Golnaz Sharifi

Product Designer

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Works

Behkhaan

Social Platform for Book Lovers

A cross-platform experience designed for Android and the Web. Users can create personal libraries, share their thoughts on books, and participate in discussions. Publishers and authors also are in Behkhaan, allowing for direct engagement with their audience.

Company

Afarinesh Team

My Role

Product Designer

Duration

Since Mar 2023 (2 years)

What I Learned

Managing heavy task loads and tight timelines as a soft skill

Asigning tasks across the design team

Identifying key user needs and pain points

owning projects with cross-team collaboration

Estimating time and cost for tasks in the moment

Selected Impacts

Redesigning the Feed Page

Challenge & Need:

The feed’s content arrangement was not user-friendly. Users often saw too many post from a single person, requiring excessive scrolling to find content from other users.

Process:

Through brainstorming sessions, deep analysis, reviewing multiple examples, and testing some solutions we explored various solutions. such as randomizing content display according to some useful algorithms. After evaluating different options, we selected the most effective and practical approach.

Solution:

Adding a sidebar to the feed page displaying a list of users, allowing easy switching between them.

Impact:

Many users expressed appreciation through support messages, mentioning that the new feed layout significantly improved the browsing experience on Behkhaan. Also we measured other KPIs such as:

19%

Increase in Time on Page in 30 Days

16%

Increase in Average Number of Views per user in 30 Days

7.5%

of Total Clicks in 30 Days (Mobile Users)

9%

of Total Clicks in 30 Days (Desktop Users)

90%

Positive Feedback

Feed Page Heatmap - Mobile

Feed Page Areamap - Mobile

Feed Page Heatmap - Desktop

Feed Page Areamap - Desktop

Designing the Onboarding Flow

Challenge & Need:

According to Google Analytics, Clarity data, and user support messages, new users struggled to understand Behkhaan’s purpose and features. Many users did not engage consistently or remained inactive.

Solution:

Designing an "onboarding flow" that both introduces Behkhaan and encourages new users to interact with the platform for at least 10 days.

Process:

Defining personas relevant to onboarding
Setting clear onboarding goals
Determining the starting point of onboarding
Designing the onboarding journey, including key features and initial user actions
Creating wireframes and conducting usability testing
Refining based on feedback and finalizing the onboarding experience for mobile and desktop

Defining personas relevant to onboarding
Setting clear onboarding goals
Determining the starting point of onboarding
Designing the onboarding journey, including key features and initial user actions
Creating wireframes and conducting usability testing
Refining based on feedback and finalizing the onboarding experience for mobile and desktop

Impact:

Key KPIs, such as onboarding completion rate and time on task, indicated a significant increase in user engagement. Many users successfully interacted with the onboarding process, leading to improved retention.

28%

Increase in User Retention

in 30 Days

63%

Completion Rate

in 30 Days

Improving the Design System

Challenge & Need:

Visual and functional consistency across platforms, and streamline the design process for faster and more scalable feature development.

Inconsistency between designs and implementations on Android and Web

Inconsistency between Android and Web designs
Inconsistency usage of components across different pages
No standards or guidelines
Messy and unstructured Figma file

Visual and functional consistency across platforms, and streamline the design process for faster and more scalable feature development.

Inconsistency between designs and implementations on Android and Web

Inconsistency between Android and Web designs
Inconsistency usage of components across different pages
No standards or guidelines
Messy and unstructured Figma file

Solution:

Improving the existing design system gradually over a 6-month project by creating structured documentation, improving visual consistency, and syncing with development libraries.

