I am a risk management professional, leading system and process improvements with business owners to reduce risk. Guide business teams on Third-Party compliance and vendor assessment for risk mitigation to achieve business objectives. I anticipate bottlenecks and manage escalations. I use data to manage risk, quantify the impact, and translate risk metrics for business stakeholders. 
I help business owners execute cybersecurity strategies and accept risks appropriately based on quantified risk appetite.
With over 15 years of experience identifying, assessing, and driving remediation for information security professional risks in applications, I understand unique client challenges across multiple industries.
I am a sought-after resource to review risks in emerging tech like cloud security, blockchain, AWS security, and complex risk assessments.

Niloufer holds multiple certifications in IT Security (CISSP, CCSP), Risk (OPEN Fair), Privacy (CDPSE), Audit (CISA, CIA), and Fraud (CFE). She is a Certified Public Account licensed to practice in New Jersey. And a Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA).

Niloufer has authored two patents for System For And Method of Generating Visual Passwords (US 9,171,143 B2) and Establishing An Alternate Call Path Using Short-Range Wireless Technology (US 9,392,523).
Niloufer teaches part-time at Rutgers University, the state university of New Jersey, and is the organizer of the largest cybersecurity career MeetUp group and creator of the YouTube Channel "Cybersecurity Career Talks."

Niloufer co-founded two nonprofits Step Up Skill in 2020 and (ISC)2 New Jersey Chapter in 2012.

Niloufer Tamboly

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

They say “A portfolio says everything”. And I disagree.

Because with designers...

A portfolio can show the final work.
But it rarely shows the full work.

So what are we missing?

How they think through unclear problems.
How they explain the decisions behind the visuals.
How they handle constraints, feedback, and pressure.

Thinking → Reasoning → Judgment

Don’t look only at the final screens → Look at the mind behind them.
Don’t focus only on polish → Focus on problem-solving.

It’s not just about how it looks → But how it got there

Design has depth, friends. So... much... depth.

Cheers to all the designers doing more than what the portfolio shows!

P.S. Do you agree with the 1st quote? ♻️

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Senior UI/UX Designer

Senior UX Designer

UI / UX designer & UI Developer

Visual Designer

UI/UX Designer

Senior UI/UX Product Designer | UX Strategy | Figma

English

Serbian

2 tools that will replace entire product teams in 2026

(designers can do the development now)

1/ Claude → Your thinking layer 
↳ Industry analysis in 15 minutes 
↳ Competitive breakdowns in 20 minutes
↳ User journeys mapped instantly
↳ Feature priorities without PMs 
↳ Strategy without strategists

2/ Figma → Your design AND development layer 
↳ Systems, not screens 
↳ Components that scale 
↳ Figma to code pipelines 
↳ AI-assisted building 
↳ Ship without developers

Old model: 

PM + Strategist + Designer + Developer 4 people. 
4 weeks. 4 handoffs.

New model: 

Designer + Claude + Figma 1 person. 
2 days. 0 handoffs.

Strategy. Design. Development. One designer.

The handoff era is over.

Repost this ♻️ if you're building this way.

P.S. Are you still handing off or already shipping?

Every designer should SAVE this Accessibility Checklist: 

1. Images include alt text
2. Buttons have clear labels
3. Body text is 16px or larger
4. Text contrast is at least 4.5:1
5. Click targets are minimum 44px
6. Forms show clear error messages
7. Icons are never used without labels
8. Navigation works with keyboard only
9. Animations can be reduced or disabled
10. Focus states are visible for keyboard users

Follow this checklist, and you'r already ahead of 90% of products online.

Accessible design isn’t complicated.
It’s just intentional.

Save this post for your next UI review.

(Repost for other designers ♻️)

P.S. Which one do you check last before shipping a design?

Most recruiters ask designers:

“Do you have experience in our specific industry?”

I think the better question is:

Can they understand the audience?
Can they define the real problem?
Can they bring a fresh point of view?

They’re hired to:

Think deeper.
Observe better.
Design smarter.

Industry knowledge is useful. Sure.

But if that’s your no. 1 hiring filter...

Chances are: you’ll get familiar ideas, safer choices, and the same patterns your competitors already use.

Sometimes, the best designer for the job is the one who is not stuck inside the industry bubble.

Because fresh eyes catch what insiders stop noticing.
Great design is not about knowing the category best.

It’s about understanding people best.

P.S. What matters more: industry experience or design thinking?

Here's a proven way to stand out as a UX designer in 2026.

(Without adding another certification to your wall)

Stop focusing on "designing screens". 
Focus on "designing outcomes".

When you present work to stakeholders?

