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Hi There

I’m Zarina Majidova, a UX/UI & Product Designer.

I’ve designed for fintech, healthtech, SaaS, AI tools, and internal systems reaching over 7 million users worldwide. My work spans short-term sprints and long-term partnerships with teams across the US, UK, Europe, MENA, and Southeast Asia. I care deeply about accessibility, clarity, and designing with real people in mind.

 

Outside of design, I’m also a writer. I explore sci-fi, social commentary, and human behavior through short fiction and essays.

Connect on LinkedIn

Download Resume

My

Design

Philosophy

To me, design isn’t just about making things look good, it’s about how they feel. And yes, you can definitely design feelings too.

I love blending aesthetics with problem-solving to create things people genuinely need. I also believe that not every design needs to be “pretty”, sometimes, the best design is invisible.

 

Take healthcare, for example. If your users are patients or busy medical professionals, flashy animations or trendy visuals aren’t the priority. What matters is clarity, ease, and trust. If someone doesn’t remember what your button looked like, but they completed their task effortlessly - that’s success.

Education

2023-2025

University of California, Davis

Master of Fine Arts (MFA), Interaction Design

GPA: 3.97

2010-2014

Academy of Public Administration, Azerbaijan

Bachelor of Arts (BA), International Relations

My Design Process

My process varies depending on the project. Some come with clear specs, others begin with just a rough idea. I usually follow design thinking as a foundation, but I stay flexible and adjust my approach based on what the project needs.

 

I typically start by understanding the user. The first question I ask is, “Who are our users?” If I can talk directly to them, I do. Then I define the problem, brainstorm possible solutions, create quick prototypes, and test early. I start by sketching ideas to explore different directions and gather feedback early.

 

Collaboration is a core part of my process. I bring in engineers, product managers, data scientists, and other key teammates from the beginning. Getting their input early saves time, avoids costly rework, and helps us ship better products, faster.

Awards & Recognition

Along the way, I’ve been lucky to receive a few awards that recognize the work I’ve done in design, research, and education. From national scholarships to university nominations, each one has encouraged me to keep creating with purpose and contributing in meaningful ways.

OGTA Nominee

UC Davis, 2025

Recognized with a nomination for UC Davis’s Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award for Human Centered Design courses.

Education Abroad Scholarship

Ministry of Education, Azerbaijan, 2023

Awarded through a nationally competitive program supporting high-achieving graduate students pursuing international research.

Margrit Mondavi Award

UC Davis, 2024

Awarded to 4 graduate students in MFA and PhD programs for outstanding creative and scholarly work in the arts and humanities.

Official listing: View UC Davis Award Recipients

Presidential Scholarship

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan, 2010

Awarded to the top 100 students out of over 100,000 nationwide. Selection was based on university entrance exam scores.

Presidential Decree – View Official Document (in Azerbaijani)

Exhibition Design

Ottera Health at Shrem Museum, June 2025

My MFA thesis project, Ottera Health, was exhibited at the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art as part of UC Davis’s 2025 Graduate Exhibition. The interactive installation explored AI-supported therapy tools and how design can bridge clinical care with compassionate digital experiences.

See More

Photo taken during the opening week of the exhibition (06/05/25)

Licenses & Certifications

I’m continuously learning and expanding my skill set across design, research, and ethics. These certifications reflect my commitment to responsible research practices, collaborative design thinking, and human-centered UX.

Social and Behavioral Research

CITI Program, Expires March 2027

The CITI Social and Behavioral Research Certificate provides training on ethical standards and best practices for conducting research involving human participants.

See Credential

Design Thinking Co-Creator

IBM, August 2022

The IBM Enterprise Design Thinking Co-Creator certificate validates foundational skills in collaborative, user-centered design using IBM’s design thinking framework.

See Credential

Google UX Design Professional

Google, October 2021

The Google UX Design Professional Certificate demonstrates foundational knowledge in user experience design, covering research, wireframing, prototyping, and usability testing.

