Hands-on design leader & strategist · Munich/Barcelona

Design leadership that shows up in the numbers.

15+ years in design, 6+ years in leadership. Scaled a design team from a 2-person shared service to a 9-person embedded practice. Every key initiative has a measured result.

See the impact → View case studies →

Selected work

HELLO social live commerce app on a phone

0→1 mobile app · Social commerce · Approved by C-level

Live Shopping HELLO App

Built from scratch: a new product category, two platforms, three user audiences. 100M+ viewers reached. 5,000+ live streams.

View Case Study →

Core journey · Checkout · A/B validated

Guest Checkout

Three versions designed, two rejected before testing. The third one: +6.6% conversion. +10.9% add-to-cart.

View Case Study →

Core journey · Search · 1.3M+ active users

Improving Search with AI

Defined four intent types before touching a screen. +4% CTR. +8% satisfaction. −42% engineering maintenance.

View Case Study →

DesignOps · 8 product squads · 3 platforms

Establishing a Design System

First design system in company history. Includes the adoption mistake and what fixed it. ~15% faster delivery across 8 product squads.

View Case Study →

All 6 case studies →

"Working with Rafael is a pleasure. He's communicative, structured, focused, and goal-oriented, but in a practical way. You always know what matters and why. He gives direction, then trusts you to do the job. That balance isn't easy, and he handles it well."

Max Stepanov Senior Digital Product Designer

"Working with Rafael feels like having both support and momentum at the same time. He brings structure where it's needed, but never overcomplicates things, and adapts his approach depending on the team and individual needs. He's an empathetic manager who truly pays attention to people, not just in terms of performance, but in how they grow."

Lucas Momosaki Senior Digital Product Designer

"Rafael has an inclusive and relaxed leadership style, paired with clear structure and strong ways of working. He consistently encouraged the design team to share thinking, raise the bar, and operate with clarity. He gives designers space and trust, and steps in with considered input when it counts."

Ashley Oettle Senior Digital Product Designer

"Working with Rafael is a big factor in my growth as a designer. He is a leader who is clear, trusting, and supports his team unconditionally. He helps his UX team grow, extend our capabilities, and continuously improve the quality of our output."

Youssef Bousetta Digital Product Designer

"I still remember the breakfast meeting when we first got to know Rafael during the hiring process. When asked about his plans, he said: 'How can I best help you grow from here?' That wasn't a rehearsed answer. It set the tone for everything that followed."

Sven Gruetzmann Senior Digital Product Designer

"Rafael is an exceptional leader who truly knows how to balance professional rigor with team empowerment. He excels at giving his team the confidence to innovate, while providing unwavering support when they face challenges."

Qiren Yao Senior Digital Product Designer

"Rafael brings experience, inspiration and encouragement to the team. He is always pushing designers to the next level and fighting to keep the team engaged. In addition to being a very cool and fun guy!"

Moreno Lennertz Senior Digital Product Designer

All recommendations are published on LinkedIn →