Your job is not to show how pretty it looks. 
It's to show why it matters.

This is the main "metric" of everything you design"

1. User pain points → Connect them to cost
2. Redesigns → Show the numbers behind them
3. They need a solution → Be their strategic partner

Stop hiding behind "I'm just the designer".

Share the "why" → Not just the "what"
This builds irrevocable trust.

Don't just push pixels. 
Push thinking. 

Make sure your seat at the table stays. 

When restructuring comes? 
(And it will) You'll still be there.

Pretty? No. → "Impactful". Always.

(Repost this for your network ♻️)

P.S. Do you notice some designers hiding behind Figma files? Avoiding the business conversation entirely?

Every time I share this advice, some designers get mad. 

“Users do judge products visually”
“The UI matters more than ever now”
“Brand perception starts with visuals”

My advice: Stop using UI and UX like they mean the same thing.

Chances are: Your interface matters a lot.
Chances are: Your user experience matters even more.

(Fun fact: A product can look amazing and still frustrate users)

So...

If you want better product discussions
If you want smarter design decisions
If you want to solve the right problems

Separate UI from UX. (Thank me later)

P.S. Don’t get mad. ✌️

UX vs UX

In design, you’ll often see 2 paths:

1. Corporate
↳ Works inside one product or system
↳ Learns the business, the users, and the team over time
↳ Gets better at consistency, collaboration, and long-term thinking

2. Freelance
↳ Works across different clients and industries
↳ Solves many different problems in many different contexts
↳ Gets better at adaptability, speed, and independence

Surely, both can make you better. However...

One teaches you how to go deeper.
The other teaches you how to adapt faster.

Question is: Which one fits you better? (comment below)

P.S. What do you think is harder to learn: long-term consistency or fast adaptability?

3 things I never want to hear as a designer:

(A lot of clients still say these.)

1. “Make it pop”
Sounds useful. Means nothing.

2. “I’ll know it when I see it”
That turns the whole project into emotional roulette.

3. “Can you just make it better?”
Better based on wha? the goal, the user, or your?

Most vague feedback sounds collaborative.

But vague feedback usually delays the work, blurs the goal, and makes good design harder to reach.

If the direction isn’t clear, the design won’t be either.

Anyhow, hope this helps someone! Repost if so. ♻️

P.S. Pick your favorite: 1, 2, or 3?
Or least favorite?

For years, they told us:

Learn computers. Avoid manual work.

Now?

AI is writing emails.
Designing logos.
Making presentations.
Even coding.

Meanwhile…

The plumber is somewhere chilling like:
“Good luck teaching ChatGPT to fix your bathroom.” 🙂

Funny times, friends.

The “safe” jobs suddenly don’t feel that safe.
And the jobs people looked down on?
They’re looking very… employed.

P.S. Which non-computer job is winning the AI era? 😂

Being great at design is not enough.

You can be very skilled...and still lose the project.

What clients remember is not just:

1. Your portfolio
2. Your systems
3. Your creative taste

They also remember:

1. How you handled feedback
2. How easy it was to build with you
3. How safe it felt to disagree with you

Design does not happen in isolation. It happens through conversations.

Through trust.
Through people.
Through uncertainty.

The best designers don’t just push pixels. They move people.

P.S. People don’t just remember the final design. They remember what it felt like to get there. 😊

P.P.S.  Design is not just visual. It’s human ♻️

The UX job market is not “broken.”

It is just more honest now.

A few years ago: 
Average designers were getting hired easily.

Now: 
Average is invisible.

Because:

- expectations shifted
- competition increased
- ai removed basic work

So the bar moved. And a lot of people did not.

This is uncomfortable to say.
But it is closer to reality than:

“The market is unfair.”

Sometimes it is.
But often…

It is just more selective.

"Good designers have a natural eye for color."

No they don't.

They have a system.

And most of them use the same one:
60-30-10.

60% of the screen is one neutral 
30% is one supporting tone 
10% is one accent

It's simple a ratio.

You could pick ugly colors and still make a clean UI with this rule.
You could pick beautiful colors and still make a mess without it.

The "eye" people talk about? It's pattern recognition.

And pattern recognition comes from systems.
Not talent.

Start with the system.

♻️ Repost or Save if you're tired of the "natural talent" myth.

P.S. Talent or system what matters more? 👇

They say “Just start designing”.

And honestly... I think that’s bad advice.

I ask myself 3 things first:

What is this actually trying to communicate?
What should this feel like? 
What is the idea behind it?

Meaning → Concept → Design


Strong visuals matter.
But strong visuals without a clear concept?

That’s usually just polished confusion.

