Ljubiša Kukulj – Product Experience Designer

In short

About Me

I was born in Banja Luka, Bosnia & Herzegovina. Grew up constantly moving, exploring and trying new things. Karate was one of the first. Seven years of discipline, hard work and quite a few gold medals in international kumite championships. Then came breakdancing. I was hooked. Between 2008 and 2013 I hitchhiked over 12,000 kilometres across Europe, just to get to competitions and learn from people who inspired me.

That mix of structure and chaos (karate and breakdance) shaped the way I think and work. Focused and disciplined but flexible. Intentional, but not afraid to take creative risks.

In 2014, I moved to Zagreb, Croatia. These days I'm more of a family guy than a backpacking dancer. I split my energy between building smart digital products, going to the gym, hanging out in nature and occasionally losing to my kids in Beat Saber. It's a different kind of balance, but it works.

That mindset followed me into my work. Designing national ID systems, fintech tools, sport apps, or even e-commerce platforms. Over the years, I have designed for web, mobile (iOS, Android, Jio, KaiOS), wearables, custom Linux systems and gaming consoles. Always aiming for products people understand on the first try.

Projects

Selected
Work.

What is my

Expertise

Product Design

Designing digital products that balance user needs, technical constraints, and business goals. Transforming complex systems into clear, scalable experiences across mobile, web, and enterprise platforms.

From discovery and prototyping to production systems, my focus is on turning ideas into measurable product outcomes.

Product UX

Interaction Design

Rapid Prototyping

Enterprise Platforms

Mobile, Web & Custom

Three flat planes stepping forward along one sixty degree axis, the front one paper carrying a single volt plane

Product and Project Leadership

Leading cross-functional teams from concept to shipped product, aligning stakeholders, designers, and engineers around clear priorities and execution plans. I deliver through clear priorities, written decisions, and roadmaps that hold up under strict regulation.

Experience spans global teams, enterprise programs, and fast-moving product organizations operating under strict regulatory constraints.

Product Leadership

Roadmapping

Cross-Functional Teams

Agile Delivery

Executive Strategy

Five bars climbing one sixty degree axis, the longest capped by a volt triangle

Mentoring and Team Development

Mentoring designers and product teams to develop product thinking, decision-making frameworks, deep pattern recognition, and leadership capabilities beyond execution.

Design Mentorship

Product Thinking

Career Coaching

Workshops

1:1 Approach

A small volt plane echoed by four larger planes of the same shape climbing away from it

Product Strategy and Innovation

Shaping product direction through structured discovery, validation, and innovation frameworks. Abstract ideas translated into scalable product decisions by connecting business strategy, user needs, and technical feasibility.

Product Strategy

Innovation Framework

Discovery & Validation

Emerging Tech

First Principles Thinking

A paper field with one sixty degree ink channel cut through it and a volt rhombus inside the channel

Let's talk

Ways to

Work Together

Project Engagements

Fixed scope, clear end date. Examples: a UX audit with a prioritized fix list, a validated prototype, a redesigned flow shipped with your team.

Typical focus areas

Product and experience design

Concept validation and rapid prototyping

UX audits and system requirements

Enterprise and platform-scale experiences

Discuss a project

Strategic Advisory

A standing line to someone who has made these calls before. For leaders carrying high-stakes product decisions and long-term direction.

Typical focus areas

Product strategy and vision definition

Design and decision-making frameworks

Innovation and experimentation models

Executive-level product and UX guidance

Discuss advisory

Mentoring and Workshops

Mentoring and workshops for designers and product teams. Built on the accessibility course more than 23,000 students have taken on Uxcel.

Typical focus areas

1:1 design and product mentorship

Team coaching and capability building

Workshops on UX, strategy and innovation

Career and leadership development

Ask about mentoring

Client

Reviews

Let's talk

Ljubiša is a dependable and proactive designer who consistently delivers quality work on time. He takes responsibility for his projects and works well independently, making collaboration smooth and efficient...

Tomislav Kuduz

MBA, Product Manager

Ljubisa is communicative, precise, honest, and responsible. He’s incredibly resourceful, generous with guidance, and brings strong mentorship skills and real leadership insight. I highly recommend Ljubisa and look forward to continuing our collaboration.

