Elif Özyaşar — UX Researcher & Service Designer

Designing for and with people

I'm a user-centered designer with a background in Industrial Design, focused on shaping services and experiences through research. Understanding people deeply, their behaviours and needs, is what drives my work and where I know I can make a difference.

My Design Approach

User Research

Through interviews, diary studies, usability testing, and observation, I look for the behaviours and details that reveal what people actually need. Good research does not just inform the current project, it can open up entirely new design opportunities.

Systems Thinking

I rarely look at a single screen or touchpoint in isolation. I map how everything connects, the people, the services, the interactions behind the scenes, and how understanding that bigger picture leads to better, more coherent design decisions.

Data-Enabled Design

I use real data to inform and validate design decisions. Data is not just a research tool for me, it is what keeps the design process grounded in reality.

About Me

I see myself as a reflective thinker before a designer. I'm interested in how data and research can inform design decisions and help uncover what people actually need.

Reflection is an important part of my process. It helps me question assumptions, understand my values, and stay mindful of how my decisions influence the final product. This curiosity and attention to detail is what draws me to research: the diary studies, in-context testing, and behavioural observations that reveal what's under the surface.

I care about services and designs that help shape everyday life. But more than any single domain, I'm interested in designing for real situations, messy, human ones.

I also believe confidence comes from allowing yourself to be a beginner. Some of my best work has happened in the early, undefined stages of a project, where the problem isn't fully formed yet and there's still room for a new method, a new context, or a perspective. In teams, I'm drawn to that space of early exploration, and I find it easy to adapt and build on perspectives that are different from my own.

Toolkit
Design & Research
  • Service Blueprinting
  • User Journey Mapping
  • User Research & Data Analysis
  • Qualitative & Quantitative Research Methods
Tools & Prototyping
  • Figma
  • Solidworks
  • Fusion 360
  • Adobe CC
  • Arduino IDE
  • Processing & JavaScript
  • Sketching
  • Physical Prototyping