Heller de Paula
Head of Digital Product and Design | Strategy and Innovation in UX, UI, Service Design, and Human-Centered Innovation
📍 São Paulo, SP, Brazil
Summary
I’m Heller de Paula, a specialist in digital design, business, and technology. Since 2010, I’ve been leading teams, developing products, and creating innovative solutions for companies across a wide range of industries.
My mission is to align creativity with strategy to deliver exceptional results—always placing people’s and businesses’ needs at the center of every project.
Summary of Qualifications
- Digital Product Strategy
- UX and UI (User Experience and User Interface)
- Service Design
- Agile and Scrum
- KPIs and OKRs
- Human-Centered Design
- Leadership of Cross-Functional Teams
- Prototyping with Figma
- Product Discovery and Delivery
- User Journey Mapping
- Design Thinking
- Digital Innovation
Professional Experience
Faberhaus Play
Head of Design and Product
February 2024 – Present
Led the development of new digital products and tailored solutions for companies across various industries. Acted as a strategic consultant in design, innovation, and technology, supporting organizations in team structuring, implementing agile methodologies, and creating user-centered experiences. Applied qualitative and quantitative data (UX research, A/B testing, analytics) to guide product decisions and drive business growth.
Wunderman Thompson
Head of Product Design
June 2022 – January 2024 (1 year 8 months)
As Head of Product Design, I restructured team roles and responsibilities, reducing operational costs by 15% and increasing the department’s NPS to 61 points within six months. I led the integration between UX Designers, Product Managers, and tech teams, accelerating delivery cycles and ensuring experiences aligned with the user journey.
Design Manager
February 2021 – May 2022 (1 year 4 months)
Managed a team of 50 professionals across 8 simultaneous projects. Implemented new collaborative processes focused on Design Ops and integrated Figma with Jira, resulting in a 10% increase in productivity and improved communication between stakeholders, product, and development teams.
PagSeguro PagBank
Product Design Manager
January 2019 – February 2021 (2 years 2 months)
Managed a multidisciplinary team through Product Discovery and Delivery processes with agile cycles ranging from 5 to 20 business days. Restructured user journeys and flows based on retention data, heatmaps, and user interviews, resulting in increased conversion rates and engagement across digital channels.
Service Design Specialist
April 2018 – January 2019 (10 months)
As a Service Design Specialist, I implemented user-centered practices within product squads. Led journey mapping initiatives and facilitated workshops with stakeholders, which reduced the development time for new features and improved backlog efficiency across teams.
Cielo
Service Design Specialist
February 2017 – March 2018 (1 year 2 months)
Launched 3 innovative digital products and conducted training sessions for over 1,000 employees on methodologies such as Design Thinking and Scrum. Worked on restructuring user flows and touchpoints to optimize the user experience and align business goals with continuous innovation.
PagSeguro UOL
Senior UX Designer
February 2016 – February 2017 (1 year)
Designed and tested digital experiences for financial products using metrics and tools such as Google Analytics, A/B testing, and user interviews. Standardized user flows and interface components, leading to increased conversion rates in key features tailored to micro-entrepreneurs.
UOL
Senior UX Designer
February 2014 – February 2016 (2 years 1 month)
Redesigned digital products and services for the largest online portal in Brazil. One key initiative was the Self-Service platform, which successfully redirected 12% of Call Center traffic to the website after its revamp, enhancing user autonomy and reducing operational demand.
Femoralis Ag. W/
UX Designer
June 2010 – February 2014 (3 years 9 months)
Contributed to the creation of responsive digital solutions for the financial, educational, and credit sectors. Worked on UX/UI strategy definition, information architecture, wireframes, and user-validated prototypes, collaborating directly with developers and business stakeholders.
Education
Postgraduate Certificate in Leadership and Management
Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUC-RS) | 2019 – 2020
Postgraduate Certificate in Business and Foresight
Diip, CBA B+G & Hivelab | 2016
Postgraduate Certificate in Service Design
The School for Service Innovation – Hivelab | 2014 – 2015
Bachelor’s Degree in Digital Design – Communication and Multimedia
Universidade Anhembi Morumbi | 2009 – 2013
Languages
- Portuguese – Native
- English – Fluent (Professional Proficiency)
Certifications
- Leadership – Ethnic-Racial Awareness | RM Consulting (2023)
- Management 3.0 | K21 (2019)
Awards and Honors
- Winner of the UOL Creative Ideas Award (2014)
Key Skills
- Adobe Creative Suite
- Market Analysis
- Branding
- Business Development
- Product Development
- Talent Development
- Content Design
- Desktop and Mobile Design
- Responsive Design
- Video Editing
- Operational Efficiency
- Marketing Strategy
- Product Strategy
- Growth Strategies
- Wireframing
- User Experience (UX)
- Figma
- Artificial Intelligence
- Leadership
- Agile Methodologies
- User Research
- Strategic Planning
- Prototyping
- Digital Transformation
- UI – User Interface