Hello, I'm Bora Alap, an Amsterdam-based Product Design Lead with expertise in strategic leadership and front-end development. Originally from Turkey, I moved to Canada to pursue my education and forge a new path. During my 16 years there, I not only learned English but also completed a certificate program and earned my Bachelor's degree in Creative Advertising. In my final year of university, I began working in the digital industry and have since accumulated over 10 years of experience, with 8 of those focused on product design.

My responsibilities have included crafting user journeys, strategically enhancing user experiences, and developing product strategies. I guide interaction design, oversee design reviews, mentor junior designers, and lead cross-functional teams to align product designs with corporate goals. My expertise extends to creating native mobile applications and establishing comprehensive design systems.

As a self-taught front-end developer proficient in React and React Native, I blend creativity with technical understanding, bringing both user-centric and developer-centric perspectives to design challenges. This technical foundation complements my UX expertise, enabling me to deliver UI elements and design systems that effectively serve both end-users and business objectives. This unique combination has been a key strength throughout my career, allowing me to thrive across various industries, including telecom, e-commerce, accounting, and HRM.

In the next chapter of my journey, I've relocated to the Netherlands with my wife and our dog. We've settled here, eager to learn, grow, and explore the opportunities the European market offers. With my diverse background and hands-on approach, I bring valuable insights into user experience across different product types.

When I’m not designing or coding, I’m always looking for new ways to push the boundaries of digital innovation. Feel free to connect with me if you’re interested in collaborating or learning more about my journey!

Freshbooks - Product Design Lead

2022 - current

At FreshBooks, I lead a bi-continental design team across North America and Europe, managing and mentoring staff while running workshops and implementing developer collaboration processes. I spearheaded the creation of Freshbricks, an organization-wide design system that enhances consistency, scalability, and accessibility across products. Additionally, I strategized for our mobile team, aligning design initiatives with business objectives to improve user engagement and product efficiency.

Ceridian - Sr. Product Designer

2020 - 2022

At Ceridian, I served as a Senior Mobile Product Designer, working on the mobile app to enhance user experience and functionality. Simultaneously, I led a four-person Design System Management (DSM) team, establishing robust design processes including workshops, taxonomy structures, and component life cycles. I facilitated developer collaboration to improve communication and efficiency between teams. Additionally, I conducted design reviews and mentored fellow designers, which improved product consistency and accelerated development timelines.

Rogers Communications - Sr. Product Designer

2019 - 2020

At Rogers, I designed key features for the MyRogers and Fido apps, such as a Virtual Assistant and billing modules, to enhance customer experience. I developed Design System Management (DSM) practices and user flows to ensure consistency across applications. My efforts resulted in increased user satisfaction, improved app usability, and streamlined processes that enhanced team collaboration and expedited project delivery.

Bachelor's degree - Creative Advertising

Humber College - Toronto / Canada

I earned my Bachelor's degree in Creative Advertising, a comprehensive program that blended artistic creativity with strategic communication. The curriculum covered various facets of advertising, including marketing principles, brand development, copywriting, art direction, and multimedia production. Throughout the program, I engaged in projects that required developing full-scale advertising campaigns—from initial concept and creative strategy to execution across different media platforms such as print, digital, and broadcast. This education provided me with a strong foundation in visual communication, storytelling, and understanding consumer behavior, all of which have been invaluable in my career in product design and user experience.

JavaScript Fundamentals + Advanced JavaScript

Hacker You - Toronto / Canada

At Hackeryou, I completed an intensive course covering both JavaScript Fundamentals and Advanced JavaScript concepts. The program began with the basics of JavaScript programming, including syntax, data types, functions, and control flow structures. It then progressed to more advanced topics such as object-oriented programming, asynchronous programming with Promises and async/await, manipulating the Document Object Model (DOM), working with APIs, and using modern JavaScript frameworks. The hands-on curriculum emphasized practical application, allowing me to build interactive web applications and deepen my understanding of front-end development.

• User Experience (UX) & User Interface (UI) Design
• Native Mobile App Design Patterns & Guidelines (iOS, Android)
• Design System Creation & Management
• Consistency & Scalability in UI/UX Design
• User-Centered Design (UCD) Principles

Proficient in a wide range of development tools and frameworks, including MongoDB, Supabase, React, React Native, Nextjs, Vercel, Node.js, Express, Strapi, Prism, and Stripe.js API.