01
UI design
Interfaces designed in Figma, from first flows to screens developers can build from.
- Flows and wireframes
- High-fidelity Figma screens
- Interactive prototypes
Senior CX and experience designer, Sydney
Experience design that starts by listening.
I'm Maryam Mahlberg. I lead research, design and customer experience strategy for large brands in retail, banking, higher education and automotive, and I have led design teams at THE ICONIC, Zookal and Safewill.
Open to remote work, across time zones
Hiring a lead designer? See my experience
Need a freelancer? See how we could work together
Sectors I've worked in
- Retail and e-commerce
- Banking and financial services
- Superannuation
- Higher education
- Automotive
- Health and government
- Payments
- Consumer goods
- Energy and fuel
- Wills and legal tech
- Property and building
- Media and advertising
- Investing and fintech
Selected work
A few recent projects
Kind words
What colleagues and clients say
“Maryam championed user centric design in parts of the business that never received it before. She was considerate of a developer's time constraints but was firm with what she believed to be best for the end user. If you are looking for a design leader who understands the development cycle, Maryam is a strong and understanding leader and I would thoroughly recommend her.”
“Maryam is a talented designer who has a keen eye for UX. She has the ability to iterate quickly on ideas and produce quality work without compromising attention to detail. It was especially impressive seeing Maryam do all this whilst looking after the UX/UI for several teams at oOh Media! I hope to work with her again in the future!”
“I’ve been working with Maryam for the last few months @ BrickX. She’s a very talented UX designer. She’d be an asset to any product team who takes empirical, reasoned UX practice seriously. I’m very sad that she’s leaving us.”
“I had the privilege to work with Maryam and she is a very talented UX designer. Always thinking of the user not only in terms of the user experience and usability of the product but also of the value proposition and how this is conveyed and surfaced in the product and features she works on. She is constantly looking to interact with customers to understand their needs and how they feel when they are using the products she works on. Maryam has also got a very pleasant and friendly personality that makes her a great team member. I would be very happy to work with her again.”
“Maryam is really fantastic to work with! Really friendly and also incredibly skilled at her craft. She is a top class UX professional who is extremely thorough, adaptable and simply knows her stuff. I would work with her again in a heartbeat!”
“Maryam is a dedicated team member and brings a passionate and analytical approach to her UX/UI design process. Her professionalism would be highly valued by any product focused team.”
“Maryam is a UX whiz who clearly articulated her user research related findings to drive customer journey and product optimisations at BrickX. Her knowledge in and ability to help others understand UX methodologies was personally very insightful. It was a privilege to be able to work with Maryam.”
“Maryam is creatively dedicated to delivering best solution for the business and customers’ collectively. She is extremely insightful and values research and feedback in her design. It was a pleasure to work with her and be exposed to her skill set.”
“Maryam is a super capable and open-minded UX designer. Whilst at BrickX we saw her grasp complex financial products and scenarios and help turn this into simple intuitive customer journeys. Thank you for all your dedication and hard work.”
“Maryam is an amazing designer with lots of ideas and finds customer focussed solutions in a very collaborative way. I highly recommend her to anyone.”
“The Rope Industries team would like to thank Maryam for the amazing job she has done setting up our logos, website and creating business cards.”
“Maryam is a funny, creative, passionate and hard-working person who is dedicated to her career and made every day in the office easier. It was such a pleasure working with her and would love to work with her again, if given the chance. Thanks for everything, Maryam, and all the best with your future endeavours! If you get the opportunity to work with her, a few Harry Potter references won’t go amiss!”
Have a project or a role in mind?
Whether you need a freelancer for a defined project or a lead designer to guide a team, I'm happy to talk. Tell me about your customers, what isn't working and what you would like to change, and I'll reply with ideas and a suggested first step.
I work with teams remotely across time zones, and in person where it helps. I'm happy to overlap with your working hours. If you're not sure where to start, a short chat about the problem is enough.