See Credential

Teaching & Speaking

Sharing design with clarity and care

I created a short Coursera course introducing Material 3 principles through a hands-on UI project. Over 600 learners have enrolled.

 

At UC Davis, I’ve been a graduate teaching assistant and guest speaker for multiple design and HCI courses offering critique, mentorship, and support to undergrad designers. In 2025, I was nominated for the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award (OGTA).

Learn with Me on Coursera

Presented on design portfolios to an audience of 300+ at UC Davis, 2024.

Words Over Pixels

My Design Voice, in Print

I contribute regularly to UX Planet, the largest design publications on Medium with over 350K readers. My articles cover practical workflows, reflections from real-world projects, and lessons I’ve learned as a product designer. Writing helps me reflect, connect with other designers, and contribute to the evolving conversation around UX.

See My Design Blog

Offscreen

A Few Things About Me

I love coffee, especially a good flat white. I enjoy cooking Italian dishes and visit art museums wherever I travel.

 

I'm a big fan of ’90s and early 2000s shows, and Friends is still my favorite (somewhere after the 25th rewatch… I’ve lost count).

 

I love solving logic puzzles and sudokus for fun. The more brain‑twisting, the better. They’re such an underrated way to relax and unwind. Why stress over real‑life problems when you can focus on fitting the number 8 perfectly into nine different rows, columns, and squares?

 

I love reading. Even though I work as an interface designer, I prefer reading physical books over digital ones. I’m an active library member, but I also enjoy building my own collection. I make it a habit to spend at least 20 minutes reading without interruptions, though it often turns into much longer sessions.

Every month I try a new activity or skill, and some of them end up sticking with me. Lately, I’ve been into exploring vineyards and wineries in Napa Valley. I absolutely love wine tastings, open-air live music events, and feeling like I’ve time-traveled to the ‘80s Italy while snapping photos on my vintage 35mm camera.

 

I'm also into fashion. I read every issue of Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar, and Vanity Fair religiously. During grad school, I TA’d for fashion classes, and my collection of fashion books is one of my favorite things, the design of those books is a work of art in itself.

 

I use Instagram to capture little details, textures, travels, and snippets of everyday life. Expect plenty of mirror selfies showing my outfits, snapshots of coffee moments, and glimpses of art galleries along the way.

Follow me on Instagram

Let’s Chat. Collaborate. Create.

Want to grab coffee, chat design, or team up on something cool? Shoot me a message! I’m just one click away.

Say Hi

ZM

© 2025 Zarina Majidova. Designed with care. All rights reserved.

ZM

About

Work

Blog

Schedule a Call

Hi There

I’m Zarina Majidova, a UX/UI & Product Designer.

I’ve designed for fintech, healthtech, SaaS, AI tools, and internal systems reaching over 7 million users worldwide. My work spans short-term sprints and long-term partnerships with teams across the US, UK, Europe, MENA, and Southeast Asia. I care deeply about accessibility, clarity, and designing with real people in mind.

 

Outside of design, I’m also a writer. I explore sci-fi, social commentary, and human behavior through short fiction and essays.

Connect on LinkedIn

Download Resume

My

Design

Philosophy

To me, design isn’t just about making things look good, it’s about how they feel. And yes, you can definitely design feelings too.

I love blending aesthetics with problem-solving to create things people genuinely need. I also believe that not every design needs to be “pretty”, sometimes, the best design is invisible.

 

Take healthcare, for example. If your users are patients or busy medical professionals, flashy animations or trendy visuals aren’t the priority. What matters is clarity, ease, and trust. If someone doesn’t remember what your button looked like, but they completed their task effortlessly - that’s success.

Education

2023-2025

University of California, Davis

Master of Fine Arts (MFA), Interaction Design

GPA: 3.97

2010-2014

Academy of Public Administration, Azerbaijan

Bachelor of Arts (BA), International Relations

My Design Process

My process varies depending on the project. Some come with clear specs, others begin with just a rough idea. I usually follow design thinking as a foundation, but I stay flexible and adjust my approach based on what the project needs.

