David L.-Design & Product Lead
Check rate
Experience
Team Lead Product Design
ABS Safety GmbH
Established design as a discipline within an industrial company: rebuilt the team structure, introduced infrastructure and built a strong UX reputation – under capacity constraints and during ongoing operations.
- Led 7 designers across 3 teams; restructured into a hybrid model with a central design pool
- Introduced a design system, UX debt backlog, research repository, user feedback formats and initial product metrics
- Built a career model and developed and supported the team individually
- AI enablement: weekly show-and-tell sessions on prototyping, research and handoff
Lead Product Designer & Managing Director
ShiftDigital Government Solutions GmbH
Founded and managed a GovTech startup with 10 employees and 1.2 million euros in funding – a no-code workflow tool for municipal administrations, from product idea to acquisition exit.
- No-code workflow tool “Shift Studio”: Product concept, design system, roadmap and vision – developed iteratively with a cross-functional team
- 7 pilot municipalities, including Bochum (300+ users, 10 processes) and Gelsenkirchen (50+ users)
- Board with experts from the private sector (GSVI, 9elements) and municipal administration (City of Bochum, Bochum Economic Development Agency)
- Sole managing director from 2020: responsible for product, brand, GTM, sales and pricing
- Acquired by Publicplan GmbH (2023): Brand, product and pipeline as a purchasable asset
- Worked in parallel as a fractional designer: Strategic brand development for Qruise.com (Quantum ML) – brand sprint, positioning and visual identity in 6 weeks
Innovation and Digitalization
codecentric AG
Interdisciplinary innovation studio within codecentric AG: Advised and supported companies in launching new ventures – 5 projects/spin-offs in 3 years.
- Project responsibility from the first workshop session to the delivered prototype – in changing roles as lead designer and embedded designer
- freeyou AG: Startup support from ideation through prototyping and user testing to go-to-market preparation
- Hussel Recreated: Sub-brand, retail design concept and pop-up store based on trend analysis and stakeholder workshops
- Digitale Werkbank Dortmund: Concept for interior, user experience and touch projector interface for a municipal digital skills center
- Additional projects: Datahub, custom CRM development
- Foundation for later founding: Professional software teams, commercial project responsibility and frontend development
Innovation Practice
Douglas Informatik & Service GmbH
Designer in a strategic staff unit reporting directly to management – concept development, UX/UI, web development, prototyping, innovation workshops and trend research at the intersection of organizational development and agile transformation.
- Innovation Camps (London, Düsseldorf, Berlin): Enabled leaders to discover their own innovation potential through field research, co-creation and pitching
Fullstack Designer
Freelance & Agency
Fullstack designer for 30+ clients in marketing, retail and culture – clients gained a partner who managed concept, design and technical implementation end to end.
50+ websites, rebrandings, startup kits and digital campaigns. Freelance work for isobar Düsseldorf (concept, UI, web). Clients include: Dorma, Honda, Douglas, Appelrath & Cüpper, EHI Retail Institute, Dortmunder U, Dortmund Economic Development Agency.
Industry experience
See where this freelancer has spent most of their professional time.
Experienced in Government and Administration, Information Technology, Retail, Media and Entertainment, and Manufacturing.
Business area experience
See which departments and functions this freelancer has contributed to most.
Experienced in Product Development, Marketing, Strategy, Information Technology, Sales, and Research and Development.
Summary
I create market-ready products and the teams behind them – with a startup exit, team building and 18+ years in design, technology and business development. As a partner for leaders who want to strengthen their business through design.
Skills
Strategic Consulting & Stakeholder Work: Understanding Market Problems And Customer Needs, Identifying Opportunities And Systematically Advising Decision-Makers – Before Design Comes Into Play.
Product & Service Design: From Business Idea To Validated Product: Cross-Functional Development At The Intersection Of Design, Product Management And Engineering.
Leadership & Team Development: Building Teams, Developing People Individually And Leading Them To Strong Results. Empathetic, Equal-Footing Leadership, Career Models And An Understanding Of System Dynamics.
Design Craft, Ops & Rapid Prototyping: Design Systems, Feedback Formats, Build-Measure-Learn Cycles And Ai-Augmented Prototyping – Helping Teams Reach Reliable Results Faster.
Figma
Miro
Framer
Linear
Notion
Obsidian
Claude Code
Codex
Perplexity
Cursor
Antigravity
Replit
V0
Lovable
Html
Css
Js
React
Tailwind
Weavy.Ai
Ollama
Lm Studio
Human-Centered Design
Design Thinking
Design Sprints
Service Design
Lean Startup
Business Model Canvas
Lean Canvas
Ux Strategy
Prototyping & Validation
User Research & Interviews
Hypothesis-Driven Development
Servant Leadership
Okr
Scrum
Design Ops
Ai-Augmented Workflows
Context Engineering
Languages
Education
FH Dortmund
Diplom-Designer (FH) · Communication Design · Dortmund, Germany
Statistics
Experience
Expertise
Qualifications
Profile
Frequently asked questions
Have questions? Find more information here.
David speaks the following languages: German (Advanced).
David has at least 19 years of experience. During this time, David has worked in at least 5 different roles and for 5 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 4 years and 9 months. Note that David may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.
Based on recent experience, David would be well-suited for roles such as: Team Lead Product Design, Lead Product Designer & Managing Director, Innovation and Digitalization.
David's most recent position is Team Lead Product Design at ABS Safety GmbH.
In recent years, David has worked for ABS Safety GmbH and ShiftDigital Government Solutions GmbH.
David is most experienced in industries like Government and Administration, Information Technology, and Retail. David also has some experience in Media and Entertainment and Manufacturing.
David is most experienced in business areas like Product Development, Marketing, and Strategy. David also has some experience in Information Technology, Sales, and Research and Development.
David has recently worked in industries like Information Technology, Government and Administration, and Manufacturing.
David has recently worked in business areas like Product Development, Marketing, and Sales.
David holds a Bachelor in Communication Design from FH Dortmund.
David is immediately available part-time for suitable projects.
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