Gene Kamenez

CEO @ Uxcel

Ljubiša has a natural ability to bring people together. He knows how to set a clear vision, align teams around shared goals, and keep everyone motivated and moving in the right direction. Even under pressure, he remains calm, focused, and solution-oriented, which made a huge difference for the team.

Viktor Zimmermann

Co-founder and CTO @ Bazzar

Ljubisa is an expert in accessibility whose understanding goes far beyond the latest developments. He has a unique ability to connect accessibility principles to real human experiences, making his work both forward-thinking and deeply impactful. A true professional that is a pleasure collaborating with.

Sofija Rajković

Community Manager @ Uxcel

During our time working together, I realized that Ljubiša can very quickly come up with the solution for any case, no matter how difficult and/or complicated it seems at the first glance. His willingness to accept feedback and adapt quickly allowed us to work at quite fast pace which is crucial in today's ever changing environment.

Tomislav Haramustek

Product Lead @ Sofascore

I am so grateful and happy to have Ljubisa as my mentor. He greatly helped me during my career transition and job search. Ljubisa is extremely knowledgeable in all UX/UI and product design aspects. What truly stands out about him is that he is an empathic person that genuinely wants to help.

Lorena Tadić

UX/UI Designer @ GDi

Ljubiša is a skilled and proactive manager of any project or idea he touches. I've worked with him on multiple projects throughout the years and one of the powerful qualities that Ljubiša possesses is that he can both take on a project and execute it to completion by himself, but also work flawlessly in a team with diverse set of technical requirements and tasks.

Sandro Lovnički

Creator of pLam & Beamer Package

Since 2022, I had a pleasure of collaborating closely with Ljubiša in the UX Research and Design field in Sofascore. His deep understanding of user experience principles, accessibility and approach to research-driven design has greatly enhanced our projects. With his positive energy in the working environment, as well as his expertise and commitment to creating exceptional user experiences, I recommend him as a valuable asset to any team!

Božo Vukojević

Sport Psychologist

What sets Ljubiša apart is his ability to communicate and collaborate with clients effectively. He takes the time to understand project requirements, asks insightful questions, and ensures the result aligns with the client's vision. Ljubiša's attention to detail and dedication to meeting deadlines have made him a reliable professional.

Filip Kapusta

Co-Founder @ Tight Line

Working with Ljubisa have been a breeze. He's an extremely open-minded person ready to listen to your feedback. Several time I had different ideas for design implementations and he always made sure to explain why it was a good (or bad) idea. I would highly recommend Ljubisa.

Bruno Francisco

Lead Software Engineer

With a wide range of skill set Ljubiša is an excellent designer for any kind of project. It is hard to find a designer with great organizational and management skills, but Ljubiša manages to get it. His eye for details and professionalism was something we were looking for. He proved himself not only as a reliable person, but also a well-versed communicator.

Boris Martinović

Full Stack Developer

Throughout my career, I have never seen a product designer who is more proactive and agile than this one. My previous experience includes two years as the owner of a design & development studio. Because of that I feel Ljubisa is a person with really effective communication skills who has a unique professional style.

Ivan Rendulić

CEO @ Butterfly Design

Ljubiša has been a very proactive member of the team, always showing initiative and coming up with novel ideas. He was able to meet all deadlines and work well under pressure, while delivering output in accordance with the required specifications.

Dino Vidakovic

CEO @ Crionis

Ljub is a creative design gun. He always delivers great quality work and at speed. A natural creative thinker, he communicates well, is tight on stakeholders providing clear briefs and ensure he delivers for the teams deadlines. It really was a pleasure working with him. I can't wait to see this guy lead more design teams.

Mike Dalton

VP @ Unikrn

Loved my time working with Ljub! Always stayed creative and delivered exceptional work to brief. He also always open to collaboration in the creative process and worked tirelessly to accommodate other ideas. Absolute pleasure to work with and look forward to seeing the great work he does in the future!

Lachlan Thomson

Head of Brand @ Unikrn

I have collaborated with Ljubiša on multiple projects. He has proved to be very easy to work with. For a software engineer, having a UX/UI designer that understands all facets of software development makes our work that much easier. His ability to create designs and to modify the existing ones is second to none. He is very productive, and his great work ethic can only be matched with his great personality.

Marin Puizina

Tech Lead @ Signicat

Ljubiša is a seasoned professional and a eager learner. Even do he is a Senior in Digital product design, he displayed willingness to learn and adaptability to any situation. I believe that he can do any task with design expertise and an keen ear for the user needs and regards for stakeholders requirements.

