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I led a team in developing ___UX/UI___ for a unique dual-screen smartphone from conception. Key challenges included optimizing E-ink/LCD integration, refresh rates, and creating innovative user scenarios
Head of Design
2012–14
YotaPhone pioneered the dual-screen mobile device market by combining a premium Android smartphone with an innovative Electronic Paper Display. As Head of Design from November 2012, I led the product from its initial prototype stage through the development and release of both the first and second generations of the YotaPhone, playing a crucial role in shaping its design and branding strategy.
To launch the world's first innovative dual-screen smartphone being a small startup team
Yota Devices faced the daunting task of transforming YotaPhone, the world's first dual-screen smartphone combining premium Android features with an Electronic Paper Display, from a basic prototype into a market-ready flagship with just a 15-member team. As Head of Design, I spearheaded the effort to launch this brand-new device in a tight timeframe.
I oversaw all aspects of the company's design, achieving a cohesive, internationally recognized outcome. Leveraging research, I recruited the right talent and applied my creative vision to advance the company's design
The company collaborated with top global agencies for analysis when we were a small team. Later, my design department, alongside the development and marketing teams, conducted ongoing, in-house research.
We began from scratch with a unique, innovative product, creating solutions for the first time while gathering feedback to continuously improve it.
This groundbreaking project involved designing smartphones with unprecedented features from the ground up. We had to consider the E-ink screen's refresh rate when crafting the UX/UI, ensuring seamless integration between the E-ink and LCD displays. A key challenge was developing innovative user scenarios for a dual-screen smartphone. As Head of Design, I led multiple teams to deliver exceptional UX/UI for both YotaPhone generations.
Under my guidance, we designed and developed the UX/UI for specialized YotaPhone applications on both screens. A significant advancement in the second generation was introducing touch functionality to the back screen and improving its refresh rate. This enabled us to expand the E-ink display's capabilities, resulting in an updated UX/UI system, a new widget set, and enhanced usability principles.
Another way in which I participated in the product's market entry was the development of the second-generation ID (industrial design) and overseeing CMF (selection and coordination of specific colors, materials and finishes, giving the right feeling of the physical product).
I traveled to China and Singapore to achieve the best results in CMF and also worked with the Finnish office to coordinate the ID (industrial design) work.
I oversaw all marketing materials and activities, including branding, videos, product renders, images, photo shoots, and presentations.
When I joined, the company had no defined branding. I collaborated with the leadership and marketing teams to establish YotaPhone's brand vision and the broader company vision. I created a mood board for the brand, engaged and guided a studio to develop a comprehensive brand book, which remained in use consistently. This brand book guided not only YotaPhone but also other Yota Devices products. Branding shaped the company's art direction, setting standards for industrial designs, interfaces, and marketing.
I oversaw all marketing materials and activities, including branding, Art direction for product advertisements and product imagery, such as renders and videos, requires specialized expertise to ensure impactful and cohesive visuals., product renders, images, photo shoots, and presentations.
I traveled to China and Singapore to achieve the best results in CMF and What is more, under my leadership, we developed a comprehensive system for creating marketing materials, including a marketing guidebook with ready‑to‑use templates. This solution empowers colleagues—both internal and external teams—with no design expertise to efficiently produce brand‑aligned presentations and other materials, significantly saving time and ensuring visual consistency. worked with the Finnish office to coordinate the ID (industrial design) work.
I also art-directed the creation of sound design for the YotaPhone.
I played a crucial role in creating the packaging for the YotaPhone, aiming to convey its innovative nature from the first touch. This effort resulted in both the phone and its packaging receiving recognition from a reputable journal.
"The YotaPhone 2 is a surprisingly capable, well-equipped Android smartphone — which happens to also have the clever addition of a second, fully touch-sensitive e-ink display, all wrapped up in a very smartly-designed package" — Tech Crunch
I initiated and led a global company project to generate innovative ideas for the company's future, engaging global offices and encouraging employees and external fans to contribute ideas.
I facilitated a series of brainstorming events within the company and developed a comprehensive system for global internal idea generation and technology scouting across the organization.
Idea Camp, an external crowdsourcing innovation event, also became an integral part of this system. It was aimed at engaging YotaPhone users in the idea‑generation process and fostering innovation together with the emerging community.