 

I typically start by understanding the user. The first question I ask is, “Who are our users?” If I can talk directly to them, I do. Then I define the problem, brainstorm possible solutions, create quick prototypes, and test early. I start by sketching ideas to explore different directions and gather feedback early.

 

Collaboration is a core part of my process. I bring in engineers, product managers, data scientists, and other key teammates from the beginning. Getting their input early saves time, avoids costly rework, and helps us ship better products, faster.

Awards & Recognition

Along the way, I’ve been lucky to receive a few awards that recognize the work I’ve done in design, research, and education. From national scholarships to university nominations, each one has encouraged me to keep creating with purpose and contributing in meaningful ways.

OGTA Nominee

UC Davis, 2025

Recognized with a nomination for UC Davis’s Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award for Human Centered Design courses.

Education Abroad Scholarship

Ministry of Education, Azerbaijan, 2023

Awarded through a nationally competitive program supporting high-achieving graduate students pursuing international research.

Margrit Mondavi Award

UC Davis, 2024

Awarded to 4 graduate students in MFA and PhD programs for outstanding creative and scholarly work in the arts and humanities.

Official listing: View UC Davis Award Recipients

Presidential Scholarship

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan, 2010

Awarded to the top 100 students out of over 100,000 nationwide. Selection was based on university entrance exam scores.

Presidential Decree – View Official Document (in Azerbaijani)

Exhibition Design

Ottera Health at Shrem Museum, June 2025

My MFA thesis project, Ottera Health, was exhibited at the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art as part of UC Davis’s 2025 Graduate Exhibition. The interactive installation explored AI-supported therapy tools and how design can bridge clinical care with compassionate digital experiences.

See More

Photo taken during the opening week of the exhibition (06/05/25)

Licenses & Certifications

I’m continuously learning and expanding my skill set across design, research, and ethics. These certifications reflect my commitment to responsible research practices, collaborative design thinking, and human-centered UX.

Social and Behavioral Research

CITI Program, Expires March 2027

The CITI Social and Behavioral Research Certificate provides training on ethical standards and best practices for conducting research involving human participants.

See Credential

Design Thinking Co-Creator

IBM, August 2022

The IBM Enterprise Design Thinking Co-Creator certificate validates foundational skills in collaborative, user-centered design using IBM’s design thinking framework.

See Credential

Google UX Design Professional

Google, October 2021

The Google UX Design Professional Certificate demonstrates foundational knowledge in user experience design, covering research, wireframing, prototyping, and usability testing.

See Credential

Teaching & Speaking

Sharing design with clarity and care

I created a short Coursera course introducing Material 3 principles through a hands-on UI project. Over 600 learners have enrolled.

 

At UC Davis, I’ve been a graduate teaching assistant and guest speaker for multiple design and HCI courses offering critique, mentorship, and support to undergrad designers. In 2025, I was nominated for the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award (OGTA).

Learn with Me on Coursera

Presented on design portfolios to an audience of 300+ at UC Davis, 2024.

Words Over Pixels

My Design Voice, in Print

I contribute regularly to UX Planet, the largest design publications on Medium with over 350K readers. My articles cover practical workflows, reflections from real-world projects, and lessons I’ve learned as a product designer. Writing helps me reflect, connect with other designers, and contribute to the evolving conversation around UX.

See My Design Blog

Offscreen

A Few Things About Me

I love coffee, especially a good flat white. I enjoy cooking Italian dishes and visit art museums wherever I travel.

 

I'm a big fan of ’90s and early 2000s shows, and Friends is still my favorite (somewhere after the 25th rewatch… I’ve lost count).

 

I love solving logic puzzles and sudokus for fun. The more brain‑twisting, the better. They’re such an underrated way to relax and unwind. Why stress over real‑life problems when you can focus on fitting the number 8 perfectly into nine different rows, columns, and squares?