Selected work
Selected projects
Client work is shown by sector. Open any project to read the full case study.
Showing 8 of 8 projects
More case studies will be added over time.
Services
What I do
Most projects blend several of these. Choose one to see the related work.
02
User research
Interviews, diary studies and surveys to find out what customers need.
- Interviews and surveys
- Personas and insights
- Findings you can act on
03
Usability testing
Testing early with real people, so problems are found before anything is built.
- Moderated and remote tests
- Clear issue priorities
- Before and after proof
04
CX strategy
Journey maps, service blueprints and roadmaps that connect the whole experience.
- Journey maps
- Service blueprints
- A prioritised roadmap
05
Design systems
Shared libraries and guidelines that keep products consistent.
- Component libraries
- Tokens and guidelines
- Developer handoff
Process
How I work
The size of the project decides how many of these steps I use.
-
Discover
I learn the business and its customers, and review what has already been tried.
Output Stakeholder interviews and an audit
-
Define
Research tests our assumptions. We agree on the problem and how we will measure success.
Output Insights and success measures
-
Design
Journeys, flows and screens, shared early in Figma so feedback shapes the work.
Output Journeys, flows and screens
-
Test
Real customers try the designs. We fix what breaks and confirm what works.
Output Findings and priorities
-
Deliver
Handover, documentation and a roadmap, with support while the team builds.
Output Handover and roadmap
Not sure which you need?
If you're not sure where to start, tell me what isn't working and I'll suggest what would help most, and in what order.
A first conversation costs nothing, and I'll always say if a smaller piece of work will do.
Experience
Twelve years across agencies, start-ups and in-house teams
May 2023 to now
Ogilvy One
Senior Experience Designer
Lead CX and experience design for enterprise clients across retail, banking and financial services, superannuation, higher education and automotive.
- Turned customer research and business goals into journeys, flows and Figma prototypes that delivery teams can build
- Shaped CX strategy with strategists and client stakeholders: finding friction, prioritising fixes and setting roadmaps
- Designed digital experiences from web and app interfaces to end-to-end service journeys
- Worked with developers, content and analytics teams to test, measure and improve live experiences
Apr 2022 to May 2023
Safewill
Head of Product and Design
Led product and design at an online wills start-up.
Oct 2020 to May 2022
Zookal
Head of Product Design
Led product design at an education start-up.
May 2019 to Oct 2020
THE ICONIC
Head of User Experience (from Mar 2020), after interim UXD Team Lead and Lead Product, UX and UI Designer
Led a team of six UX and UI designers, owning research, design and UX strategy for the website, iOS and Android apps.
- Led high-end, effective features by standardising THE ICONIC UXD practices
- Built a culture of constant improvement and mentored designers with feedback on research and designs
- Upheld and expanded the consistency of the design system
- Produced information architecture, site maps, wireframes, prototypes and UX requirements
- Represented UXD work and priorities to senior leadership
Jun 2019 to Oct 2020
MinimalistDesign
Founder
Home of The DesignerCast, a podcast exploring the world of designers, plus a blog on UX, minimalist living, productivity and gardening.
Oct 2018 to May 2019
oOh!media
Lead UX Designer
Designed online trading systems and SaaS products for Australia's leading outdoor media company, testing with users and iterating on the design.
May to Oct 2018
BrickX
Senior UX Designer
Research, user flows and interfaces for a property investing start-up.
- Worked with product managers and cross-functional teams to understand customer needs
- Tested solutions with customers and iterated quickly
- Worked with the copywriter on a consistent, fun tone of voice
- Represented BrickX at UX Australia 2018
May 2017 to May 2018
Adslot
UX and UI Designer
Researched and designed the trading platform used by media agencies globally.
- Ran user research and testing in Australia and internationally
- Worked with product and project managers and over 40 developers
- Balanced user needs, technical constraints and business objectives
- Represented Adslot at UX Australia 2017 and ran internal UX workshops
Sep 2014 to May 2017
Laureate Australia
Junior, then Mid UX and UI Designer
Designed online learning experiences for Torrens University Australia, from enrolment to graduation.
