Pascal Gärtner
Product Designer in Berlin
Open for new opportunities: from initial vision to continuous evolvement of the product and design system. Both contract and long-term.
About
Driven by a profound commitment to environmental conservation and a visionary approach to product design, I have carved a niche where passion meets profession. My journey spans over a decade, during which I have catalysed transformative experiences that reflect not only company values but also a deep respect for our planet. Specialising in strategic planning, cohesive brand and product vision, and sustainable practices, I have collaborated with startups to international enterprises, steering projects that are as impactful environmentally as they are successful commercially.
My role as a Product Designer extends beyond aesthetics to embrace functionality and advocacy, ensuring that every design not only meets user expectations but also advocates for environmental sustainability. My expertise in design systems, accessibility, and front-end leadership enables me to create tools for seamless collaboration across diverse teams, fostering an inclusive work environment.
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Work Experience
I've spearheaded an array of projects, contributing to every step of the design process: strategic planning, shaping a cohesive brand and product vision, ongoing product development, crafting a design system, and building a design team.
I played a key role in shaping the design system. My primary focus was on creating tools for seamless collaboration across design software, web browsers, and teams. Aligned concepts with the company's broader vision, embraced new technologies, and mentored other designers.
As Product Director, I engaged in every project phase, from strategising and designing to optimising and launching, delivering exceptional solutions to complex challenges. Additionally, I contributed to hiring decisions across functions.
I spearheaded the product design and strategy for the core product, overseeing everything from initial concept to final designs and continual development. Additionally, I managed and cultivated the design team.
I led all design efforts, managing and building a team while simultaneously handling client interactions and project management responsibilities.
Projects
ZEIT Online, one of the leading online publications, paired up with us to envisage a new kind of heartbeat that is behind every online publication: the comment section that fosters reader interactions and dynamic discourse.
The 6-week sprint began with a workshop transitioning into a continuous cycle of explorations in a collaborative environment. What came out was a concept that would enrich the commenting experience of ZEIT Online's diverse user base by providing them with the right tools to have their words in their language read, contributing to a more diverse and lively space.
The team consisted of an array of different functions, with me leading all design efforts at MAD.
Code&Co serves as a crucial bridge connecting the spheres of tech, product, business, and finance. Leveraging their deep expertise, they distill intricate insights into digestible, actionable insights, empowering their global fund clients to focus on what's genuinely significant.
Leading the design at MAD, we built a new online banking frontend for one of Germany's biggest banks, with over 20 million users.
The project was kicked off with a rapid-fire 8-week sprint to chalk out the major next steps in their digital evolution that'd surround three key areas. We worked side-by-side with design, developers and two of Sparkasse's stakeholders. The outcome was a validated design direction that served as the foundation for a continuous collaboration over the next three years. Over the course of this cross-discipline-teamwork we refined and expanded the design alongside a scalable and accessible design system, incorporating feedback from ongoing user testing and incorporating new features and functionalities.
Themis is a digital learning platform on government-level. Europe's city administrations are stuck in Neuland with jarringly little support to prepare them for the digitalisation of governments and help them find their way through. Themis transforms all that land into an easy-to-use e-learning platform.
As we became one with the founders, we started executing on their vision, translating it into a brand, marketing site and product. Accessibility, ease of understanding and wayfinding played an integral part in the design process. The adaptable design system, that also informed the branding, acts on top as a gatekeeper that keeps barriers away which can arise from confusion. This way, users can focus solely on the learning part.
Berlin's renowned public transit company, BVG, has a diverse set of commuters that use their services daily. Each one of them with their own needs and problems.
The assemble that covers all touchpoints form one consistent and accessible digital ticketing solution, wrapped in an adaptable design system that works across all platforms and in all environments. Everything that wasn't absolutely required to get from A to B or C was stripped away. Friction was further meticulously reduced by simplifying the tickt purchasing process and lowering the number of steps required to buy a ticket.
Branding for Back. A modern collaboration and automation platform that enables internal service teams to manage all workplace requests on one intuitive platform.
For a pilot project, we teamed up with BVG to design the interface for one of the two new vending machines that were installed in hundreds of trams. The design resembles BVG's ticket app—the app is already being used by many Berliners—to create a seamless experience across their various touch-points. Led all design efforts on this project.
Created an extensive system to ensure a consistent look and feel across Nutanix’s entire spectrum of products. It also gives a thorough understanding of design strategy, from high-level principles down to component-level details.
AskVodafone is one of a multitude of intranet platforms on which the Vodafone Call Centre Agents get their news and information. Lead design efforts, from initial on-site research to executing the newly developed vision.