Process:

Planning and defining the scope of the improvement project
Building a variable system and tokenizing variables in a new Figma file
Syncing design variables with the dev libraries used in Web and Android (based on Tailwind)
Refining existing components and creating new ones—from the smallest UI elements to complex structures
Rebuilding all core screens using the updated design system
Gradually aligning development implementations with the new design system

Planning and defining the scope of the improvement project
Building a variable system and tokenizing variables in a new Figma file
Syncing design variables with the dev libraries used in Web and Android (based on Tailwind)
Refining existing components and creating new ones—from the smallest UI elements to complex structures
Rebuilding all core screens using the updated design system
Gradually aligning development implementations with the new design system

Impact:

Significant improvement in consistency between Web and Android
Cleaner Web design
Faster design process for upcoming features and requirements

Significant improvement in consistency between Web and Android
Cleaner Web design
Faster design process for upcoming features and requirements

Sobhe Rouyesh

Child Laborers School

Sobhe Rouyesh (NGO) is a school for child laborers in Iran. I redesigned its website (responsive for mobile & desktop) to support online contributions. By addressing pain points in user and admin flows (both UX and UI), We improved the overall user experience and made the platform more efficient and usable.

Company

Afarinesh Team

My Role

Product Designer

Duration

Since Mar 2024 (1 years, 1 month)

What I Learned

Organizing Figma files for devs and designers

Designing graphic elements for the product

Collaborating closely with the backend team

Exploring examples of data modeling in real products

Learning how data is stored in databases

Understanding backend service design models

Exploring Google Material and Microsoft Fluent and using them to build a simple, useful design system for the product

Selected Impacts

Redesigning the Platform Based on Challenges

Challenge & Need:

The platform faced several major issues:

overly complex data storage in the database due to the contribute system structure
excessive data generation
a confusing and inefficient user flow for contributors
a difficult-to-use admin experience
visual inconsistencies and a lack of design system

The platform faced several major issues:

overly complex data storage in the database due to the contribute system structure
excessive data generation
a confusing and inefficient user flow for contributors
a difficult-to-use admin experience
visual inconsistencies and a lack of design system

Solution:

Redesigning the website and restructuring the contribution system to reduce data overload and improve the UX and UI.

Process:

Held multiple sessions with back-end and front-end teams to understand technical pain points
Collaborated with active admins to learn about their workflow challenges
Conducted stakeholder interviews to identify the platform’s core user needs.

The redesign process included:

Synthesizing insights into key needs
Remodeling the contribution structure
Redesigning information architecture (IA)
Creating affinity diagrams, site maps, wireframes, and prototypes
Testing the prototypes and refining the flows
Improving the design system and visual identity
Designing mobile-first responsive experiences
Reviewing Clarity session recordings during peak traffic
Iteratively fixing user-reported issues

Held multiple sessions with back-end and front-end teams to understand technical pain points
Collaborated with active admins to learn about their workflow challenges
Conducted stakeholder interviews to identify the platform’s core user needs.

The redesign process included:

Synthesizing insights into key needs
Remodeling the contribution structure
Redesigning information architecture (IA)
Creating affinity diagrams, site maps, wireframes, and prototypes
Testing the prototypes and refining the flows
Improving the design system and visual identity
Designing mobile-first responsive experiences
Reviewing Clarity session recordings during peak traffic
Iteratively fixing user-reported issues

Impact:

Based on data monitored by the back-end team, Clarity and Google Analytics both user interactions and contribution activity showed significant improvements after launch:

75%

Positive Feedback

32%

Decrease in Time on Task

200M(IRR)

200M (IRR)

Increase in Monthly Payments

Designing Visual Elements Based on the Product’s Visual Identity

Challenge & Need:

Personal interest
Need to add engaging visual elements to some pages after the redesign

Personal interest
Need to add engaging visual elements to some pages after the redesign

Process:

Learning from the product’s graphic designer
Exploring many visual examples and gathering inspiration
Practicing and iterating on graphic design

Learning from the product’s graphic designer
Exploring many visual examples and gathering inspiration
Practicing and iterating on graphic design

Impact:

delight to key pages after the redesign

Booxell

Buying Books from Local Bookshop

Booxell is a platform that makes buying books from local bookstores online, easy and accessible. It allows users to explore a wide range of books, check availability, and purchase directly from nearby stores. By bridging the gap between readers and independent bookstores, Booxell supports local businesses while offering a seamless and convenient book-buying experience.

