Hi! My name is
Stephan Takken

Managing designer

Driven by a passion for improvement and exceptional experiences, I excel in structured, detailed approaches, adapt to chaos, prioritize strong relationships, I have about 20 years design experience, and 7 years as manager.

What I can offer

What I can offer

Manage teams and projects

Manage small, medium and large projects/teams, hiring, coaching and mentoring individuals. Defining or improving way of working, department processes, and running day to day operations.

UI/UX & design systems

Agile delivery of technical & visual design and creative content in cross functional product teams. Including advanced design systems with engineering integrated tokens.

Research & product strategy

Defining human needs, conducting ideation workshops and creating/visualising value propositions.

Prototyping & validation

Making concepts tangible and validate them through any means possible.

Assessments & improvements

Performing design assessments based on usability and accessibility to improve products and services.

Manage teams and projects

UI/UX & design systems

Research & product strategy

Prototyping & validation

Assessments & improvements

What others say about me

What others say
about me

Ernest

Designer @GitHub

Stephan is easily one of the best design managers I have worked with. He is a skilled designer and leader who isn't only an excellent hands-on designer but a great leader who fosters an environment where the team is empowered to do their best work.

I worked day-to-day with Stephan for about a year on the BPI project, where he was the design lead. During that time, I saw his influence in creating structure, transforming the quality of our design deliverables, and the team's product development process.

He has a huge passion for his work and fosters a positive team culture of collaboration, feedback, and delivering quality results.

I was impressed with how he approaches high-level problems, his structured and detailed process, his excellent communication abilities, and how he takes bets on people.

He is an outstanding leader and has greatly influenced my career.
Any organization would be lucky to have him.

Eli

CEO @Gold Standard Consulting

His work on the project has been very, very impressive. He brought an extremely useful structure and process to the project, both for managing internal timelines with engineering and for managing reviews and approvals with the client. In about a week he took everyone from anxious about how we'd manage the workload, to feeling calm and in control.

The level of structure, detail and top notch work must be impressing the client. There are some very important stakeholders and I couldn't be happier that he's the main contact that they work with.

Lennard

@Freelance designer

In the field of optimising user experiences and leading design teams, Stephan is a true expert. He has the ability to ask the right questions, to quickly understand challenges and to create efficient solutions. Aside from that, he’s fun to work with and you can trust his consistent, reliable way of working. When he was my manager, I was a freelancer, but he made me feel like a true member of the team. Thanks : )

What I'm looking for

What I'm looking for

Overall, I am passionate about managing projects and teams, and I am always eager to take on new challenges and opportunities to learn and grow.

My motivation

I am motivated by the challenge of helping projects or teams to maximise their potential. I find fulfilment in coaching, and mentoring individuals, helping them become the best version of themselves. In addition, I enjoy structuring things around me. Defining and improving ways of working, streamlining department processes, and ensuring smooth day-to-day operations.

What I'm good at

Being able to oversee projects from inception to completion, and seeing a team come together to achieve a common goal, is incredibly satisfying. I take pride in my ability to identify areas for improvement, establish efficient processes, and create a positive work environment where individuals can thrive. I'd almost forget to mention, but I'm also very much a hands-on designer! Roll up those sleeves and get it done.

Relationships

I also understand the importance of effective communication and collaboration across different departments and stakeholders, and I prioritize building strong relationships to ensure everyone is aligned and working towards the same objectives.

I've enjoyed working with these brands

I've enjoyed working with these brands

I've enjoyed working with these brands

Email

stakken@gmail.com

Phone

+316 44 074 897

© 2023 Stephan Takken

Email

stakken@gmail.com

Phone

+316 44 074 897

© 2023 Stephan Takken

Email

stakken@gmail.com

Phone

+316 44 074 897

© 2023 Stephan Takken