About

Hi, I'm Cansu.

Product designer and UX leader in Berlin, available as an embedded design partner. A decade leading design at HelloFresh and GetYourGuide, and most recently I built a cycling coaching app 0→1.

Cansu at a design meetup
Cansu having fun
Cansu travelling

I'm a product designer and UX leader, currently based in Berlin. I've previously lived in Istanbul, Ankara, Malatya, Louisville, and San Francisco, and hopefully I'll keep adding to the list.

I spent the last 10 years in high-growth companies, mostly in leadership roles. At HelloFresh, I joined as the second designer and later became Head of UX, building the design organization from the ground up and leading it through rapid growth and IPO. At GetYourGuide, I worked as a Senior UX Manager, focusing on growth, retention, and design systems, and helping teams align on larger initiatives.

More recently, I wanted to get closer to the craft again and started my own company with an engineering partner who's also an avid cyclist — pretty essential when your product is a cycling coaching app. I built Steady from 0 to 1 across product, design, marketing, emails, and some frontend. It was very hands-on, and I really enjoyed building something from scratch.

Alongside that, I mentor designers, which taps into what I've always liked about leadership: helping people think through problems and grow in their careers.

Outside of work, I've been getting into mystery books, cooking more, and continuing my ongoing obsession with good food, which Berlin makes very easy. I also move a lot. Long walks, spinning, Pilates, strength — partly because I enjoy it and partly because it's the only reliable way I've found to quiet my head.

  1. 2026 — Present

    Fractional Product Designer & Design Leader

    Partner with early-stage teams to own design end-to-end, from problem framing to shipped product. I lean on AI across design and build, moving from concept to working prototypes quickly so teams can feel a direction before committing to it.

  2. 2026

    Co-founder & Designer — Steady

    Co-founded Steady, building and designing the product from the ground up.

  3. 2019 — 2024

    Senior UX Manager — GetYourGuide

    Led UX for the Growth Product Group — audience growth, engagement, and the early discovery experience of travelers. Partnered with the Director of Product on strategy, grew the UX team, and secured resourcing for Compass, GetYourGuide's design system.

  4. 2017 — 2018

    Head of UX — HelloFresh

    Led the design team across HelloFresh's digital platforms, growing it from 2 to 14 and setting up structures for career growth and quality of output. Sponsored retention experiments (+16% orders per customer) and a design system to lift designer and developer efficiency.

  5. 2015 — 2017

    Product Designer — HelloFresh

    Worked on large-scale projects — the HelloFresh loyalty program, US wine club, and revamp of the account area. Led research across multiple markets and wove insights into the design workflow.

  6. 2013 — 2015

    Senior Interaction Designer — Monitise

    Sole interaction designer on Ziraat Bank's mobile app, and design lead on projects for clients like RBS and Visa. Ran user research and usability studies, and owned the design track on long- and short-term engagements.

  7. 2013

    User Experience Designer — Weather Underground

    Worked with PM, UI designer, developers, and meteorologists to ship site-wide weather alerts and lift sign-up rates for the PWS program.

  8. 2011

    Graduate Researcher — Intel × CCA

    Conceptualized new products and prototyped with Processing, Arduino, and Lego Mindstorms as part of Intel's future-technologies program.

  9. 2008

    Industrial Product Designer — FYM Creative Group

    Lead designer on exhibition stands, product displays, and event venues.

I work with teams as an embedded design partner. The founding designer for a team shaping a product, or the senior hire who builds out a design practice for a team past zero-to-one. I fill the design gap, build alongside the team, and hand it off when they're ready to take it on.

I'm always happy to chat — about projects, design, managing design teams, or where our industry is headed.

cansutecimer@gmail.com · LinkedIn