About Tanja

I’m a product designer, focused on impact and growth.

My background is in UX design for e-commerce and digital platforms and over the past several years, I’ve led UX projects for companies like Pattern Brands, Onsen and Scale Army.

I’ve developed a strong foundation in emotional design through my ongoing PhD research - blending data and human-centered design to create digital products that truly resonate with users.

In 2021, I began offering my own UX consulting services, working closely with startups and businesses to scale their digital products. Today, I continue to design and write on everything related to creating memorable, user-centric experiences. Based in Italy, but available worldwide. 🌍

Get in touch

How I Design

Results-Driven Design That Boosts Conversions

I’ve spent years leading the design process for multiple brands, like Pattern Brands, where I transformed the user experience across 7 DTC websites boosted conversions by 23%.

I rely on data—heatmaps, usability tests, and user research— to understand user behavior. Whether it's building design systems that scale or revamping mobile experiences, I focus on the details that make the biggest difference.

Why I Love What I Do

Helping Brands and Users Thrive Together

For me, UX design is about creating win-win situations—where businesses see growth and users enjoy frictionless experiences. It’s incredibly fulfilling to see my work make a positive impact on both sides.

My approach merges creativity with analytics. From user research to heatmaps and A/B testing, I use data to inform every decision, ensuring that my designs not only look good but also deliver measurable results for businesses.

Companies I worked with:

It all starts with emotions

In our products, we take customers on an emotional journey. Let's make it a positive one!

I'm fascinated by the role emotions play in our decision-making processes (around 80% of decisions are emotional) and how they shape our interactions with products. I'm on a mission to uncover the nuances of this emotional landscape.

There are 3 perception levels, and while designing your website I carefully consider each of them.

Emotional design is a design approach to create products that deliver positive experiences for users. It contains 3 perception levels: Visceral (formed in 5 seconds), Behavioral (pleasure of usability) and Reflective (thinking and calculating).

Never forget who we are designing for - humans. We are all beings led first by our instincts and sensations. Our emotions affect: attention, memory, engagement, and generate additional meaning of the product.

First perception level

Visceral

Sensation and feeling formed in first 5 seconds of using and seeing the product.

Second perception level

Behavioral

Pleasure of achieving user set goals while using the product.

Third perception level

Reflective

Thinking about pros and cons-after they saw, felt, and used the product.

Bookshelf

Design Books That
Shaped My Thinking

I’m a firm believer in continuous learning, and some of my favorite books, about design and more, that have shaped my work approach.

Outside the design

When I’m not designing I love exploring, hiking, cooking or eating good food and reading. I speak fluent English, Serbo-Croatian and I’m currently level B1 of Italian.

📖 Currently reading: Hacking Growth by Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown

✨ Looking forward to: Concert of Paul McCartney in Paris, this December!

🎧 Listening: Some song by Mumford and Sons, always.

Montenegro
Beautiful place, where I was born and raised.

Lisbon, Portugal
Where lived for a year.

Rome, Italy
City that I love and visit often, as I live 1h away.

L’Aquila, Italy
City where I live right now.

Tallinn, Estonia
I spent a year working as an architect.

Dessau, Germany
Bauhaus foundation study.

Travel Bug

Inspiration from
My Travels

I’ve visited 40+ countries and lived in 4 (Montenegro, Portugal, Estonia and currently Italy). Each place I visit brings new ideas and perspectives that I bring into my work.

Design, like travel, is about discovery and connection. I thrive in navigating the complexity of context - connecting the facts and the art of it all - and making a beautiful story.