- Led UX and UI projects from conception to development, mobile first
- Created video, animation and interactive media for online subjects
- Worked closely with developers across HTML, CSS and React
- Created and led the Laureate LGBTI group and attended Pride in Diversity 2016
Earlier, 2003 to 2015: sales roles at Rebel Sport, Harvey Norman and Dick Smith.
About
About me
I'm a senior CX and experience designer at Ogilvy One in Sydney. I turn customer research and business goals into journeys, flows and Figma prototypes that delivery teams can build, and I work with strategists and client stakeholders to find friction, prioritise fixes and set roadmaps.
Before agency life I led design in-house: Head of User Experience at THE ICONIC with a team of six designers, then Head of Product Design at Zookal and Head of Product and Design at Safewill. I started in 2014, working in start-ups and higher education.
Outside client work I co-founded FairDesignCo, which offers fair-cost design to not-for-profits and social enterprises, wrote for UX Collective, and hosted a podcast about the world of designers.
- Role
- Senior Experience Designer, Ogilvy One
- Based
- Sydney, Australia. Open to remote work across time zones
- Experience
- 12 years in UX and CX
- Sectors
- Retail, banking, superannuation, higher education, automotive, property, ad tech
- Tools
- Figma, journey mapping, usability testing, design systems
- Education
- Bachelor of Design Computing, University of Sydney
- Languages
- English, Burmese
- Beyond work
- Co-founder of FairDesignCo. Writer on UX Collective. Host of The DesignerCast
Beyond client work
Things I make for myself
Side projects keep my skills sharp and let me test ideas without a brief.
Website
Hourlight Goods
My own brand and online shop for digital planners, designed and built end to end.
Visit hourlightgoods.com.au
Tool
Hourlight 3D generator
A customisable generator for 3D printable lamps, vases and planters. Anyone can customise one without any 3D software experience.
Visit hourlight.com.au
Automation
Trading bot
A personal automated trading bot, built and run with my own money as a live experiment. It taught me a lot about monitoring, dashboards and designing for systems that make decisions. Not financial advice.
Books
Rainbow Home Press
A series of inclusive family colouring books published through Amazon KDP. The first book is live and a nine-book series is planned, with AI workflows keeping the illustrations consistent.
Music
Double Love
My country album, Double Love, plus a few singles, all on Spotify.
Listen on SpotifyAI in my work
How I use AI at work
What I use it for, and where I check its work.
Research
I use AI to tidy interview notes, group themes and draft discussion guides, then check every insight against the recordings and the people I spoke to.
Design
It helps me explore layouts and wording quickly, so I can test ideas before spending hours in Figma. The design decisions are mine.
Strategy
I use it for first drafts of journey maps, roadmaps and workshop plans, then edit them heavily and check them against customer evidence.
Responsible use
I protect client data, check outputs for accuracy and bias, and am open about where AI was involved.
Work with me
Ways I can work with you
From a single project to a lead role.
For small businesses
Freelance project
A defined piece of work with a clear scope, timeline and price.
- UX and CX audit
- Research sprint
- Journey map and roadmap
- Website or app design in Figma
For growing teams
Ongoing retainer
A set number of days each month, so research and design keep pace with your roadmap.
- Regular testing and iteration
- Design system care
- Strategy and workshop support
For larger organisations
Lead designer role
Leading design, research and CX strategy for a product, a team or a programme.
- Setting direction and standards
- Leading and mentoring designers, as with six at THE ICONIC
- Partnering with product and engineering
- Linking design to CX measures
Contact
Say hello
Questions about my work, or a project you would like to talk through? A short note is all it takes.
- maryammahlberg at gmail.com
- linkedin.com/in/mmahlberg
- Time zones
- Remote friendly, and happy to overlap with your hours
- Replies
- Within a few working days