 

I love reading. Even though I work as an interface designer, I prefer reading physical books over digital ones. I’m an active library member, but I also enjoy building my own collection. I make it a habit to spend at least 20 minutes reading without interruptions, though it often turns into much longer sessions.

Every month I try a new activity or skill, and some of them end up sticking with me. Lately, I’ve been into exploring vineyards and wineries in Napa Valley. I absolutely love wine tastings, open-air live music events, and feeling like I’ve time-traveled to the ‘80s Italy while snapping photos on my vintage 35mm camera.

 

I'm also into fashion. I read every issue of Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar, and Vanity Fair religiously. During grad school, I TA’d for fashion classes, and my collection of fashion books is one of my favorite things, the design of those books is a work of art in itself.

 

I use Instagram to capture little details, textures, travels, and snippets of everyday life. Expect plenty of mirror selfies showing my outfits, snapshots of coffee moments, and glimpses of art galleries along the way.

Follow me on Instagram

Let’s Chat. Collaborate. Create.

Want to grab coffee, chat design, or team up on something cool? Shoot me a message! I’m just one click away.

Say Hi

ZM

© 2025 Zarina Majidova. Designed with care. All rights reserved.

ZM

About

Work

Blog

Schedule a Call

Hi There

I’m Zarina Majidova, a UX/UI & Product Designer.

I’ve designed for fintech, healthtech, SaaS, AI tools, and internal systems reaching over 7 million users worldwide. My work spans short-term sprints and long-term partnerships with teams across the US, UK, Europe, MENA, and Southeast Asia. I care deeply about accessibility, clarity, and designing with real people in mind.

 

Outside of design, I’m also a writer. I explore sci-fi, social commentary, and human behavior through short fiction and essays.

Connect on LinkedIn

Download Resume

My

Design

Philosophy

To me, design isn’t just about making things look good, it’s about how they feel. And yes, you can definitely design feelings too.

I love blending aesthetics with problem-solving to create things people genuinely need. I also believe that not every design needs to be “pretty”, sometimes, the best design is invisible.

 

Take healthcare, for example. If your users are patients or busy medical professionals, flashy animations or trendy visuals aren’t the priority. What matters is clarity, ease, and trust. If someone doesn’t remember what your button looked like, but they completed their task effortlessly - that’s success.

Education

2023-2025

University of California, Davis

Master of Fine Arts (MFA), Interaction Design

GPA: 3.97

2010-2014

Academy of Public Administration, Azerbaijan

Bachelor of Arts (BA), International Relations

My Design Process

My process varies depending on the project. Some come with clear specs, others begin with just a rough idea. I usually follow design thinking as a foundation, but I stay flexible and adjust my approach based on what the project needs.

 

I typically start by understanding the user. The first question I ask is, “Who are our users?” If I can talk directly to them, I do. Then I define the problem, brainstorm possible solutions, create quick prototypes, and test early. I start by sketching ideas to explore different directions and gather feedback early.

 

Collaboration is a core part of my process. I bring in engineers, product managers, data scientists, and other key teammates from the beginning. Getting their input early saves time, avoids costly rework, and helps us ship better products, faster.

Awards & Recognition

Along the way, I’ve been lucky to receive a few awards that recognize the work I’ve done in design, research, and education. From national scholarships to university nominations, each one has encouraged me to keep creating with purpose and contributing in meaningful ways.

OGTA Nominee

UC Davis, 2025

Recognized with a nomination for UC Davis’s Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award for Human Centered Design courses.

Education Abroad Scholarship

Ministry of Education, Azerbaijan, 2023

Awarded through a nationally competitive program supporting high-achieving graduate students pursuing international research.

Margrit Mondavi Award

UC Davis, 2024

Awarded to 4 graduate students in MFA and PhD programs for outstanding creative and scholarly work in the arts and humanities.