As a ux designer, my role involved designing a smooth navigation, and enhancing the overall shopping experience.

Company

Afarinesh Team

My Role

UX Designer

Duration

Since Mar 2023 (2 years)

What I Learned

Collaborating with the frontend team

Giving clear and helpful feedback

Receiving and using feedback effectively

Presenting my designs and ideas

Behaving professionally in business sessions

Taking tasks from other teams smoothly

Selected Impacts

Designing the Bookshop Page

- Internship

Challenge & Need:

Providing users with clear and complete information about each bookstore was necessary, as the landing page couldn't cover all details.

Solution:

Designing a dedicated bookstore page to display demographic details, location, and other relevant information.

Process:

Creating initial paper and digital sketches in Figma, followed by review sessions with stakeholders to refine the layout and finalize the most effective design.

Simplifying the Book Purchase Flow

Challenge & Need:

The book purchase flow included unfamiliar concepts that confused users, such as the need to "enter" and "exit" a bookshop for buying. This complexity and the unfamiliar flow caused low book sales.

Process:

Analyzing Clarity session recordings, holding stakeholder meetings, reviewing key product goals and purchase data, and collecting user feedback through support messages. These steps helped identify pain points and guided the simplify of the flow.

Solution:

Removing the "entering bookshop" step and replacing it with a more intuitive and widely-used online shopping flow.

Impact:

Although not yet measured, this change aimed to reduce pain points, align with user expectations, and make the purchasing process more usable.

Inspectimark

Enhancing road marking visibility and road safety

An app that helps find problems in road markings in the Netherlands. People can record videos of the streets and upload them. The app uses AI to look at the videos and find problems like broken or missing road lines. It also helps users find their way with a map and directions.

What I did
I was the UI designer for this app. It was made for iPhones, and it worked both in vertical and horizontal screens.

Studying iOS design rules to make the app look and feel right for Apple devices.
Making simple and clear screens for recording videos and uploading them.
Creating designs that look good and work well in both portrait and landscape.
Working with developers to build a design system that they could use in the future too.

This project helped me learn more about iOS UI design and how to make things easier for users.

What I did
I was the UI designer for this app. It was made for iPhones, and it worked both in vertical and horizontal screens.

Studying iOS design rules to make the app look and feel right for Apple devices.
Making simple and clear screens for recording videos and uploading them.
Creating designs that look good and work well in both portrait and landscape.
Working with developers to build a design system that they could use in the future too.

This project helped me learn more about iOS UI design and how to make things easier for users.

Company

Afarinesh Team

My Role

UI Designer

Duration

Jun 2023 - Feb 2024 (9 months)

What I Learned

Designing for mobile landscape layouts

Learning and applying Apple’s design system (Human Interface Guideline)

Exploring Google and Microsoft design systems and using them to build a simple, useful design system for the product

Selected Impacts

Designing screens of the app

Challenge & Need:

Designing screens that work well in different states and situations.

Process:

Reviewing the needed data for each screen
Designing a new feature and exploring possible user scenarios
Meeting with backend team and stakeholders to review features
Wireframing
Designing clean and consistent UI

Reviewing the needed data for each screen
Designing a new feature and exploring possible user scenarios
Meeting with backend team and stakeholders to review features
Wireframing
Designing clean and consistent UI

Impact:

A more structured and consistent app design across all screens.

Kazhal Transport

Air Freight Agency

Designing an admin panel for a freight agency to help staff manage orders, users, and daily tasks more easily. Also aimed to automate workflows and improve order planning.

Designing a customer-facing website for freight price rate inquiries and order placement.

Designing an admin panel for a freight agency to help staff manage orders, users, and daily tasks more easily. Also aimed to automate workflows and improve order planning.

Designing a customer-facing website for freight price rate inquiries and order placement.

