Senior/Lead Product Designer · Fintech & Banking · London

Creating elegant design for complex and regulated financial services.

15+ years turning complex workflows into experiences people trust and want to use. End-to-end product design across private banking, mortgage processing, and national-scale digital services.

View Case Studies
London-based
ILR/Settled Status · Hybrid Preference
Research first
Decisions backed by evidence, not opinion
Lean UX
Fast Discovery · Iterative Delivery
Cross-functional
Stakeholders, Devs, QAs & BAs in one room
Photo
coming soon
The person behind the process

Hi, I'm Maria.

I work at the intersection of design thinking, user research, interaction design, and product strategy in regulated environments. Over 15 years, I've led design for 4,000+ banking managers at a major Swedish bank, shaped card management for the UK's oldest private bank, and contributed to digital transformation at Royal Mail — alongside consumer mobile and web apps with millions of users.

I care about agile delivery, research and evidence-based decisions, accessible design by default, and staying long enough to see the real impact of my work. I combine UX craft with product thinking and elegant interfaces, and bring genuine curiosity and problem-solving to every team I work with.

I'm looking for a stable, design-mature fintech or bank where I can build something that lasts.

Previously Head of UX & Product at Hyron AI (£30M, seed) · Expert UX Designer at Zühlke Engineering, working with major banks, Royal Mail, and other financial institutions · Based in London · Open to Senior & Lead UX/Product roles.
Discovery & Research Design Thinking Design Systems Prototyping iOS & Android Accessibility AI Products Product Strategy Agile Delivery
Selected Work

Case studies from
the front line of fintech.

01
From Alpha to Release · User Testing · Mortgage System
End-to-End Redesign

Rebuilding a decade-old mortgage system so 4,000 advisors could trust their own tool again.

Led end-to-end UX redesign of a complex mortgage system for 4,000+ banking managers across the UK branch network. Discovery through production release over a 2-year embedded engagement.

Client
Major Swedish Bank, UK
Year
2022–2024
Role
Lead UX Designer
Sector
Mortgage Banking
View Case Study
02
Discovery · Prototype · MVP
Consumer iOS App

Card management for the UK’s oldest private bank. Designed for discretion.

Co-led discovery and designed card management features and flows for the C. Hoare & Co iOS app — giving wealthy customers discreet, on-the-go control of their payments without unnecessary complexity.

Client
C. Hoare & Co
Year
2022
Role
Expert UX Designer
Sector
Private Banking
View Case Study
03
Mobile · Journey Design · Lean UX
Journey Design & Research

Modernising the digital tracking process at scale

Embedded within the Royal Mail design team, collaborating across designers, BAs, and developers to redesign core tracking and Parcelforce journeys. Lean design thinking in practice — from usability testing to signed-off, implementation-ready flows.

Client
Royal Mail
Year
2022
Role
Expert UX Designer
Sector
Logistics · Public Sector
View Case Study
What I Bring

Built for complexity.
Tested in regulated environments.

The skills that matter for complex, regulated work — and the evidence behind each.

01
Regulated UX
Compliance doesn't simplify design — it raises the stakes. The best design decision also has to survive compliance, legal, and risk review. I specialise in designing for users who can't afford a confusing interface, working within systems that can't afford a wrong decision.
Evidenced across cases 01, 02, 03
02
Research That Changes Perspective
Research in financial services isn't optional — it's how you avoid designing for assumptions instead of people. I embed testing early, synthesise fast, and use findings to challenge decisions, not just validate them.
Evidenced in cases 01, 02, 03
03
Human Needs, Not AI Capability
Most AI products fail at the interface, not the algorithm. I work at that gap — making sure what the model does and what the user understands are actually the same thing.
Evidenced: Hyron AI
04
Holistic by Design
Large organisations don't fail at design — they fail at consistency. I design systems and journeys that hold together across teams, handoffs, and competing priorities — built for implementation, not just presentation.
Evidenced in cases 01, 03
Beyond the Pixels

The things that
inform the work.

Who I am outside of work isn't separate from the designer I am — it shapes how I observe, slow down, and find the unexpected. Here's where that happens.

Starting the Day
A quick yoga stretch, coffee, and no agenda. You get what you invest — even ten minutes of intentional movement changes how the rest of the day lands. Energy in, clarity out.
Sketching to Think
I sketch to support visual thinking, not to make finished things. Loose marks, rough flows, bad drawings that become good decisions. Paper and iPad both have their place.
Mixed Media & Making
Experimenting with canvas, collage, and digital painting — sometimes all three in one piece. I like the mess of mixed media. It keeps the hand loose and the eye honest.
Contemporary Art
Tate Modern is my reset button. I'm drawn to work that doesn't explain itself — art that asks you to look longer, sit with discomfort, and make your own meaning.
Texture & Nature
I collect photos of textures on the move — weathered walls, wet stone, shorelines, the grain of things up close. Seaside and nature are where I genuinely recharge, away from screens.
See more of the visual side @maria.sign on Instagram
Let's Talk

Let's make something
you're proud of.

Currently speaking with UK banks and established fintechs about Senior and Lead UX/Product Design roles. Based in London — hybrid preferred. ILR/Settled Status. I respond within 48 hours.

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