P.S. Do you agree ? ♻️

The more I grew as a designer, the less my job was only “design.”

I had to understand users.

Then product.
Then business.
Then team constraints.

Somewhere in that process, I became T-shaped.

Deep in design.
Wide across the rest.

I am glad I did.

It helped me move from making nice screens...
To making better decisions.

Your depth has power, friends. So does your width.

Cheers to all you T-shaped designers out there!

P.S. Repost if more designers need this reminder ♻️

Don’t skip user testing!

Here are 4 old lessons I would remove from the 2025 MVP playbook:

1. Build first. Test later. No. 
Test early. Test before you add more.

2. You need lots of users to test. No. 
Even 5 people can teach you a lot.

3. Wait until the product is ready. Never. 
A simple mockup is enough to start.

4. If users are confused, just explain it. No. 
Their confusion is the lesson. 

Watch:

- where they stop
- what they miss
- what they expect

Bonus: User testing helps you build the right thing.

Which one do you agree or disagree with? 😊

P.S. Save + Repost for others ♻️

Most people don’t get massive value from AI on Day 1.

First, they test simple tasks.
Then, they learn what AI is actually good at.
Then, they build repeatable ways to use it.
They save time... improve output... reduce friction.
Then, the real gains start showing up.

And those who keep refining how AI fits their workflow? They almost always get ahead faster.

Working smarter → It’s an amazing feeling.

Money is good, but the feeling of getting your time back... I swear it helps you sleep better.

Keep building smarter systems, friends!

P.S. Tag someone who’s using AI the right way ❤️

People don’t just use interfaces.

They feel them.

That’s why I still think about pointer trails.

One tiny setting.
Zero practical value.
 And somehow... unforgettable.

Because it made the computer feel alive.

More playful.
More responsive.
More “mine".

And that’s the thing about great UX:

It’s not only about removing friction.
It’s about creating feeling too.

Windows 98 wasn’t memorable because it was efficient.

It was memorable because it had little moments of personality.
And yes...

Those tiny details mattered more than we think.

P.S. What tiny piece of old-school UX still lives in your head?

Maybe dumb take...
But I think a lot of people misunderstand responsive design.

They treat it like a technical cleanup step.
Like you finish the “real design” on desktop, then adapt it later.

But most of the actual pain is not technical.

It’s deciding what the interface should become
when there isn’t enough room anymore.

Desktop lets you keep a lot of weak decisions alive.
Mobile kills them immediately.

Too much content.
Weak hierarchy.
Fragile components.

So no... responsive design is not “make it smaller.”

It’s more like:
Fgure out what actually matters when space disappears.

Building a portfolio shouldn't take 6 months.

Here's how to create yours ultra-fast.

1. In Google Docs, write 1 case study
2. Use UX Pilot AI to explore design directions in minutes
3. Export to Figma or Framer, drop in your real projects, and make it yours

Always remember:

Write your case studies before you design.
Focus each one on one problem and one outcome.
Skip the long backstory ( get straight to the project ).
End every case study with results or lessons learned.

Never do this:

Obsess over fonts and colors before you have content.
Cram more than 3–5 projects on your homepage.
Show projects without explaining your process.
Drop in random mockups with no context.
Design more than you write.

Bonus:

If a hiring manager can't find your thinking in 30 seconds… It means your portfolio failed.

Try UX Pilot for free: https://lnkd.in/d3jFWw7x

Hope someone lands an interview this week. Good luck! ❤️

P.S. Repost ♻️ for designers in your network.

P.P.S. What would you add to the list?

Here's how to create illustration concepts for any website hero.

(one prompt per style… no Photoshop)

I've been designing landing pages for a while.
And the hero illustration? 

Always the part where I waste the most time.

Not the layout.
Not the copy.
The illustration style.

Because you pick one direction.

Spend days on it.
Show the client.

And client say:
"Hmm what about something more playful"
Sound familiar?

Here's a faster way.

Upload your hero screenshot to Luma.
Type something like:

"replace the stock photos with clay render style". That's it.

It keeps your layout.
It keeps your text.
It only changes the illustration.

I ran a bunch of styles on the same hero:

1. Clay render
2. Hand-drawn organic
3. Anime
4. Line art
5. Flat vector
6. Retro mid-century
7. Woodwork

Some completely changed how the brand feels.
Some didn't work from the first prompt.

But I found out in seconds. Not days.

All styles + prompts in the carousel.

Made with Uni-1 on Luma → lumalabs.ai/app

P.S. Which style do you like best? ❤️

taplio

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Niloufer Tamboly

Pavle Lucic

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Pavle Lucic

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