About

(01) Info

Portrait of Vlad Ostapenko

Vlad Ostapenko

Role
UI/UX Product Designer
Experience
6 years
Status
● Available now
Format
Remote · Full-time

I'm a UI/UX Product Designer based in Kharkiv, Ukraine, with six years of experience working on digital products for international startups. I enjoy making complex products easier to understand and use, especially when they involve detailed workflows, large amounts of data, and multiple interconnected screens.

From 2021 to 2026, I worked at TheRoom, a design agency, contributing to more than 20 digital products across different industries. My experience spans new products built from the ground up, redesigns of existing platforms, and large-scale interfaces with 100–200 screens.

My approach combines structure, usability, and visual clarity. I work through the details that make a product feel cohesive, from mapping user journeys and handling edge cases to building design systems that support consistency as products grow. I also value close collaboration with clients, turning business requirements into considered design solutions.

(02) Experience

TheRoom

UI/UX Product Designer2021–2026

A design agency creating digital products for international startups. Worked across 20+ mobile and web projects, translating requirements into UX flows, wireframes, and polished UI from concept to developer handoff. Designed complex interfaces for large platforms with 100–200 screens, accounting for edge cases and UI states such as errors, empty states, and loading. Also created landing pages for product launches and spent two months reviewing and guiding another designer's work.

Mi Casa Española

Spanish Teacher2016–2020

Taught Spanish to individual students and groups of up to eight, both online and in person. Planned lessons around different learning goals and proficiency levels, adapting materials and exercises to each student's needs. Focused on making complex grammar and vocabulary easier to understand, encouraging active communication, and helping students build confidence in using Spanish in everyday situations.

(03) Education

Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts

B.A. Art History2022–2026

Studied art history, criticism, and curating, exploring how art communicates ideas, challenges conventions, and shapes the way we see the world. This experience taught me to look beyond the surface, question assumptions, and pay attention to the details that influence how people interpret what they see.

Kharkiv University of Humanities

B.A. Interpretation & Translation2009–2013

Studied English and Spanish, with a focus on linguistics, language structure, and translation. The program combined theoretical coursework with extensive translation practice, covering written texts and the nuances of meaning, context, and expression across languages. It also offered a deeper understanding of how language works and how the same idea can be communicated in different ways depending on the audience and context.

(04) Courses

Design Kitchen School

UI/UX Design2021

The point where a Spanish teacher decided to become a designer. I learned the basics of designing web and mobile interfaces from scratch, from understanding layouts and user flows to creating complete screens. The course was taught by designers working on real products, so the focus was on practical tasks and how design works beyond theory. That same year, I joined TheRoom, where I began applying what I had learned to real client projects and continued developing my skills through hands-on work.

Sochnik Design Thinking School

Graphic Design2022

A step back from screens to the fundamentals of graphic design: composition, typography, grids, and visual hierarchy. The course explored how these elements work together to create clear, balanced layouts, with a focus on spacing, alignment, proportions, and the relationships between different elements.

(05) Beyond design

I like things that reward attention, whether it's a football match, a LEGO set, or a Panini album. There's something satisfying about noticing the small details and seeing how everything comes together over time.

I follow Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga and Champions League. Beyond the results, I enjoy looking at the decisions behind a match: how the team is set up, what changes after a substitution, and how one side finds a way through when the other can't.

I've been collecting LEGO sets and Panini cards and stickers for years, with Topps next on my list. Part of the fun is keeping track of what I have, figuring out what's missing, and watching a collection grow piece by piece. Gaming on the PS5 is another regular part of my routine, usually later in the evening, with my dog nearby, keeping me company in her own way.