# Alex Kim

> Product Design Executive | Marketplace & Platform Strategy | Systems Thinking | Building & Scaling High-Impact Design Orgs | Driving Business Growth through UX Leadership

Location: San Francisco Bay Area, United States
Profile: https://flows.cv/alexkim2

I’m a Product Design Leader who builds design organizations from the ground up — teams that don’t just craft interfaces, but scale businesses.

With over 15 years of experience across marketplaces, e-commerce, fintech, and enterprise SaaS, I bring a system-thinking approach to every product challenge. I’ve built high-performing design teams at both global platforms and startups, connecting customer experience to measurable business outcomes.

My passion lies in:
• System Thinking — creating cohesive design ecosystems that enable cross-functional alignment and operational scale.
• Team Building — hiring, mentoring, and growing design organizations from 0→1 to maturity.
• Marketplace Design Expertise — understanding buyer/seller incentives and building trust-driven digital economies.
• Business Acumen — partnering with executives and product leaders to make design a strategic driver of growth.

I thrive at the intersection of design strategy, people leadership, and product scalability — helping organizations turn user insight into sustained business impact.

## Work Experience
### Director II - Product Design, Search & Innovation @ Coupang
Jan 2021 – Present | Seoul, South Korea
As the design leader for Coupang’s Search organization — a core growth engine of South Korea’s largest e-commerce platform — I drive the design vision, organizational strategy, and customer experience that power millions of daily transactions across web and mobile platforms.

Leadership & Organizational Growth
• Built and scaled a high-performing design organization from zero, hiring and developing product designers and design leaders across orgs. 
• Established a systems-thinking culture grounded in measurable design outcomes, integrating design KPIs into company-wide OKRs and executive reviews.
• Partnered with senior leadership across Product, Engineering, and Data Science to shape long-term CX strategy and roadmap alignment for discovery and engagement experiences.

Strategic Design & Business Impact
• Defined the vision for the Search & Discovery experience, transforming query understanding, recommendation, and ranking systems to improve customer satisfaction and conversion.

Cross-functional & Executive Influence
• Collaborated with global teams (Search, Ads, Retail, Marketplace and Catalog Operations) to create a unified customer journey and grow business impact through category growth.
• Mentored senior ICs and emerging leaders, cultivating future-ready design leadership talent capable of driving business and customer outcomes.

Key Outcomes
• Delivered consistent quarter-over-quarter improvements in GMV and profitability through design-driven product innovation.
• Elevated Coupang’s UX maturity by transforming design from a service function to a strategic partner in decision-making.

### Principal, Product Design/UX Consultant @ Bitflex
Jan 2018 – Present | Redwood City, California, United States
Founded a boutique UX consultancy providing strategic product design leadership to startups and innovation-driven companies.

Notable Clients:
• Wealthramp (Fintech): UX strategy and platform redesign for a PBS-founded wealth management startup.
• Gameplan.ai (AI/ML): Product concept and MVP design for Siri co-founder Adam Cheyer — acquired by Airbnb in 2023.
• Bios Corp (HealthTech): Designed a Person-Centered EHR system to improve care delivery for individuals with intellectual disabilities.
• AprilComes (Fintech): Built and led a cross-functional team (3 designers, 3 front-end developers) delivering a crypto exchange MVP for the South Korean market.

Impact:
• Guided startups through 0→1 product definition, establishing design culture and process foundations.
• Introduced design systems, prototyping frameworks, and team operations for scalable growth.

### Principal Product Designer @ Centric Software
Jan 2019 – Jan 2021 | San Francisco Bay Area
Led product design and UX research for Centric PLM, a market leader in product lifecycle management solutions used by global fashion, retail, and consumer goods brands.

Design Leadership & Systems Thinking
• Built and led a multi-disciplinary design and research team to modernize the user experience of a complex enterprise platform with a focus on usability, scalability, and business value.
• Advocated for data-informed design and research-driven strategy, integrating analytics into the design process for measurable business decisions.
• Partnered with product executives to reimagine PLM through 3D and AR integration, positioning Centric ahead of competitors in visualization and collaboration capabilities.