Company

Kazhal Transport

My Role

UX Designer

Duration

Since Nov 2024 (6 months)

What I Learned

Thinking outside the box

Working fully remote with a team

Handling a freelance project

Designing an admin panel from scratch, starting with entity definitions

Learning how to define different entities and their properties in a database

Converting LTR designs and layouts to RTL

Selected Impacts

Designing the Backoffice (Admin Panel)

Challenge & Need:

Organizing orders and user roles, tracking open orders, supporting sales goals, and improving staff experience.

Solution:

Structuring the admin panel based on workflow needs and staff pain points.

Process:

Defining user roles based on real agency relationships
Mapping the full order process
Wireframing key pages
Reviewing with stakeholders
Finalizing UI design
Starting continuous improvement iteration

Defining user roles based on real agency relationships
Mapping the full order process
Wireframing key pages
Reviewing with stakeholders
Finalizing UI design
Starting continuous improvement iteration

Impact:

Not yet completely implemented

Designing the User Guide

Challenge & Need:

Getting onboarded on the project
Simplifying the air cargo order process for non-business users

Getting onboarded on the project
Simplifying the air cargo order process for non-business users

Solution:

Designing a clear and structured user guide focused on non-business clients.

Process:

Reviewing the website and all implemented features
Learning the full customer journey with stakeholders
Researching the air cargo industry to better understand the process
Defining the information architecture for the guide
Designing layout and page structure
Writing and placing content into guide sections
Designing responsive layouts for desktop and mobile
Designing for English (LTR) language

Reviewing the website and all implemented features
Learning the full customer journey with stakeholders
Researching the air cargo industry to better understand the process
Defining the information architecture for the guide
Designing layout and page structure
Writing and placing content into guide sections
Designing responsive layouts for desktop and mobile
Designing for English (LTR) language

Impact:

Improved accessibility and clarity for users unfamiliar with logistics or air freight services.

Daleal

A Guide to Life with Quranic Verses

Daleal is a digital platform for Quranic courses and content. I was the designer of this project from research and define to implementation. We conducted user research, defined key flows, types of users, and designed a responsive interface for both mobile and desktop. The platform includes features for exploring courses, saving content, and reading Quranic verses with context.

This project helped me grow in UX research, product thinking, and designing accessible experiences for users. I worked closely with the backend team in this project and learn a lot from them.

Company

Afarinesh Team

My Role

UI/UX Designer

Duration

May 2023 - Aug 2024 (15 months)

May 2023 - Aug 2024

(15 months)

What I Learned

Designing a product from defining features and data models to implementation

Planning for building a new product

Selected Impacts

Defining the Product

Challenge & Need:

Helping users find and join various Quran-based courses.

Solution:

Creating a platform that allows users to browse and enroll in Quran-based courses easily and online.

Process:

Conducting research to identify user needs
Defining key challenges, goals, and solutions
Outlining and prioritized features
Collaborating with the back-end team to define feature logic and database structure
Co-creating the product’s design system
Creating information architecture (AI) and site map
Writing user stories and scenarios
Sketching wireframes and building low-fidelity prototype
Testing early prototypes with stakeholders
Collaborating with a graphic designer to build the product’s visual identity
Designing the final user interface

Conducting research to identify user needs
Defining key challenges, goals, and solutions
Outlining and prioritized features
Collaborating with the back-end team to define feature logic and database structure
Co-creating the product’s design system
Creating information architecture (AI) and site map
Writing user stories and scenarios
Sketching wireframes and building low-fidelity prototype
Testing early prototypes with stakeholders
Collaborating with a graphic designer to build the product’s visual identity
Designing the final user interface

Designing the Landing Page

Challenge & Need:

Explaining the product clearly in one beautiful page, while showcasing key courses and main features.

Solution:

Designing a landing page aligned with our product goals.