Official listing: View UC Davis Award Recipients

Presidential Scholarship

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan, 2010

Awarded to the top 100 students out of over 100,000 nationwide. Selection was based on university entrance exam scores.

Presidential Decree – View Official Document (in Azerbaijani)

Exhibition Design

Ottera Health at Shrem Museum, June 2025

My MFA thesis project, Ottera Health, was exhibited at the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art as part of UC Davis’s 2025 Graduate Exhibition. The interactive installation explored AI-supported therapy tools and how design can bridge clinical care with compassionate digital experiences.

See More

Photo taken during the opening week of the exhibition (06/05/25)

Licenses & Certifications

I’m continuously learning and expanding my skill set across design, research, and ethics. These certifications reflect my commitment to responsible research practices, collaborative design thinking, and human-centered UX.

Social and Behavioral Research

CITI Program, Expires March 2027

The CITI Social and Behavioral Research Certificate provides training on ethical standards and best practices for conducting research involving human participants.

See Credential

Design Thinking Co-Creator

IBM, August 2022

The IBM Enterprise Design Thinking Co-Creator certificate validates foundational skills in collaborative, user-centered design using IBM’s design thinking framework.

See Credential

Google UX Design Professional

Google, October 2021

The Google UX Design Professional Certificate demonstrates foundational knowledge in user experience design, covering research, wireframing, prototyping, and usability testing.

See Credential

Teaching & Speaking

Sharing design with clarity and care

I created a short Coursera course introducing Material 3 principles through a hands-on UI project. Over 600 learners have enrolled.

 

At UC Davis, I’ve been a graduate teaching assistant and guest speaker for multiple design and HCI courses offering critique, mentorship, and support to undergrad designers. In 2025, I was nominated for the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award (OGTA).

Learn with Me on Coursera

Presented on design portfolios to an audience of 300+ at UC Davis, 2024.

Words Over Pixels

My Design Voice, in Print

I contribute regularly to UX Planet, the largest design publications on Medium with over 350K readers. My articles cover practical workflows, reflections from real-world projects, and lessons I’ve learned as a product designer. Writing helps me reflect, connect with other designers, and contribute to the evolving conversation around UX.

See My Design Blog

Offscreen

A Few Things About Me

I love coffee, especially a good flat white. I enjoy cooking Italian dishes and visit art museums wherever I travel.

 

I'm a big fan of ’90s and early 2000s shows, and Friends is still my favorite (somewhere after the 25th rewatch… I’ve lost count).

 

I love solving logic puzzles and sudokus for fun. The more brain‑twisting, the better. They’re such an underrated way to relax and unwind. Why stress over real‑life problems when you can focus on fitting the number 8 perfectly into nine different rows, columns, and squares?

 

I love reading. Even though I work as an interface designer, I prefer reading physical books over digital ones. I’m an active library member, but I also enjoy building my own collection. I make it a habit to spend at least 20 minutes reading without interruptions, though it often turns into much longer sessions.

Every month I try a new activity or skill, and some of them end up sticking with me. Lately, I’ve been into exploring vineyards and wineries in Napa Valley. I absolutely love wine tastings, open-air live music events, and feeling like I’ve time-traveled to the ‘80s Italy while snapping photos on my vintage 35mm camera.

 

I'm also into fashion. I read every issue of Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar, and Vanity Fair religiously. During grad school, I TA’d for fashion classes, and my collection of fashion books is one of my favorite things, the design of those books is a work of art in itself.

 

I use Instagram to capture little details, textures, travels, and snippets of everyday life. Expect plenty of mirror selfies showing my outfits, snapshots of coffee moments, and glimpses of art galleries along the way.

Follow me on Instagram

Let’s Chat. Collaborate. Create.

Want to grab coffee, chat design, or team up on something cool? Shoot me a message! I’m just one click away.

Say Hi

ZM

© 2025 Zarina Majidova. Designed with care. All rights reserved.

ZM

About

Work

Blog

Schedule a Call