Alex strives helping people and organisations to create digital experiences that have a positive impact through creativity and empathy.
About me
I’m Alex Cortes.
UX/UI and Product Designer with 10+ years of experience across graphic design, product design, and UX strategy.
Originally from Brazil and currently based in Hamburg, Germany, I started my career in visual design, spending six years crafting brands and digital experiences before shifting fully into UX in 2015. Since then, my focus has been simple: understand people deeply and turn that into products that actually work — for users and for the business.
I’ve led design initiatives in startups and software companies, helping teams move from ideas to validated solutions. I’m also part of the Toptal network, collaborating with international teams on high-impact products.
My approach blends product thinking, UX strategy, and hands-on design. I care about clarity, momentum, and making decisions that move the product forward — not just making things look good.
I hold a postgraduate certificate in User Experience Design and continue to evolve my practice with new tools, technologies, and ways of thinking.
If you’re building something meaningful, let’s talk.
Experience
UX Designer • 2022 - 2025
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Worked closely with cross-functional teams to launch digital products that strengthened Reneo’s market positioning and helped attract new investor interest.
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Led UX research and a full redesign of the flagship internal platform, improving navigation efficiency and usability by 35%.
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Designed end-to-end interfaces for the “Develop-to-Green” platform, supporting Reneo in securing €500M from Peakside Capital as part of a broader €600M investment platform backed by Eurazeo, Foundamental, Lakestar, Goldman Sachs, Goldbeck, and Bauwens.
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Defined user flows, prototypes, and design system components to align three parallel product streams, accelerating development across the organization.
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Contributed to scaling sustainable housing initiatives across Germany by designing user-centered products for Condo Group, Living’s, and Reneo.
Education
User Experience Post-graduate
Universidade Anhembi Morumbi - 2021
Industrial and Product Design
USP Universidade de São Paulo - 2020
Bachelor of Social Communication
Universidade Paulista UNIP - 2008
Featured in
UX Designer • 2022 - Freelance Contract
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Partnered with early-stage and growth startups to take products from concept to launch, leading the end-to-end design process alongside founders.
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Delivered UX/UI, visual design, branding, and web experiences for companies based in New York and San Francisco, across industries like healthtech, mortgage, insurance, and digital marketing (B2B and B2C).
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Worked hands-on with product, engineering, and marketing teams to design solutions that balanced usability, business goals, and speed of execution.
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Contributed to improved conversion, stronger brand positioning, and more effective product experiences across multiple client projects.
Local Leader Volunteer - São Carlos, Brazil
Designer Volunteer - São Carlos, Brazil
In both cases, I volunteer in the IT community in the region with talks, meetings and online meetings about design.
Volunteer Mentor, Worldwide
885 hours of mentoring for people of at least 6 different nationalities in one year, helping beginner designers or those with a short career.
UX Design Lead • 2019 -2022
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Led design culture and product design initiatives at Exactaworks, helping shape how design was practiced across the company.
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Built the UX function from the ground up, establishing processes that improved collaboration and drove more consistent product outcomes.
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Led a full brand redesign, increasing brand recognition by 30%.
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Facilitated Design Sprints with clients, reducing project delivery time by 15%.
Projects
In my current job, we have three different projects. One of them is Livings.de Livings is a platform that connects landlords and tenants interested in negotiating rental units.
I guided the design decisions for this project from end to end.
In my opinion, it's a good way to start exploring my portfolio.
Vocademic 🇩🇪
An artificial intelligence-powered platform that reads, organizes and generates audios of academic articles
A platform that helps users rent apartments, either shared or individual, for short or long durations.
