# Mikhail Belstar > Principal Product Designer | Mobile • Web • TV (tvOS, Android TV) • AI UX | Intuit • MasterClass • WarnerBros Location: San Francisco Bay Area, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/mikhailbelstar I’m a Principal Product Designer who thrives at the intersection of storytelling, systems, and scalable UX. With over 16 years of experience designing for platforms like iOS, Android, tvOS, Android TV, Roku, and web, I specialize in building cross-platform product experiences that are emotionally resonant, technically sound, and aligned with business growth. Currently at Intuit, I lead design for TurboTax’s mobile platform, driving product initiatives that use GenAI to boost simplicity, trust, and Gen Z engagement. I partner across monetization, engineering, marketing, and design systems to ship high-impact features—from native onboarding flows to real-time Live Activities via Dynamic Island. Previously at MasterClass and WarnerBros., I led the design of OTT and mobile streaming experiences, including apps that reached tens of millions of users globally. From launching Daily Highlights to rebuilding TV apps with double-digit engagement lifts, I’ve shaped content discovery, habit formation, and retention strategies that blend media and utility. I care deeply about product thinking, holistic systems, and the craft of interaction design. I mentor other designers, host workshops on strategy and behavior design, and advocate for inclusive experiences that scale. Looking ahead, I’m energized by the future of content platforms—especially where AI, personalization, and new modes of interaction (TV, spatial, mobile) converge. ## Work Experience ### Principal Product Designer @ Intuit Jan 2023 – Present | United States Lead cross-platform product design strategy for TurboTax’s native mobile apps (iOS & Android), focusing on growth, Gen Z engagement, user trust, and UX innovation. I collaborate deeply with Monetization, Product, Engineering, Marketing, and Design System teams to create cohesive, high-performing mobile experiences at scale. Key Initiatives & Impact: • Mobile App Offer Strategy: Designed a strategic mobile-first onboarding and pricing experience aimed at expanding “Free” eligibility and boosting Gen Z user conversion. Collaborated cross-functionally to streamline customer journeys and reduce friction across key audience segments. • Dynamic Island (Live Activities on iOS): Introduced an innovative persistent UI leveraging Apple’s Dynamic Island to improve transparency and engagement for Full Service users. The real-time visibility of tax expert interactions reduced user anxiety and increased trust and product satisfaction. • Documents Tab with Bulk Upload: Led the design and launch of a simplified document upload experience featuring multi-file bulk support and automatic data extraction. Increased checklist adoption and compliance while improving conversion rates through intuitive UX. • Design Systems & Platform Strategy: Partner closely with Engineering and Design System leaders to maintain native parity across platforms. Conduct quarterly audits to document design standards, identify system gaps, reduce design debt, and accelerate development cycles. • GenAI-Powered UX: Advocate and strategist for integrating generative AI into mobile UX flows—delivering snackable, engaging, confidence-inspiring experiences specifically tailored to younger audiences and mobile-first interactions. ### Staff Product Designer @ MasterClass Jan 2020 – Jan 2023 | San Francisco Bay Area Led product design across MasterClass’s consumer and enterprise platforms—including OTT (tvOS, Android TV), iOS, and responsive web—with a focus on personalized content discovery, streaming UX, and habit-forming learning experiences. Streaming Platform Design (TV & Mobile): • Spearheaded a complete redesign of MasterClass’s OTT apps (Apple TV, Android TV), resulting in a 15%+ lift in user engagement • Led design for Falcon (Daily Highlights) on iOS—a content surfacing system that reached millions of users and drove repeat viewership through smart personalization • Co-created and shipped Sessions by MasterClass, a hands-on learning product that blended asynchronous content with guided practice • Partnered with editorial, data science, and engineering to optimize the full discovery-to-playback pipeline Strategic & Cultural Leadership: • Mentored fellow designers and led weekly cross-functional design reviews to uphold high-quality execution • Founded “BrainJuice” knowledge shares (50+ sessions) covering topics like Holistic UX, Product Strategy, and Building Habit-Forming Products • Launched “CoolDowns” to build psychological safety, culture, and collaboration across design, PM, and engineering • Served as a bridge between vision and execution, frequently translating product strategy into design systems and user flows that scaled across touchpoints ### Lead Product Designer @ Fevo Jan 2018 – Jan 2020 | Greater New York City Area Led product design for a fast-paced, B2B e-commerce platform serving clients like the Yankees, Dodgers, and over 200+ sports and entertainment brands. Balanced hands-on design execution with systems-level strategy, team mentorship, and cross-functional collaboration across 10+ products. Design Systems & Platform Consistency: • Built and scaled Fevo’s responsive Design System from the ground up, reducing dev time and improving visual consistency across 10+ products • Partnered directly with engineers to maintain and evolve a living component library, promoting adoption company-wide • Defined reusable interaction patterns and design principles—covering motion, spacing, visual hierarchy, and accessibility Data & Internal Tooling: • Designed and implemented a self-serve Analytics Dashboard for enterprise partners, enabling real-time insights for clients like the Yankees, Dodgers, and White Sox • Rebuilt onboarding and creation flows, significantly reducing setup time for internal users and partners Mentorship & Culture: • Mentored designers through weekly 1:1s, design workshops, and internal classes on interaction design, systems thinking, and user research • Actively participated in hiring, onboarding, and team rituals that fostered craft and collaboration • Led internal presentations and partnered with leadership across Product, Business Success, and Marketing to align on strategic goals End-to-End Collaboration: • Collaborated in Agile ceremonies (grooming, sprint planning, retrospectives) alongside engineering, front-end, and business teams • Participated in user research and usability testing to validate design assumptions and continuously refine product direction • Helped evolve Fevo’s visual language to align with brand, usability, and performance across all touchpoints ### Product Designer @ Warner Bros. Entertainment Group of Companies Jan 2015 – Jan 2018 | New York, New York Led design for global streaming products across iOS, Android, web, Roku, and tvOS platforms—serving tens of millions of users worldwide. Focused on scalable design systems, user acquisition, retention, and content discoverability for Warner Bros.’ digital streaming portfolio. Multi-Platform Streaming UX: • Designed cross-platform experiences for DramaFever’s OTT apps (Roku, Apple TV, iOS, Android, Web), increasing mobile revenue by 2x and growing the active user base by 50% • Rebuilt the iOS app and redesigned the Apple TV interface—leading to a 250% YoY revenue increase and sustained 4.5★+ ratings • Drove subscription conversion by 100%+ within six months by optimizing onboarding, retention flows, and mobile engagement loops • Helped DramaFever rank among the Top 10 global streaming apps, alongside Netflix, Hulu, and HBO Product Strategy & Special Projects: • Launched Moodica, a niche Apple TV app for relaxing video content, serving 200K+ monthly users with lean-back, ambient-first interaction models • Led TV app design for Boomerang (Cartoon Network/Warner Bros.), optimizing kid-friendly navigation and playback across Apple TV and iOS • Owned UX for DC Comics digital experiences, ensuring product alignment across departments and acting as cross-functional “Goal Master” to drive OKRs across initiatives Collaboration & Systems Thinking: • Worked closely with PMs, engineers, and brand teams to define design taxonomies, establish platform standards, and run usability testing • Conducted user interviews to inform experience strategy, especially across global and multi-lingual audiences • Ensured consistency, scalability, and accessibility across a diverse portfolio of streaming apps ### Founder @ Birds Corp. Jan 2008 – Jan 2018 | New York, NY Technical Scope: Photoshop, Sketch, After Effects, Flinto, Dreamweaver | Skills: Branding, Typography, User Interface, Front-End, prototyping, storytelling, user experience. Created concept & design for AirForShare; app helped users to share texts & files within a wi-fi network easily. Over 100 000 users without any ads. ### UI/UX Designer @ Mail.Ru Group Jan 2013 – Jan 2014 Technical Scope: Photoshop, Sketch, After Effects, Flinto, Dreamweaver | Skills: Branding, Typography, User Interface, Front-End, prototyping, storytelling, user experience, wireframing, interaction design. Launching new ICQ, downloaded 10M+ times. Designed and developed 900+ layouts for “myCom” project. ### Designer @ Userstory Jan 2007 – Jan 2009 Brand development,web site UI and advertising revenue. ### Designer @ Digest Jan 2005 – Jan 2007 Brand development,web site UI and advertising revenue. ## Education ### Master's degree in Graphic Design Tomsk University of Business ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/belstar - Website: https://www.mikhailbelstar.com --- Source: https://flows.cv/mikhailbelstar JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/mikhailbelstar/resume.json Last updated: 2026-04-07