Your productis complex.Using itshouldn’t be
I’m Ivan Key, Design Principal and co-founder of Spirixx, based in Kraków. Startups and product teams bring me in to work out what to build, then make it clear enough to use and practical enough to ship.
Free · 30 minutes · Zoom
Managers got their time back, Attendance is a longer story
The brief was a desk-booking tool and “please, improve some UX”. Office attendance was low and collaboration was suffering. Research showed the real problem was managers burning their time coordinating teams. Meeting-planning time fell 68%, and attendance rose from 41% to 47% in a month, still short of the 60% goal.
- Role
- Lead product designer & manager
- Team
- 2 developers (frontend, backend), 1 UX analyst
- Timeline
- 6 months, part-time, on an existing booking system
- Goal
- 60% overall office attendance, with flexibility for different work styles
- Tools
- Bullet Journal, Miro, Figma
The turning point
“Managers needed to orchestrate team presence, not just book individual desks.”
- 18 minaverage manager scheduling time before SWAY
- 31%desk utilisation before SWAY
- 68%less meeting-planning time with reusable templates
Ivan Kraskov on Building Spirixx and Better Design (opens in a new tab)
How Spirixx was built as an NDA-first studio that helps startups improve conversions, measure design results and focus on business growth.
Where I’m most useful
Every product is different, so there are no fixed packages: I pick the approach that fits your requirements, objectives and resources. Teams usually bring me in for one of these.
Research, insights & strategy
When to call me: You have more ideas than runway and need to decide what to build first.
I connect business goals with real user needs through strategy sessions, user research and a clear definition of what’s worth building.
User-centred product design
When to call me: Your product does a lot, and people struggle to find their way through it.
Flows and interfaces shaped around what your users actually need and expect, and designed to be built.
What Judah at Nickelytics saidPrototyping & validation
When to call me: You want to see it and test it before engineering commits.
Interactive prototypes that make ideas tangible and testable while changes are still cheap.
What Johannes at VERIMI saidDesign systems
When to call me: Your UI is drifting, and every new feature reinvents the button.
Components, tokens and rules that keep design and code consistent as the product grows.
A glass button, specced the way I hand components to engineering: tokens, measurements and states in one place. Cross-functional collaboration & design leadership
When to call me: Design, product and engineering keep talking past each other.
Results-oriented collaboration with product managers, engineers and stakeholders, or leading the design team.
What Itamar at Sky and Space said
In their words
“Ivan delivered the desired outcome both in quality and speed when producing several crucial user flows in InVision. He is very quick and responsive to new requests of a client.”
“Ivan played a pivotal role in redefining our branding strategy, ensuring that our mission, vision, and core values were effectively communicated through every aspect of the product.”
“Ivan is an extremely talented designer / eCommerce specialist. He executed ideas from zero to the highest standard possible. I will keep Ivan for all my designs.”
“This guy is the greatest designer and brand architect you will ever encounter. I know it can be hard finding a quality person. Do not search any longer.”
“Ivan did an excellent job, delivered more than what’s expected with quick turnaround and quality work. I liked his sharp attention to detail. Will definitely hire again!”
“Ivan delivered great UI design work with his excellent skills. His communication was excellent. He was always helpful and positive. I will hire him for additional work in the future.”
I’m involved from day one
There’s no rigid process. We use the mix of these that fits where you are.
Strategy sessions
Business goals and user needs on the same table. This is where we decide what’s worth building.
User research
Learn what people actually need, so we’re not designing for assumptions.
Concept validation
Prototype the riskiest ideas and test them before they get expensive.
Design execution
Flows, interfaces and the system behind them, designed to be built.
Team leadership
Working alongside your PMs and engineers, or leading the design team.
“Does this actually solve the problem?”
That question took me from graphic design into web development, then UX, then product strategy. Twenty years and 120 projects later, it’s still the first thing I ask.
That’s why I start by helping you work out what you should be building in the first place.
Industries
- Aerospace
- AECOarchitecture, engineering, construction & operations
- Banking
- Fintech
- E-commerce
- Medical & health
- Logistics
- Communications
The path
- Graphic design
- Web development
- UX
- Product strategy
- Design leadership
Co-founder · Design Principal at Spirixx, a product studio for funded startups
A designer who speaks fluent client and fluent developer
My hobbies are an extension of my skills
I take tons of photos and videos, perform stand-up comedy and organise all kinds of events, including Bullet Journal workshops for product people here in Kraków.
Next workshop
18:30–20:00 (GMT+1) · Yolk Coworking, Józefa Sarego 5, Kraków
Book your seat (opens in a new tab)
PhotographyTheatre, stage, portraits and cities after dark.
See the photogalleryBring me the complicated part
A free 30-minute call on Zoom. Bring the product, the problem or just the idea, and we’ll work out:
- where design can make the biggest difference
- what I would do first
- whether I’m the right person for it