I art-directed key events, such as YotaPhone product launches and major industry exhibitions, e.g. Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Cannes Lions, and others, overseeing CEO stage presentations, innovative stand design, product stands, marketing materials, staff outfits, etc.
I also art-directed high-impact marketing campaigns, such as the RoboHand promotion, Idea Camp event, and other industry events.
Moreover, I led the development of a comprehensive system of marketing design assets and guidelines, which significantly streamlined the design preparation process for such events.
I initiated and led the entire design department of the company, comprising 7 designers. I also found and hired numerous external design professionals and studios to fulfil the company's needs at different stages of its development. Finding and managing both internal and external professionals is a subtle art – it's like choosing the right pencils to draw a beautiful picture.
I consider my work in leadership and art-direction as Head of Design to be very successful, as the results I achieved were impressive and recognized not just by me, but also by the international community as an outstanding achievement.
As the Head of Design, I led innovative concept development for YotaPhone 1 and YotaPhone 2, ensuring the success of their launches. As a result, YotaPhone became an absolute market sensation and won several prestigious industry awards
As the Head of Design, my primary task was to conceive the vision for the product, establish clear goals and direction, create conceptual frameworks, assemble an internal team, and/or select external professionals, studios, and agencies capable of executing the task according to my vision. This was particularly challenging given that YotaPhone was an innovative product. Every step of bringing it to market required developing concepts from scratch, and I served as the conceptual center, overseeing the execution.
Additionally, I initiated and led a special internal project focused on generating innovations for future products within the company. Throughout this role, I discovered and developed my leadership potential. As a result, YotaPhone achieved remarkable success during my tenure and even after I left the company—which I consider recognition of the product's lasting impact and the effectiveness of the strategies implemented.
Awards:
Cannes Lions, CNET Best of CES
Media featuring of the YotaPhone:
TechCrunch ↗, Forbes ↗, Wired ↗, The Wall Street Journal ↗, The Independent ↗
Since I was sole employee managing such a diverse range of duties, I assert that I played a pivotal role in the growth of the product. Serving as the Head of Design at a software and hardware company, the breadth of responsibilities and competencies I managed represents a rare and distinctive skill set in the industry, with few comparable companies or individuals. Consequently, I consider this to be a truly unique set of skills
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I led a team in developing ___UX/UI___ for a unique dual-screen smartphone from conception. Key challenges included optimizing E-ink/LCD integration, refresh rates, and creating innovative user scenarios
Leading the YotaPhone ___Packaging___Design___ project, I focused on capturing its innovative essence. The packaging earned recognition from TechCrunch
The ___Editor___ is the core of the software, allowing users to refine scans for high-quality 3D models. Designing it is challenging because all functions must be seamlessly integrated onto the screen for easy access.
I established YotaPhone's ___Brand___Vision___ by creating an initial concept and overseeing development of the comprehensive brand book used across all products. This branding framework set standards for industrial design, interfaces, and marketing materials
I art‑directed ___Product___Videos___ to ensure our product vision was communicated effectively to customers. Art‑directing videos is a complex and challenging task
I art-directed ___Stand___Design___ for high-impact events, such as participating in the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, essential for the brand's market entry and reputation for innovation
I also led the art direction for the YotaPhone launch and other high-profile ___Events___, ensuring their visual impact
Head of Design
2012–14
YotaPhone pioneered the dual-screen mobile device market by combining a premium Android smartphone with an innovative Electronic Paper Display. As Head of Design from November 2012, I led the product from its initial prototype stage through the development and release of both the first and second generations of the YotaPhone, playing a crucial role in shaping its design and branding strategy.
To launch the world's first innovative dual-screen smartphone being a small startup team
Yota Devices faced the daunting task of transforming YotaPhone, the world's first dual-screen smartphone combining premium Android features with an Electronic Paper Display, from a basic prototype into a market-ready flagship with just a 15-member team. As Head of Design, I spearheaded the effort to launch this brand-new device in a tight timeframe.
