Resume
Elnaz Koupaei
UX/UI Designer
- Berlin, Germany
- koupaei.elnaz@gmail.com
- +49 176 56935897
- elnazkoupaei.de
- linkedin.com/in/elnaz-koupaei
UX/UI Designer with 2.5+ years of experience crafting mobile and web experiences that tell meaningful stories while balancing user needs and business goals. With a background in IT Engineering, teaching, and running my own handmade studio, I blend analytical thinking with creativity, empathy, and storytelling, and use AI tools and coded prototypes to test ideas fast and get closer to the real product.
Experience
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May 2024 – Present
UX/UI Designer
Sokhan · EdTech Startup
A mobile and web platform extending classroom English learning through homework submission, feedback, and progress tracking.
- Led interviews and surveys with Gen Z students and teachers, uncovering pain points in homework submission, feedback, and motivation that shaped core features
- Designed homework submission, feedback, micro-learning, and progress tracking across mobile and web, from user flows to high-fidelity prototypes, in a two-person design team
- Ran in-person usability tests with students and iterated on the designs, simplifying homework submission and making feedback easier to notice
- Found that long, numerous micro-learning units increased cognitive load and lowered motivation; redesigned them into fewer, bite-sized lessons suited to Gen Z attention patterns
- Structured the information architecture and navigation to make homework more enjoyable and easier to manage, motivating students to keep up at home
- Built coded prototypes in VS Code (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) for interactions Figma couldn’t simulate, enabling more realistic usability testing
- Integrated AI tools across the design process, from brainstorming and interview prep to research synthesis and rapid prototyping, while keeping decisions user-driven
- Presented design decisions to the product manager and stakeholders, and handed off build-ready designs to developers via Figma Dev Mode in Agile sprints
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Feb 2014 – Apr 2024
Designer & Studio Owner
Botehchin · Handmade Concept Products Studio
- Led a team of three and ran studio operations, building a self-driven culture and using Agile practices to plan and deliver products
- Ran customer surveys and interviews, turning insights into product improvements such as more durable glazes, customizable designs, and new sizes
- Designed handmade concept products tailored to each customer, translating personal stories into meaningful products
- Redesigned how new collections were presented and launched to drive sales
- Designed and facilitated storytelling-based crafting workshops for participants of all ages and skill levels
- Created data-informed social media visuals and messaging that increased brand engagement
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Oct 2009 – Sep 2012
Language Teacher & Researcher
Gooyesh · Language Institute
- Taught English to children, Gen Z learners, and older adults, adapting lessons to different levels and learning styles
- Researched learners’ needs and motivations to design engaging lesson activities
- Interviewed students and parents each semester, turning feedback into teaching improvements that increased classroom engagement
Education
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Jan 2024 – Apr 2024
UX/UI Bootcamp Course
Spiced Academy · Berlin
550-hour full-time program covering user research, usability testing, prototyping, and design systems, including the use of AI tools in the design process, with 4 individual and team projects.
Individual Projects
- Redesigned a key user flow of a productivity app to fix usability issues and improve visual consistency
Team Projects
- Designed a receipt-scanning feature for a budget tracking app to automate transaction entry
- Designed a beauty e-commerce app with inclusive product discovery for diverse skin tones
- Designed Berlify, an app guiding expats in Berlin through bureaucratic processes such as address registration and tax ID
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Sep 2022 – Jan 2023
Foundations of UX Design
Coursera · Google
Learned UX foundations, design thinking, and core design principles; created wireframes and prototypes in Figma for a virtual painting gallery app and took part in peer reviews.
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Jan 2022 – Mar 2022
Introduction to Psychology
Coursera · University of Toronto
Studied the principles of human behavior, cognition, perception, memory, and social behavior, helping me better understand user needs and inform user-centered design decisions.
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Oct 2005 – Jun 2009
Bachelor of IT Engineering
Esfahan University
Built strong analytical and problem-solving skills through programming, data structures, statistics, and AI. Exposure to e-commerce concepts supported data-driven thinking and a deeper understanding of user behavior in digital products.