Operational & Strategic Achievements
• Established a comprehensive design system spanning web, desktop, and mobile environments — reducing design debt and accelerating product delivery cycles by 40%.
• Designed 3rd-party plugin experiences and mobile extensions to support field teams, improving adoption across client organizations.
• Collaborated closely with engineering to modernize legacy UX architecture, driving long-term product scalability.

Impact
• Elevated the design’s strategic role within product planning and roadmap prioritization.
• Improved usability and customer satisfaction across major enterprise clients.
• Created a scalable UX foundation that continued to inform future releases.

### Senior Director, Product Design, CX @ Insureon
Jan 2017 – Jan 2019 | Campbell, California
Directed design and CX strategy for a leading InsurTech marketplace, serving small business owners seeking commercial insurance coverage. Transformed Insureon’s product experience into a data-driven, customer-first platform, driving measurable business outcomes and organizational growth.

Design & CX Transformation
• Owned the end-to-end customer experience, from acquisition to conversion and retention, across web and mobile touchpoints.
• Led a cross-functional organization of product designers, UX researchers, and CX specialists aligned with business KPIs and funnel performance metrics.
• Established a company-wide design system, standardizing UI patterns, brand consistency, and accessibility across all product lines.

Leadership & Business Outcomes
• Partnered with executive leadership to shift design from tactical delivery to strategic influence, embedding UX metrics into OKRs and quarterly business reviews.
• Delivered double-digit increases in application completion and bind rates, directly improving revenue growth.
• Fostered a culture of mentorship and collaboration, growing a cohesive design organization recognized for innovation and efficiency.

Impact
• Scaled design maturity from Level 1 (ad-hoc) to Level 4 (measurable, strategic partner) within two years.
• Improved NPS and customer satisfaction metrics through consistent experience design.
• Enabled Insureon to position design as a key lever in investor and partner discussions.

### Head of Product Design @ Aineed Inc
Jan 2018 – Jan 2018 | San Francisco Bay Area
Served as founding design advisor, defining early product vision, design processes, and visual direction for a B2B SaaS startup.

• Helped founders validate MVP concepts and guided their first design hires.
• Established design workflows to accelerate product-market fit.

### Co-Founder @ Entropy
Jan 2016 – Jan 2017 | San Francisco Bay Area
Co-founded a conversational AI startup focused on NLU for messaging experiences. Defined product concept, UX architecture, and investor narratives.

### Director of Product Design @ Mercari, Inc. (株式会社メルカリ)
Jan 2016 – Jan 2017 | San Francisco Bay Area
Led the U.S. product design organization for Mercari, Japan’s largest consumer-to-consumer marketplace, during its global expansion phase.
Defined design systems and growth experiments that shaped the app’s onboarding, engagement, and retention strategies.

Leadership & Impact
• Built and scaled a cross-functional design team, aligning U.S. product direction with headquarters in Tokyo.
• Established Mercari’s first global design system, enabling faster experimentation and localization for new markets.
• Drove a 50% improvement in retention (from 16% → 24%) through redesigns of core listing and discovery flows.
• Partnered closely with business intelligence and marketing to deliver data-driven UX decisions that increased new-user conversion and seller engagement.

### User Experience Manager, Native UX @ StubHub
Jan 2015 – Jan 2016
Joined as a UX lead for StubHub’s native app portfolio, driving a strategic redesign of the mobile experience to support new revenue models and audience segments.

Key Achievements
• Partnered with Product and Engineering leadership to define a 2016 product vision centered on social, fan engagement, and personalization.
• Led redesign of event-discovery and ticket-purchase flows, reducing cognitive load and increasing conversion rates.
• Championed early motion and micro-interaction patterns later adopted as part of StubHub’s global design library.

