I've spent the past 7+ years leading design for fintech platforms, legal tech, blockchain products, and SaaS applications, making complicated things intuitive for the people who use them. My approach is simple: research -> understand -> test -> design. I don't assume I know what users need, I talk to them, watch them, analyze their behavior, and then design solutions backed by data. What makes me different: I think like an engineer but design like a creative. I studied informatics and math, got my first computer at 6, and was upgrading PCs by myself at 9. That early exposure built how I think. I take things apart to understand how they work. I ask 'why?' until it makes sense. Before focusing on product design, I spent 12 years in advertising at agencies like Saatchi & Saatchi and Leo Burnett. That's where I learned visual craft, consumer psychology, and how to communicate products to people. It's also where I learned resourcefulness. When I needed to interview hard-to-reach users but had no budget, I went to the streets and found them. I'll find a way to do the research, even without fancy tools. I can lead teams or work solo. I've mentored junior designers into seniors, built UX practices from scratch, and shipped products internationally (including a showcase at Cannes Lions Innovation 2018 - SETHER). But I'm hands-on. I believe in doing the work alongside my team, not just directing it. I'm GeekVader (yes, that's my company name). I love Star Wars, Marvel comics, gaming, gadgets, and 3D printing collectibles. This isn't just personality, it's how I approach design. Attention to detail, love of systems, curiosity about how things work, and user empathy (I'm a user too). I run a newsletter on LinkedIn called #TipTrickTool where I share what I learn with other designers, trying to pay it forward as often as I can for those other designers who shaped me. I love companies with good culture, interesting problems, and teams that value both craft and personality. Remote or hybrid (in Bucharest, Romania). I'd rather work on creative tools or developer tools these days, but I'm open to any company building products that challenge me to find better solutions. So, let's talk about your product/project.

Andrei Cucoaneș

PRO

I've spent the past 7+ years leading design for fintech platforms, legal tech, blockchain products, and SaaS applications, making complicated things intuitive for the people who use them. My approach is simple: research -> understand -> test -> design. I don't assume I know what users need, I talk to them, watch them, analyze their behavior, and then design solutions backed by data. What makes me different: I think like an engineer but design like a creative. I studied informatics and math, got my first computer at 6, and was upgrading PCs by myself at 9. That early exposure built how I think. I take things apart to understand how they work. I ask 'why?' until it makes sense. Before focusing on product design, I spent 12 years in advertising at agencies like Saatchi & Saatchi and Leo Burnett. That's where I learned visual craft, consumer psychology, and how to communicate products to people. It's also where I learned resourcefulness. When I needed to interview hard-to-reach users but had no budget, I went to the streets and found them. I'll find a way to do the research, even without fancy tools. I can lead teams or work solo. I've mentored junior designers into seniors, built UX practices from scratch, and shipped products internationally (including a showcase at Cannes Lions Innovation 2018 - SETHER). But I'm hands-on. I believe in doing the work alongside my team, not just directing it. I'm GeekVader (yes, that's my company name). I love Star Wars, Marvel comics, gaming, gadgets, and 3D printing collectibles. This isn't just personality, it's how I approach design. Attention to detail, love of systems, curiosity about how things work, and user empathy (I'm a user too). I run a newsletter on LinkedIn called #TipTrickTool where I share what I learn with other designers, trying to pay it forward as often as I can for those other designers who shaped me. I love companies with good culture, interesting problems, and teams that value both craft and personality. Remote or hybrid (in Bucharest, Romania). I'd rather work on creative tools or developer tools these days, but I'm open to any company building products that challenge me to find better solutions. So, let's talk about your product/project.

Available to hire

I’ve spent the past 7+ years leading design for fintech platforms, legal tech, blockchain products, and SaaS applications, making complicated things intuitive for the people who use them. My approach is simple: research -> understand -> test -> design. I don’t assume I know what users need, I talk to them, watch them, analyze their behavior, and then design solutions backed by data.

What makes me different: I think like an engineer but design like a creative. I studied informatics and math, got my first computer at 6, and was upgrading PCs by myself at 9. That early exposure built how I think. I take things apart to understand how they work. I ask ‘why?’ until it makes sense.

Before focusing on product design, I spent 12 years in advertising at agencies like Saatchi & Saatchi and Leo Burnett. That’s where I learned visual craft, consumer psychology, and how to communicate products to people. It’s also where I learned resourcefulness. When I needed to interview hard-to-reach users but had no budget, I went to the streets and found them. I’ll find a way to do the research, even without fancy tools.

I can lead teams or work solo. I’ve mentored junior designers into seniors, built UX practices from scratch, and shipped products internationally (including a showcase at Cannes Lions Innovation 2018 - SETHER). But I’m hands-on. I believe in doing the work alongside my team, not just directing it.

