TURGAY OKTEM
I’m a London based UX professional with experience in working across the US and the UK, who fosters collaboration and facilitates problem solving by deploying design thinking methods.
I believe in design driven by evidence and I utilise my research acumen on creating digital products that address the users’ pain points as well as generate value for the businesses I work for.
Currently, I work as a Principle Experience Design Lead at Transport for London, focussing on improving payments systems and designing the internal tools used by the staff, that are crucial to the daily operations of TfL.
Prior to moving back to the UK, I was working for the IMF (International Monetary Fund) in Washington DC, where I was leading the UX research and strategy within an innovation lab.
Case Studies
Education & Experience
SEP 2023 - PRESENT
Principle Experience Design Lead
Building the UX design strategy of the internal tools used by the staff (such as Station Management) that are crucial to the daily operations of TfL. This involves collaborating closely with engineering and operational teams to understand their unique needs and utilising data-driven insights to drive improvements. My role is pivotal in ensuring that the tools supporting TfL's infrastructure and operations are intuitive, accessible and inclusive while being aligned with the organisation's goals, contributing to a more streamlined and productive working environment.
OCT 2011 - MAR 2012
Senior Interaction Designer
Investigated ways of integrating upcoming technologies into Vestel’s interactive TVs and developed new concepts to enhance the TV watching experience on Vestel’s future products as part of the Research & Development arm of the corporation.
MAR 2012 - MAY 2018
UX Designer
I was responsible for the UX design of the apps including Nigella Lawson’s cookery app, I’m Ready for Phonics & Spelling (both ranked number 1 in the Education category on release) and various Peppa Pig and Roald Dahl apps.
Peppa Pig Book apps downloaded over 86K times; Moshi Monsters downloaded over half a million times to date.
MAY 2018 - AUG 2019
UX Design Lead
I was in charge of the UX process of all digital products including e-commerce websites, audiobook apps, and mobile games. Used to build the UX design & research strategy based on stakeholders’ goals and oversee user research in collaboration with Analytics and Consumer Insight teams. UX iterations contributed to 86% increase on the clicks on the "Buy from" button (directs the users to the retailers such as Amazon) which is the ultimate goal of penguin.co.uk.
OCT 2020 - AUG 2022
UX Research & Strategy Lead - Media Officer (Contractor)
IMF (International Monetary Fund)
Oversaw UX research and strategy on big data projects that include PortWatch, Climate Change Indicators Dashboard (Gold Winner of Anthem Awards 2024) and United Nation’s SDG Financing tool. Facilitated design sprints and conducted user interviews with government officials, IMF economists and statisticians. Provided essential human centred design solutions for governments to translate complex economic projects and stories into accessible, utilitarian tools that assist them with policy making decisions.
AUG 2019 - MAR 2020
UX Design Lead (Contractor)
I supervised the design team in the Banking Lab and focussed on the onboarding processes for 30 million customers; of which 13 million are active online users. Working with multiple feature teams in an agile environment, my role required me to find solutions to complex problems while balancing the business goals & financial regulatory requirements with user needs through research.
SEP 2010 - OCT 2011
MA in Interactive Media
London College of Communication
Dissertation Title: “In-Car Infotainment As A Case Study Of Designing In Multiple Levels Of Context.”
AUG 2022 - FEB 2023
Service & Experience Design Lead (Contractor)
Overhauled the service and UX design of the bereavement process for the customers and the Nationwide staff. Structured an omnichannel service, enabling users to change their preferred method of handling the case and its pace at any time which resulted in a significant increase in customer satisfaction. Duration of the entire process from the notification of death to case closure has been reduced from an average of 28 days to as little as 1 day as a result of streamlining the service and easing the mental bandwidth of the users on both ends.
MAR 2023 - SEP 2023
Service Design Lead (Contractor)
Rathbones is a wealth management company that has been serving clients for over 280 years. I designed and optimised the new CRM system to seamlessly manage client interactions, from onboarding and investment proposal to portfolio implementation and monitoring. By streamlining these client and colleauge experience stages, the efficiency has enhanced, relationships have strengthened, and ultimately contributed to a more satisfying and personalised wealth management experience at Rathbones.
SEP 2003 - JUN 2008
BA in Communication Design
Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul
Class project published in: “Design School Confidential: Extraordinary Class Projects from International Design Schools” by Steven Heller & Lita Talarico from School of Visual Arts, New York, USA (Rockport Publishers)
Art Director Internship at Saatchi & Saatchi, Istanbul between June and September 2005
Graduation project “Globo” was adopted and patented by Vestel Electronics
NOV 2007 - SEP 2010
Interaction Designer
Worked closely with the engineering team to develop my graduation project Globo - an interactive TV controlled by gestures using a Nintendo Wii Remote.