Iryna Bykova

Lead UX design strategy and design team operations for three enterprise platforms serving energy, industrial, and environmental sectors. Responsible for design vision, team coordination across distributed offices (Amsterdam/Cambridge), design systems governance, user research programs, and cross-functional design advocacy with engineering and product stakeholders. Drive design-led development for OpenEPA emissions data platform, Context AI energy intelligence microservice, and Calculation Editor for industrial transparency.

• Led UX research and design strategy for OpenEPA emissions platform Conducted user research with 15+ environmental researchers and journalists, designed information architecture for 15 years of emissions history (2,800+ facilities), and pioneered citation/provenance UX patterns enabling verifiable academic use. Platform achieved 99.9% uptime serving 100+ concurrent users with P95 latency under 2.5s—critical for research workflows
• Directed UX design for Context AI microservice generating $85M pipeline Led user research with energy sector account executives, designed AI-powered client onboarding flows reducing prep time from 2+ hours to 5 minutes (95% efficiency gain). Design solutions generated $85M in attributed pipeline through improved AE workflow efficiency and user satisfaction
• Established rapid design prototyping practice using Vue 3 + TypeScript Delivered production-ready design systems and component libraries in 3-week cycles enabling parallel engineering development. Design prototyping approach saved 3+ weeks per product cycle while maintaining design quality and consistency across 4 energy clients (Williams, EQT, Adnoc, Cheniere)
• Led UX research and interaction design for Calculation Editor microservice Created design patterns for formula transparency, methodology documentation, and verifiable audit trails meeting academic publication standards. Pioneered new design patterns for industrial data transparency establishing reproducibility-first UX principles
• Reduced design-to-delivery cycle time 50% through design operations Transformed 12-week cycles to 6-week delivery by establishing design validation gates, stakeholder alignment rituals, and iterative design review cadence. Design operations discipline enabled predictable 2-week design release cycles with measurable quality standards
• Established Amsterdam design office culture across distributed teams Transitioned organization from engineering-led to design-led product development across 3 time zones. Built design team rituals (weekly vision alignment, bi-weekly design critiques, user-research-driven prioritization) increasing team satisfaction from 65% to 87%
• Led design strategy for AI-powered support automation saving $270K annually Designed conversational UI patterns and escalation workflows achieving 85% automation rate resolving 1,200+ support issues while maintaining 87% user satisfaction. Demonstrated ROI of user-centered design through measurable business impact

Led design operations and design team coordination for mission-critical enterprise platform supporting $494M in annual digital revenue serving 2,000+ enterprise users. Responsible for design systems governance, design-engineering collaboration, stakeholder design communication, and establishing predictable design delivery cadence. Transformed failing design program through design operations framework and scaled design system across 4 Context Labs platforms.

• Transformed failing design delivery from 100% missed deadlines to 12+ months perfect execution Inherited weekly design escalations on $494M revenue platform. Established design operations framework clarifying design ownership, implementing monthly design review cadence, and building stakeholder trust through transparent design process and predictable delivery
• Eliminated design-related escalations from weekly to zero in 4 months Established design operations rituals: weekly design roadmap reviews, bi-weekly stakeholder design presentations with visual progress tracking, and shared design success metrics creating unified understanding of design priorities and enabling stakeholder alignment
• Reduced engineering rework 60% by implementing design validation framework Shifted from specification handoff to prototype-first collaboration using high-fidelity interactive prototypes to validate design decisions with stakeholders before engineering investment. Eliminated "lost in translation" cycles through shared visual design references
• Established design QA partnership reducing post-launch design changes Partnered with QA to validate design scenarios and edge cases during design phase, not after development. Post-launch design hotfixes dropped from weekly emergencies to rare exceptions through proactive design validation and technical design review
• Designed and scaled design system across 4 Context Labs platforms Implemented first mature design system for EdgeShare™, then scaled design language across all Context Labs products (DaaS™, CLEAR Path™, Immutably™). Design system reduced design-to-development handoff friction 40% through shared component library, design tokens, and documented interaction patterns
• Design operations transformation secured multi-year contract renewal Client cited "night and day difference" in design quality and delivery consistency, requesting design leadership involvement in strategic product planning discussions. Demonstrated business impact of design leadership through measurable improvement in design delivery excellence
• Established design-led culture through cross-functional collaboration Built design team collaboration rituals with engineering and QA promoting early design involvement in technical planning. Engineering began requesting design input 2+ weeks earlier in development cycles; QA evolved into strategic design validation partners

Led UX design vision and managed design team for talent attraction SaaS platform in competitive recruitment tech market. Responsible for design team operations, design system evolution, cross-functional design advocacy with marketing/sales/engineering, and balancing business constraints with user-centered design principles. Drove design strategy across 8 concurrent product initiatives including hierarchy optimization, lifecycle campaigns, SaaS evolution, and AI features.

• Led design strategy across 8 concurrent product initiatives Created design decision framework enabling design team to navigate competing priorities (hierarchy optimization, lifecycle campaigns, SaaS evolution, AI features, dynamic ads, connectivity infrastructure) while maintaining design quality and user experience consistency across all workstreams
• Led design system consolidation unifying fragmented UI components Unified inconsistent components across product touchpoints into cohesive design language. Established design system governance, component documentation, and design-development collaboration processes reducing design debt and improving cross-platform consistency
• Mentored design team (5 designers) on strategic design thinking Developed team capability in user research methodologies, design prioritization frameworks (RICE, impact/effort), and navigating business constraints. Team evolved from executing design tasks to proactively identifying design opportunities and proposing user-centered solutions aligned with business goals
• Established user research practice and design measurement framework Implemented A/B testing infrastructure for design decisions, conducted qualitative user interviews, and iterated design solutions based on behavioral data. Evidence-based design approach increased user conversion and satisfaction through validated design improvements

Responsible for establishing design system foundation, defining visual and interaction standards, and building design process from ground up. Collaborated with Customer Success to establish user feedback loops and served as embedded design partner to engineering team providing design direction and technical design specifications for SaaS platform development.