I’m GeekVader (yes, that’s my company name). I love Star Wars, Marvel comics, gaming, gadgets, and 3D printing collectibles. This isn’t just personality, it’s how I approach design. Attention to detail, love of systems, curiosity about how things work, and user empathy (I’m a user too). I run a newsletter on LinkedIn called #TipTrickTool where I share what I learn with other designers, trying to pay it forward as often as I can for those other designers who shaped me.

I love companies with good culture, interesting problems, and teams that value both craft and personality. Remote or hybrid (in Bucharest, Romania). I’d rather work on creative tools or developer tools these days, but I’m open to any company building products that challenge me to find better solutions.

So, let’s talk about your product/project.

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Language

English
Fluent
Romanian, Moldavian, Moldovan
Fluent

Work Experience

UX Designer | UX researcher | Art Director | Graphic Designer | Creative Director at GEEKVADER - self-emplyed
February 2, 2015 - Present
Clients: LegalDocs / Financialdocs.com - Sole UX owner for a 0-to-1 product build. Led market research and competitor analysis to shape product strategy for a legal document platform that helps users complete forms like lease agreements, wills, bills of sale, and more. Designed end-to-end user flows, created the brand identity and positioning ("Legal made effortless"), and built the design system from the ground up: tokens, components, visual design assets (icons and illustrations) and full page designs. Leveraged AI tools throughout the process to accelerate research, ideation, and design workflows. Collaborated with the dev team to ship a working MVP in 5 months (15 document types, with initial focus on real estate). Post-launch, analyzed user behavior through Hotjar recordings and GA4 funnels to identify friction points and optimize the experience. Result: Product launched successfully. ETHAX (UK) UX designer role. Building a Dashboard system and mechanics for a digital trading platform (research, competitive report, architecture, interface design) SETHER Product Design and Visual Identity design role. SETHER is a media monitoring and arbitrage platform for digital marketing campaigns based on the blockchain technology. A system that ensures clients pay fairly for the efforts and success of social media marketing campaigns. WWW.Engie.RO UX designer role for building the initial user dashboard wireframes and design. Facelift design for main pages. ...and many other projects
User Experience Lead at FinancialDocs - contract
February 3, 2025 - February 13, 2026
LegalDocs / Financialdocs.com - Sole UX owner for a 0-to-1 product build. Led market research and competitor analysis to shape product strategy for a legal document platform that helps users complete forms like lease agreements, wills, bills of sale, and more. Designed end-to-end user flows, created the brand identity and positioning ("Legal made effortless"), and built the design system from the ground up: tokens, components, visual design assets (icons and illustrations) and full page designs. Leveraged AI tools throughout the process to accelerate research, ideation, and design workflows. Collaborated with the dev team to ship a working MVP in 5 months (15 document types, with initial focus on real estate). Post-launch, analyzed user behavior through Hotjar recordings and GA4 funnels to identify friction points and optimize the experience.

Education

Bachelor of Science at Romanian-American University, Bucharest
September 19, 2003 - June 29, 2007
4 years studying a mix of economics, digitization of information, business administration, information technology, computer science, and graphic design. My studies focused more on Business development, computer science, and graphic design.

Qualifications

Add your qualifications or awards here.

Industry Experience

Media & Entertainment, Financial Services, Software & Internet, Computers & Electronics, Retail
    paper Making blockchain trading accessible through automated strategies... ETHAX.com

    TL;DR

    Challenge: Make blockchain trading accessible to users who don’t want to learn the complexities of trading
    Scope: Research, wireframing, and prototyping as Lead UX Designer (6-month project)
    Approach: Pre-built automated strategies that let users invest without manual trading
    Outcome: Successfully launched trading app

    details here:
    https://www.twine.net/signin

    paper A blockchain-powered platform that brought transparency and trust to digital advertising... SETHER

    TL;DR

    Challenge: Create a platform that solves the trust gap between brands and media agencies in digital advertising
    Scope: Product design, brand identity, user research across both sides of the advertising relationship
    Approach: Blockchain-based escrow system that ties payments directly to verified KPI performance
    Outcome: MVP presented at Cannes Lions, securing demo meetings with Adidas, Sky TV UK, and P&G

    details here:
    https://www.twine.net/signin

    paper Making legal documents effortless through research-driven UX optimization - LegalDocs.com

    TL;DR

    Challenge: Build a legal document platform from scratch that makes complex paperwork accessible to anyone
    Scope: User research, full product design, brand identity. End-to-end ownership
    Approach: Guided flow with contextual help, cross-device experience, but with a focus on mobile, and a flexible pricing model
    Outcome: Successfully launched MVP with 15+ document types across Business, Personal, and Real Estate

    details here:
    https://www.twine.net/signin