Željko Šimeg

Product Designer

Ljubiša is not only one amazing designer, but also an awesome person. I've learned a lot from him about Design Systems and Grid systems, but also about colours and other interesting and important UX topics. He is taking his time and putting a lot of effort into the knowledge which he generously forwards to us, juniors. After several interactions with Ljubiša, I already knew that he is a great person and I am very lucky that I met him, not only as a UXer but also as a friend.

Milica Gerstenberger

UX/UI Designer

I had the pleasure of working with Ljubiša at SofaScore. Ljubiša is the type of person who seems to have a never-ending amount of tricks up their sleeve. As a designer, he is open-minded and usually does what is best for the team and the user experience. He is also an excellent team player, quickly shifting focus from one project to another. I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with Ljubiša and would do so again in a heartbeat.

Renate Kunović

Project Manager @ USP

For a relatively short period, while we worked together, I can say that Ljubiša is a proactive professional skilled in the craft of product design.
He works efficiently and produces results quickly and as agreed.
Also, he tries to think about what needs to be done and often ends up proposing solutions to improve on the original request. I can recommend him to anybody searching for a product design expert.

Marko Mučnjak

Tech & Business Leader

Worked with Ljubiša on some UX/UI designs. He's really systematic and has an insight in the development side of the design, so using his Figma designs is a breeze! Highly recommended.

Petar Kolovrat

CEO @ Neushape

Ljubiša is a highly motivated and very personable professional who wants as many details as possible to complete his work perfectly. Along with his creative abilities and technical skills, he has a talent for marketing as well. His creativity goes well beyond any bounds I have ever seen.

Leo Lokas

Business Development Director @ Certilia

The core of my expertise is finding the best talent for ambitious teams and organizations. In today’s dynamic market only agile, eager, proactive and competent professionals, always striving for excellence and able to ‘hit the ground running’ will create new value and deliver exquisite results. Such people are the real competitive advantage of your organization. Ljubiša is definitely one of them. I strongly recommend him as an addition to every team that seeks both individual expertise and collaborative mindset.

Marino Miloš

Decision Ops Expert

Ljubiša is a great UX/UI designer who has a strong attention to detail. He is a tireless and hardworking team member, he delivers the results fast and accepts nothing less than perfection. A person to recommend both for new designs and reworking the existing ones.

Danijel Tudek

DevOps Lead @ AKD

Gene Kamenez

CEO @ Uxcel

Viktor Zimmermann

Co-founder and CTO @ Bazzar

Filip Kapusta

Co-Founder @ Tight Line

Lachlan Thomson

Head of Brand @ Unikrn

Leo Lokas

Business Development Director @ Certilia

Lorena Tadić

UX/UI Designer @ GDi

Božo Vukojević

Sport Psychologist

Renate Kunović

Project Manager @ USP

FAQ

Have Any Questions?

Before reaching out you can always check some of the questions I often receive.

How do you typically work with organizations and teams?

Three ways: defined-scope projects, ongoing advisory, or embedded with your in-house team. We pick the model once I understand the problem.

How do you approach product strategy and design decisions?

I start with how people actually behave, then test that against what the technology allows and what the business needs. Big problems get broken into decisions we can validate one at a time.

How are engagements structured?

Around outcomes rather than packages. We agree what done looks like, then scope the work to reach it. Terms come after a first call.

What does a typical project lifecycle look like?

Discovery first, then alignment on what we are building, then design, validation and delivery. The timeline depends on scope and decision speed; you get a realistic one after discovery.

Do you work directly with product, engineering, and leadership teams?

Yes. Design decisions only hold up when product, engineering and leadership agree on them, so I work with all three from the start.

Do you provide support after delivery?

Yes. Most projects continue as advisory: I stay available for the decisions that come after launch.

Do you mentor designers and product teams?

Yes. I mentor designers and product teams in product thinking, systems design and pattern recognition. My Uxcel accessibility course has taught more than 23,000 students.

Are you available for new collaborations?

I take on a few engagements at a time. Write to me either way: if I cannot take this one on, I will recommend someone I trust.

How do you handle confidentiality and conflicts of interest?

I follow your confidentiality requirements and flag any conflict of interest before we start. The case studies on this site are password-protected for the same reason.

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