Eugen Eşanu
Product designer and design engineer
I design web products, write the code that ships them, and study how customers use them.
I’m a product designer and design engineer. I join teams for the long run and take the product from business problem to interface to shipped code.
For 12 years I’ve designed and shipped products, mostly with US startups and some in Europe: 47 shipped, 3 acquired (Clearbit by HubSpot, Qualibrate by Copado, and AlphaUX). I’ve launched three products of my own too, so I know the founder side of shipping, not just the design side.
I start with the problem, not the screen. I join customer calls, keep asking why until the real need shows up, and say so when a feature won’t move the business. Then I put the most care into the parts nobody puts in a portfolio: the empty table, the failed payment, the step that isn’t set up yet. That’s where people decide whether to trust a product. After launching the product, I decide what’s next from real usage. How? Watching session recordings one by one or talking to customers directly. The products I’ve designed have reached over 2 million users. I work across US and European time zones only.
What I do
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Build 0 to 1
A strategic partner who helps you shape what needs to be built. From idea to execution.
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Own the product
Customer calls and interviews, discovery, roadmap, pricing and specs, then the build.
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Move the numbers
Conversion +15.7% at Apollo. Onboarding +17.5% at Public Grid. Refunds down from 25.7% to 15.4% at HelloGov.
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Lead design teams
Led design for the last five years, Apollo.io among them. Built the design practice at several companies.
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Ship the front-end
TypeScript, React, Next.js. Production code, not handoff.
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Design systems, engineered
Tokens and components in code, shipped as a package that scales with the product.
What I design
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AI agents and AI-assisted features
Agent products and their modules, like an AI SDR that qualifies leads around the clock. AI steps inside workflows, from describing an automation in plain language to AI phone calls. AI suggestions people can trust and correct, and AI inside operations tools, from conversation summaries to photo checks.
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Workflow and automation builders
Visual builders with triggers, conditions, branches and groups; step libraries for CRM updates, Salesforce, Slack, email, sequences and webhooks. And the hard states: steps that aren’t configured yet, limits, empty states and errors.
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Complex B2B products, end to end
Data-heavy tables, admin panels and internal tools, customer portals, billing and onboarding, and a design system built with the engineers, plus the front-end to ship it. When the product needs it, the website, pricing page and sales decks too, so every touchpoint tells the same story.
Writing & press
Published in Fast Company and on Dribbble’s design blog, and a long-time writer for UX Planet on behavioural design, nudges and choice architecture: the same thinking I bring to AI suggestions and defaults.
- Fast Company Why your Nike redesign is bad
- Dribbble Why consistent writing makes you a better designer
- Dribbble 5 soft skills every product designer should master
- Design Standup podcast Featured: 10 Small Design Mistakes We Still Make
- UX Planet Designing Better Choices for Your Users
- UX Planet 10 Powerful User Nudges Illustrated
- UX Planet How to Influence Choice Through Default Options
- UX Planet 10 Small Design Mistakes We Still Make
Common questions
Do you work with multiple customers at the same time?
No. Only one engagement at a time.
What do you design?
AI agents and AI-assisted features, workflow and automation builders, admin panels and internal tools, and the B2B SaaS products around them. Lantern, an AI CRM with agents and a workflow builder, is a three-year example.
Do you work with US companies?
Yes. For 12 years I’ve worked mostly with US startups, remotely from Europe, plus some European companies. I work across US and European time zones.
Do you only do UI?
No. I cover the whole product: flows and every edge-case state, admin tools, design systems and front-end, and when needed the website and the decks.
How do we work together, and what does it cost?
Three ways: founding designer for a 0-to-1 product, embedded product designer for the long run, or a defined piece of work, on a flat monthly fee agreed up front. The details are on the services page.
How do we start?
Email hi@eugenesanu.com. Tell me what you’re building, where it’s at and when you’d like to start. I work directly with founders and CTOs, or with any team that has a big or interesting project, whether you’re a startup or an enterprise.