Process:

Structuring the content and layout of the landing page
Exploring many landing page examples for design inspiration and try a lot to design the landing page (as I'm not a graphic designer :) )
Designing the landing page UI

Structuring the content and layout of the landing page
Exploring many landing page examples for design inspiration (as I'm not a graphic designer :) )
Designing the landing page UI

Case Studies

Testimonials

Bahare Baleghnezhad

Graphic Designer

I had the absolute pleasure of working with Golnaz Sharifi on several design projects, and it was genuinely one of the most enjoyable and inspiring professional experiences I’ve had. Golnaz is not just a brilliant and technically strong Product Designer — she’s the kind of teammate who changes the entire energy of a project. She dives deep into problems, asks the right questions, and comes up with solutions that are both thoughtful and up to date. She’s always exploring new tools and ideas, and brings a sharp, modern approach to her work. One of the things I appreciated most about her was how easy and fun she made the collaboration. Working with Golnaz never felt like ticking off tasks — it felt like building something meaningful with a great friend. She’s warm, funny, and full of positive energy, even under pressure. She’s not afraid of tough challenges and always meets them with focus and confidence. She also has what I call a “designer radar” — that rare ability to catch small details or patterns others might miss. It’s a quiet superpower that takes her work to another level. Golnaz is a rare combination of creativity, precision, empathy, and technical skill. Any team would be lucky to have her — not just for her talent, but for the magic and spirit she brings to the work.

Bahare Baleghnezhad

Graphic Designer

Ali Barkook

Front-end Developer

I’ve had the great opportunity to work alongside Golnaz, and I can confidently say she’s one of the most talented and thoughtful product designers I’ve ever worked with. Her ability to understand user needs and business goals — and turn them into clean, intuitive, and elegant designs — is truly exceptional. Golnaz has a sharp eye for detail and a strong grasp of design systems, all while staying focused on the overall vision and user experience. Whether she’s drawing early ideas or polishing final designs, her work always shows a clear understanding of what the product needs and what users expect. What I admire most is her collaborative spirit. She actively asks for feedback, communicates clearly, and brings positivity and curiosity to every project. Working with her is both smooth and inspiring. Any team would be lucky to have Golnaz on board. I’m thankful I’ve had the chance to work with her and highly recommend her to any team aiming to build outstanding products.

Ali Barkook

Front-end Developer

Fazel Saeedi

Back-end Developer

I highly recommend Golnaz Sharifi for any product design leadership role. During our time working together on the Sobherouyesh product at Afarinesh Company, I had the opportunity to witness firsthand her exceptional design skills, strategic thinking, and collaborative spirit. Golnaz has a remarkable ability to bring complex ideas to life through intuitive, user-centered design solutions. She excels at balancing both the creative and technical aspects of product development, ensuring that every design decision is feasible, scalable, and impactful. What sets Golnaz apart is her ability to deeply understand the user’s needs while also considering the technical limitations of the project, making her an invaluable asset to any team. Her leadership in design not only improved the overall user experience but also made the development process smoother and more efficient. Her professionalism, creativity, and ability to work collaboratively make her an ideal candidate for any product design or UX leadership role. I would wholeheartedly recommend her without hesitation.

Fazel Saeedi

Back-end Developer

About Me

More About Me

I'm a Product Designer, driven by a love for designing solutions that are both user-centered and systematically structured. I approach design as a mix of creativity and engineering, grounded in real user needs and shaped through research, analysis, and thoughtful iteration.

Over time, I discovered my love for crafting user experiences and found my way into the world of design. So, I entered the field of design because I truly enjoy:
- Creating
- Making people happier
- Turning my ideas into real life, from sketches to real products.

My background in programming (Java, Android, HTML, CSS) and my education in Civil Engineering have given me a unique mindset.
My approach is:
- Building structures systematically
- Designing functional and scalable things, whether in code or design.

I believe in:
- Collaborative teamwork
- Building synergy within cross-functional teams
- Trying to turn complex challenges into usable and useful solutions
- Creating a positive, connected team environment