Principal Product Designer
Alex Zapadenko
Product design leader with 15+ years across enterprise platforms, B2B SaaS, and 0→1 products. Currently directing AI-driven design at Banyan Software, shaping both the AI-assisted pipeline and the next-generation experiences it ships across a portfolio of 50+ vertical SaaS products. Recently led the design for re-platforming Intuit Mailchimp Transactional — a developer-focused email API — into the unified Mailchimp experience. Earlier, scaled TheoremOne's design team from 10 to 50+ and integrated a 200-person global design practice at Monks. Open to select fractional and advisory engagements where I can set strategy, ship complex products, and build the teams behind them.
Years of experience
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In design leadership
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Largest team led
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Designers hired
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Projects delivered
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Industries served
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Projects
Selected case studies
A selection of work spanning enterprise platforms, B2B SaaS, and 0→1 products. Each entry links to a longer read on the problem, the approach, and what shipped.
Mailchimp Transactional
Bringing a developer email platform into a marketer's workspace
Earthwonders
Building the premier marketplace for fine mineral collectors
WatchWorthy
Designing the app that knows what you'll love next
Navigate
Optimizing user experience for real estate agents
DocRobot
Designing AI for handling sensitive enterprise data
The Osage Nation
Designing crisis assistance services
BlackLine
Redesigning and migrating legacy frontend to React
Vibe-code
Built by feel
Full apps I've vibe-coded end to end — spun up fast by feel, where design and code blur together. Each one opens to a closer look.
Pathfinder
A Pathfinder 2e character builder with AI portraits that restyle every time you re-equip
Poppy
A voice-first AI assistant for teachers — lesson plans, parent notes, quizzes
RockStore
A social marketplace for rock & mineral collectors
Motive
A live fleet-tracking map with AI-generated telemetry, streamed from Postgres
Assorted
Outside the brief
Visual exploration outside of client work.
Resume
The path so far
Download resumeBanyan Software
Principal Architect, AI Product Design
May 2026 – Present · 1 mo
Direct AI-driven design for an internal Software Modernization Factory retooling a portfolio of 50+ vertical SaaS products across the group. Shape both the AI-assisted pipeline that does the work and the next generation of experiences it ships — embedding intelligent workflows into products where legacy interfaces stood.
Product Inc.
Principal Product Designer
Dec 2022 – Present · 3 yrs 5 mo
Run a fractional design practice for early-stage founders, from product strategy through launch. Anchor ongoing engagements at EarthWonders (e-commerce) and Edvo (B2C SaaS), and ship 0→1 concepts, marketing sites, and investor materials for Cracken AGI, Journify, UnboxAI, and other emerging startups.
Intuit Mailchimp
Product Designer (Contract)
April 2026
Set the design vision for collapsing Mailchimp Transactional into the core Mailchimp product — a re-platform that unifies two separate apps into a single workspace for marketers and developers. Made the case for swapping an incremental UI refresh for a full platform integration, and shaped the roadmap that followed.
Work together
Find the mode that fits
Three modes depending on where your team is. Currently taking on fractional work.
Fractional (1–3 days/wk)
OpenBest for: Growing teams that need senior leadership without adding a full headcount.
- Player-coach support for designers
- Tighter design/eng handoffs
- Hands-on design where it matters
Full-time Director
Not availableBest for: Teams that need a long-term design leader to scale people, systems, and delivery.
- Org design, hiring, leveling and coaching
- Design ops and governance
- Hands-on high-leverage work
Full-time Principal
Not availableBest for: Hands-on execution in complex areas where an expert IC leads by doing.
- Ownership of critical product surfaces
- Deep discovery, design and prototyping
- Close pairing with engineering and PM