Looking for a job

Nicole Couto

@nicolecouto

20 years designing fintech and B2B products. Design systems, complex flows, and getting them built the way they were designed.

Brazil

Message

What I'm looking for

I'm looking to lead product design, design systems, and design-to-code delivery for complex fintech, B2B, or SaaS products, partnering closely with product and engineering teams to turn difficult workflows into scalable, usable experiences.

Most of my 20 years have gone into fintech and B2B products, the kind with a lot of rules and a lot of edge cases.

At PactFi I was the founding designer. Four product teams, around 130 flows: onboarding, KYC, entity management, fund structures. I built the design system while everyone kept shipping, and it ended up about 30% smaller than the pile of components it replaced. The other half of the job was less fun. I’d open production and find a button that wasn’t the button. Approved in Figma, different in the build. I spent a lot of time closing that gap and never fully closed it.

Before that I led UX at PayCertify across payment gateways, fraud, and virtual cards, with four designers on my team. I ran discovery and design workshops at ThoughtWorks, and launched the first mobile experience for Resale.com.br.

Right now I’m looking for a senior or lead product design role, remote, on something complex that already has users. Fintech and B2B are where I’m most useful, though I’ve worked outside them too.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Founder, Product Design & UX Strategy

Current

Ideaslab Technology

Jan 2015 - Present (11 years 9 months)

Lead product definition, UX strategy, discovery, information architecture, prototyping, and validation for startups and product teams. Translate business objectives into clear product structures and design documentation for cross-functional teams.

Product Strategy UX Strategy Information Architecture Prototyping

Lead Product Designer - Design Systems

PactFi

Aug 2021 - Aug 2026 (5 years)

Established product foundations as a founding designer for a complex fintech platform, leading the evolution of the Product Design System with 23 active component families. Designed complex workflows across onboarding/KYC, document management, fund structures, and permissions, while mentoring a six-person design team.

Design Systems Figma Storybook UX Research Usability Testing Analytics Frontend Review Design Tokens Accessibility

Product Designer

dashfi

Apr 2021 - Oct 2021 (6 months)

Designed fintech product flows, wireframes, prototypes, UI design, and provided implementation support.

Fintech Design Wireframing Prototyping UI Design

Head of UX Design

PayCertify

Jan 2019 - Dec 2020 (1 year 11 months)

Managed and mentored four designers across payment gateway, fraud-management, and virtual-card products. Led product strategy, information architecture, research, and design system co-creation to strengthen consistency and delivery.

UX Leadership Design Systems Information Architecture UX Research Analytics Product Strategy Mentor

Senior Experience Designer Consultant

ThoughtWorks

Mar 2016 - Jun 2018 (2 years 3 months)

Led discovery and design workshops with global cross-functional teams on enterprise product and ecommerce engagements. Applied UX strategy, facilitation, information architecture, and interaction design to complex consulting projects.

UX Strategy Workshop Facilitation Information Architecture Interaction Design Product Thinking User Research

Principal Designer & Partner

Resale.com.br

Jul 2015 - Aug 2017 (2 years 1 month)

Led product concept, UX architecture, interaction design, and visual design for the first iOS and Android releases of a real-estate marketplace. Established the product foundation from idea to launch.

Product Design UX Architecture Interaction Design Visual Design Mobile Design