### Director of User Experience @ Storm8
Jan 2015 – Jan 2015 | Redwood City, CA
Directed UX across a network of top-grossing mobile games with over 100M downloads.
Advocated for player-centric design that balanced business objectives with engaging gameplay experiences.

Leadership Highlights
• Managed and mentored a multi-studio team of UI/UX designers, unifying standards across Storm8, TeamLava, FireMocha, and IceMochi titles.
• Introduced UX play-testing frameworks that informed data-driven feature design and monetization strategies.
• Partnered with PMs and engineers to boost key metrics — session length, ARPU, and retention — through iteration and experimentation.

### Director of Product Design @ FlareWorks, Inc.
Jan 2014 – Jan 2015
Led design and product direction for Flares, a visual messaging app blending photography, storytelling, and lightweight social interactions.

Key Contributions
• Defined product vision, UX architecture, and go-to-market positioning.
• Directed offshore developers to deliver production-ready UI aligned with design specifications.

### Sr. UX Designer @ SK Planet, Inc.
Jan 2014 – Jan 2014 | San Francisco
• Lead design strategy and execution of UX vision for multiple mobile commerce products.
• Collaborate with cross-functional team members to design and implement online/offline commerce platform.
• Spearhead localization strategy for mobile commerce products breaking entry into US market.

### Lead / Sr. UX Designer @ Storm8
Jan 2011 – Jan 2014 | Redwood City, California
Promoted from Senior to Lead UI Designer during tenure.
Designed and shipped multiple top-grossing iOS and Android titles, defining UI patterns still used across Storm8’s portfolio.

• Led a team of UI designers to deliver high-impact game interfaces from concept to production.
• Partnered with cross-disciplinary teams to optimize retention and monetization through UI clarity and visual engagement.
• Co-created internal design documentation and best-practice guides, improving art-to-engineering hand-off efficiency.

### Art Director / Lead Designer / Senior Graphic Designer @ Gaia Interactive
Jan 2010 – Jan 2011 | San Francisco Bay Area
Progressively advanced through three roles, culminating as Art Director overseeing design for GaiaOnline and social games.

• Directed visual identity and UI design across web, mobile, and Facebook platforms.
• Managed designers and collaborated with executives to align creative vision with revenue goals.
• Partnered with sales and PM teams to produce branded experiences for major entertainment and retail sponsors.

### Graphic Designer @ Orloff Williams Partners - Marketing and Communications
Jan 2007 – Jan 2010
+ Brand, website and marketing collateral development for various clients (Applied Materials, GreenWaste Recovery, Platinum Roofing, ZentLaw, Lincoln Law School)
+ Create large format graphics for trade shows, directional signage and outdoor media.
+ Produce keynote and power point presentations with customized information graphics and template.
+ Created event marketing collateral promoting participation in Applied Material’s Turkey Trot benefiting local charities in San Jose. Increased attendance in 2007 by over 200% from previous year and kept growing with additional growth in 2008 and 2009.

### Freelance Studio Artist @ Williams-Sonoma, Inc.
Jan 2010 – Jan 2010 | San Francisco Bay Area
+ Creative support for Pottery Barn textile studio with graphics production and seasonal presentations.
+ Helped to prepare and layout product spec package for delivery to factories overseas.

### Design Coordinator/Graphic Designer @ Blue Marlin Corp
Jan 2006 – Jan 2007
+ Designed and managed production of all marketing collateral, and seasonal sales catalogs.
+ Created apparel graphics, production spec packages, and assisted in seasonal color/trend research.
+ Assumed responsibility in resolving graphic production issues with vendors and approving strike-offs.
+ Assisted senior product developer and senior apparel designers with day-to-day tasks.


## Education
### BA in Graphic Design
San José State University

### Otis College of Art and Design


## Contact & Social
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/kalex77

---
Source: https://flows.cv/alexkim2
JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/alexkim2/resume.json
Last updated: 2026-04-13