I oversaw all aspects of the company's design, achieving a cohesive, internationally recognized outcome. Leveraging research, I recruited the right talent and applied my creative vision to advance the company's design
YotaPhone was an industry innovation, combining two screens—LCD and E-ink—in one smartphone. When I joined, the company was just emerging, lacking design principles in all spheres of design, such as industrial design, interfaces, branding, marketing, packaging, and others. As Head of Design, together with the initial team, I pushed forward the design, established design principles, initiated, created, and curated all the design aspects of the company. I also hired and managed a design team and external design professionals to strengthen and execute my vision.
The company collaborated with top global agencies for analysis when we were a small team. Later, my design department, alongside the development and marketing teams, conducted ongoing, in-house research.
We began from scratch with a unique, innovative product, creating solutions for the first time while gathering feedback to continuously improve it.
This groundbreaking project involved designing smartphones with unprecedented features from the ground up. We had to consider the E-ink screen's refresh rate when crafting the UX/UI, ensuring seamless integration between the E-ink and LCD displays. A key challenge was developing innovative user scenarios for a dual-screen smartphone. As Head of Design, I led multiple teams to deliver exceptional UX/UI for both YotaPhone generations.
Under my guidance, we designed and developed the UX/UI for specialized YotaPhone applications on both screens. A significant advancement in the second generation was introducing touch functionality to the back screen and improving its refresh rate. This enabled us to expand the E-ink display's capabilities, resulting in an updated UX/UI system, a new widget set, and enhanced usability principles.
Another way in which I participated in the product's market entry was the development of the second-generation ID (industrial design) and overseeing CMF (selection and coordination of specific colors, materials and finishes, giving the right feeling of the physical product).
I traveled to China and Singapore to achieve the best results in CMF and also worked with the Finnish office to coordinate the ID (industrial design) work.
I oversaw all marketing materials and activities, including branding, videos, product renders, images, photo shoots, and presentations.
When I joined, the company had no defined branding. I collaborated with the leadership and marketing teams to establish YotaPhone's brand vision and the broader company vision. I created a mood board for the brand, engaged and guided a studio to develop a comprehensive brand book, which remained in use consistently. This brand book guided not only YotaPhone but also other Yota Devices products. Branding shaped the company's art direction, setting standards for industrial designs, interfaces, and marketing.
I also art-directed the creation of sound design for the YotaPhone.
I played a crucial role in creating the packaging for the YotaPhone, aiming to convey its innovative nature from the first touch. This effort resulted in both the phone and its packaging receiving recognition from a reputable journal.
"The YotaPhone 2 is a surprisingly capable, well-equipped Android smartphone — which happens to also have the clever addition of a second, fully touch-sensitive e-ink display, all wrapped up in a very smartly-designed package" — Tech Crunch
I initiated and led a global company project to generate innovative ideas for the company's future, engaging global offices and encouraging employees and external fans to contribute ideas.
I facilitated a series of brainstorming events within the company and developed a comprehensive system for global internal idea generation and technology scouting across the organization.
Idea Camp, an external crowdsourcing innovation event, also became an integral part of this system. It was aimed at engaging YotaPhone users in the idea‑generation process and fostering innovation together with the emerging community.
I art-directed key events, such as YotaPhone product launches and major industry exhibitions, e.g. Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Cannes Lions, and others, overseeing CEO stage presentations, innovative stand design, product stands, marketing materials, staff outfits, etc.
I also art-directed high-impact marketing campaigns, such as the RoboHand promotion, Idea Camp event, and other industry events.
Moreover, I led the development of a comprehensive system of marketing design assets and guidelines, which significantly streamlined the design preparation process for such events.
I initiated and led the entire design department of the company, comprising 7 designers. I also found and hired numerous external design professionals and studios to fulfil the company's needs at different stages of its development. Finding and managing both internal and external professionals is a subtle art – it's like choosing the right pencils to draw a beautiful picture.
I consider my work in leadership and art-direction as Head of Design to be very successful, as the results I achieved were impressive and recognized not just by me, but also by the international community as an outstanding achievement.
As the Head of Design, I led innovative concept development for YotaPhone 1 and YotaPhone 2, ensuring the success of their launches. As a result, YotaPhone became an absolute market sensation and won several prestigious industry awards
As the Head of Design, my primary task was to conceive the vision for the product, establish clear goals and direction, create conceptual frameworks, assemble an internal team, and/or select external professionals, studios, and agencies capable of executing the task according to my vision.
Awards: Cannes Lions, CNET Best of CES.
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