Joelson Leal

Product Designer & UX Engineer

London, GB.

About

Product Designer and Design Engineer based in London, originally from Cabo Verde, with over 8 years of experience in mobile and web product design, driving usability, accessibility, localisation, and scalable design systems. Currently pursuing an MSc in User Experience Engineering at Goldsmiths, University of London and recognized as a 2024/25 Chevening Scholar.

Work

hello.cv (CV TLD / .cv domains)

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Head of Design

Austin, Texas, US

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Summary

Leading design of hello.cv platform, empowering digital identity and ATS-optimised career tools.

Highlights

Directing design strategy for digital identity and AI-powered career solutions.

hello.cv (CV TLD / .cv domains)

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VP, Product Operations

Remote, Cabo Verde, Cabo Verde

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Summary

Directed registrar onboarding and product operations for the .CV top-level domain.

Highlights

Onboarded 15+ registrars and drove 4,000+ new domain registrations.

Automated multilingual customer support, reducing response times by 70%.

Unified cross-functional teams to enhance digital services and CX.

Kriolish, Inc.

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Senior Product Designer / UX Strategist

London, England, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

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Summary

Led product redesign and strategic UX for a crowdsourced language learning platform.

Highlights

Redesigned platform, increasing usability and visual consistency.

Boosted user engagement by ~40% via iterative prototyping and data-informed optimizations.

Built scalable component-based design system aligned with product vision.

Cabo Verde Digital

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Design & Innovation Manager

Praia, Praia, Cabo Verde

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Summary

Co-led national digital transformation programs through design and innovation.

Highlights

Developed digital services and internal platforms to accelerate startup ecosystem.

Conducted UX audits and workshops for public institutions and entrepreneurs.

Ministry of Culture and Creative Industries of Cabo Verde

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Advisor, Branding & Marketing

Praia, Praia, Cabo Verde

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Summary

Advised national cultural campaigns and branding strategy.

Highlights

Launched cultural campaigns increasing public engagement by ~20%.

Steered branding initiatives promoting local identity.

Bonako

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Lead Product Designer

Praia, Praia, Cabo Verde

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Summary

Led design of digital products reaching significant adoption metrics.

Highlights

Directed UI/UX for MyUnitel, Passafree and others, achieving over 50K users.

Collaborated with engineers using React, TypeScript, Flutter for cross-platform shipping.

Volunteer

Design Mentor

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ADPList

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Mentoring emerging designers via ADPList platform.

Highlights

Supported mentees in career strategies and fundamental design skills.

Founder & Lead Organizer

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Kriolus Who Design

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Founded community elevating Cabo Verdean and diaspora designers.

Highlights

Curated network and portfolio platform for Cabo Verdean design talent.

Education

Goldsmiths, University of London

London, England, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
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MSc User Experience Engineering

Arizona State University

Tempe, Arizona, United States of America
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Certificate Public Management

University of Cabo Verde

Praia, Praia, Cabo Verde
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BSc Multimedia Design & Communication

Skills

Product Design & UX

Figma, Wireframing, Interaction Design, Design Systems, DesignOps.

UX Research

Usability Testing, Surveys, Personas, Journey Mapping.

Frontend Collaboration

HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Storybook, Developer Handoff.

Leadership & Strategy

Product Strategy, Cross-functional Collaboration, Stakeholder Management.