being good and start being irreplaceable.

Content gets 15× more engagement.
So why is your last post a job opening?

Most people use LinkedIn as a notice board, not a growth channel.
Hiring posts are easy.
They don’t require clarity.
They don’t attract clients they just announce needs.

But here’s what content actually does:
It builds demand before you need it.

When you post consistently:
→ People understand what you do
→ They trust your thinking
→ They remember you when they need help

That’s how inbound leads are created.
Not through job updates.

The irony?
You want visibility before you hire.
You want authority before you scale.
You want demand before you sell.
Content is how you get there.

If you’re a coach or founder using LinkedIn only when hiring,
you’re skipping the most valuable part of the platform.

Post when you don’t need anything, so when you do, the market already knows you.

If you want LinkedIn content that builds authority, visibility, and demand (not just announcements), I help coaches do exactly that.
DM me “BRAND”.

3 Kinds of Doubts exist on all platforms, with all kinds of audience, and all kinds of social media. 

Here’s how you solve them. 

Press the bell icon to stay tuned for more LinkedIn Branding tips. 
🔔🔔🔔

taplio

The Battle

Pavle Lucic

Preety Auluck

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScorePavle Lucic's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScorePreety Auluck's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Pavle Lucic

Preety Auluck

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

Performance ScorePreety Auluck's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScorePavle Lucic's LinkedIn Performance