• Built comprehensive design system from zero for SaaS platform Created complete component library, established visual design language (typography, color, spacing, iconography), and documented interaction patterns enabling scalable, consistent product development. Design system provided foundation for platform growth and design team expansion
• Led information architecture redesign through user research Simplified navigation hierarchy through user flow analysis and card sorting research, implemented progressive disclosure patterns, and reorganized content structure. Improved task completion rates and reduced navigation-related support tickets 40%
• Established design research partnership with Customer Success Created systematic feedback loop using support ticket analysis and direct user interviews to inform design priorities. Prioritized design improvements solving real user pain points over internally-driven features, increasing feature adoption and user satisfaction
• Served as embedded design partner accelerating development velocity Provided real-time design decisions, technical design specifications, and component guidelines to engineering team. Eliminated design-development communication gaps through proactive design collaboration and detailed design documentation
• Defined visual design language creating cohesive platform identity Established brand guidelines and functional design experiences across all platform touchpoints. Design system supported rapid feature development while maintaining visual and interaction consistency as platform expanded

Led UX design strategy for major EU gas pipeline operator's operational analytics platforms. Designed real-time monitoring systems for industrial IoT infrastructure (100+ sensors/edge devices), data visualization for ESG compliance reporting, and mission-critical operational dashboards for control center operators managing gas distribution across Germany. Designed access management and security-conscious interfaces for critical infrastructure operations.

• Led end-to-end UX design for operational analytics platform Designed data visualization patterns translating 100+ sensor inputs into actionable dashboards supporting 24/7 mission-critical operations with zero tolerance for cognitive overload or interpretation errors. Created real-time monitoring interfaces enabling control center operators to make split-second decisions on critical gas distribution infrastructure
• Designed ESG compliance data visualization and reporting interfaces Created design patterns for data transparency, audit trails, and export workflows translating complex emissions data into regulatory-compliant report formats. Reduced manual reporting effort and increased accuracy for EU environmental compliance requirements
• Designed access management interfaces for critical infrastructure operations Created role-based access control patterns and security-conscious interface designs for control center operators managing critical energy infrastructure. Designed authentication flows and permission management ensuring operational security while maintaining usability for high-pressure operational environments
• Redesigned pipeline management dashboard UX reducing cognitive load Implemented progressive information disclosure, alert hierarchy design, and context-aware interface patterns. Design improvements decreased operator training time 30% and increased incident response accuracy during high-pressure situations

Led design team (5-7 designers: UX specialists, visual designers, design architects) and managed end-to-end design process for mission-critical payment processing platform serving 2,000+ enterprise clients across 27 countries processing >1B transactions annually. Responsible for design team operations, design quality assurance, cross-functional design collaboration, and ensuring design solutions met strict financial regulatory compliance and enterprise security requirements including SSO, MFA, IAM, and role-based access control design.

• Managed design team delivering enterprise-grade payment processing UX Led design team (5-7 designers) serving 2,000+ clients across 27 countries processing >1B transactions annually. Established design quality assurance processes ensuring design solutions met strict financial regulatory compliance, security standards, and enterprise client expectations with zero design-related security incidents
• Designed SSO, MFA, and IAM experiences for enterprise payment platform Led design for Single Sign-On authentication flows, Multi-Factor Authentication experiences, and role-based access control (IAM) interfaces serving enterprise clients. Designed security-conscious authentication and authorization patterns balancing enterprise security requirements with usability for payment processing workflows
• Built and managed high-performing cross-functional design team Established design team processes, design review frameworks, and design delivery standards enabling predictable on-time, on-budget delivery for mission-critical payment systems. Led team through complex payment infrastructure projects requiring design collaboration with compliance officers, security teams, and enterprise stakeholders
• Established design standards and pattern libraries for payment workflows Created design documentation and governance frameworks ensuring consistency across complex payment processing, transaction monitoring, and fraud detection interfaces. Design patterns reduced cognitive load for enterprise clients managing high-volume payment operations at scale

Designed payment processing interfaces and led design execution for enterprise fintech platform serving 2,000+ clients. Responsible for design quality assurance, visual consistency across deliverables, stakeholder design collaboration, and ensuring design solutions aligned with company standards, enterprise client expectations, and financial regulatory requirements. Designed authentication flows, security interfaces, and payment security patterns for mission-critical fintech infrastructure.

• Designed payment security and authentication interfaces for enterprise platform Created authentication flows, payment security patterns, and fraud detection interfaces for mission-critical fintech infrastructure. Designed user experiences balancing enterprise security requirements with usability for transaction processing workflows meeting financial regulatory compliance across multiple jurisdictions
• Designed role-based access control and administrative interfaces Created permission management interfaces, user provisioning workflows, and administrative dashboards for enterprise payment platform. Designed access control patterns enabling enterprise clients to manage user roles, permissions, and security policies for payment processing operations
• Led cross-functional design collaboration with security and compliance teams Collaborated with project managers, backend developers, security engineers, compliance officers, and enterprise clients. Translated technical security constraints and regulatory requirements into cohesive, secure payment experiences through stakeholder workshops, design presentations, and iterative design validation
• Established unified design patterns for payment workflows and security Created consistent visual language and interaction patterns for transaction workflows, security interfaces, reporting dashboards, and administrative tools. Design consistency reduced enterprise client training time and support burden through predictable, learnable interface design