Heller de Paula
Product Design | Digital Products, Strategy & Growth
📍 São Paulo, SP, Brazil
About
I am a Product Designer specializing in building and scaling digital products for complex digital ecosystems.
I work across the full product lifecycle, connecting Product Strategy, Discovery, UX/UI, Service Design, Design Systems, Experimentation, Analytics, Growth, and Artificial Intelligence to deliver measurable business and user outcomes.
I have experience in leading multidisciplinary teams, developing designers, scaling design operations, aligning executive stakeholders, and accelerating decision-making through research, data, and AI-assisted product workflows.
Core Skills
• End-to-end Product Design (Discovery → Delivery → Optimization)
• UX/UI Design, Interaction Design, UX Research, Service Design, and high-fidelity prototyping
• Design Systems, DesignOps, and governance for scale, consistency, and operational efficiency
• Experimentation, Analytics, CRO, product metrics, and data-informed decision-making
• Cross-functional collaboration with Product, Engineering, and Business teams, including stakeholder management and executive alignment
• AI-assisted design workflows for research, synthesis, ideation, prototyping, and documentation
Education
Postgraduate Degree in Leadership & Management (2019-2020)
Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul
Postgraduate Degree in Futurology & Business (2015-2016)
Diip, CBA B+G & Hivelab
Postgraduate Degree in Service Design (2014-2015)
The School For Service Innovation | Hivelab
Bachelor’s degree in digital design, Communication & Multimedia (2009-2013)
Universidade Anhembi Morumbi
Certifications & Languages
Ethical and Racial Leadership – RM Consulting (2023)
Management 3.0 – K21 (2019)
Portuguese – Native | English – Fluent
Recent Experience
Istituto Europeo di Design
Postgraduate Professor for Product Design Disciplines
February 2025 – Present
• Deliver postgraduate courses in UX, Product Design, Design Strategy, Business, and Design Metrics at IED (Istituto Europeo di Design).
• Teach and mentor professionals on applying design as a strategic business capability, covering Product Discovery, User Research, Service Design, Customer Experience, Product Strategy, Innovation, Experimentation, and Outcome-Driven Design.
• Bridge academic frameworks with real-world experience gained through leadership roles in fintechs, digital platforms, and large-scale product organizations, helping students connect design decisions to business impact, user outcomes, and product performance.
Faberhaus Play
Product Designer Lead
February 2024 – Present
• Leading end-to-end Product Design, from discovery, research, and validation through go-to-market, measurement, and continuous optimization.
• Managing a portfolio of 6+ digital products, including product strategy, customer journeys, conversion funnels, and market positioning.
• Conducting user research, data analysis, experimentation, and Growth/CRO initiatives focused on acquisition, activation, conversion, and retention.
• Impact: –78% cost per purchase, +369% ROAS, +257% landing page conversion, –40% CPL, 3× qualified traffic growth, and email open rates above 20%.
Wunderman Thompson
Head of Product Design
June 2022 – January 2024
• Led a multidisciplinary organization of 50 professionals across Design, Research, and Strategy supporting multiple large-scale digital products and platforms.
• Defined and evolved the Product Design operating model, including governance, DesignOps, processes, and collaboration frameworks across Product, Engineering, and Business.
• Led strategic initiatives connecting user experience, Design Systems, product metrics, and business goals in highly regulated environments.
• Impact: 15% reduction in operational costs, average NPS of 75 (peak of 80), and improved operational efficiency across product squads.
Wunderman Thompson
Product Design Manager
February 2021 – May 2022
• Led Product Design initiatives for complex digital platforms in partnership with Product, Engineering, and Business teams.
• Established scalable design processes, governance, and collaboration practices to improve alignment, predictability, and operational efficiency.
• Facilitated discovery, solution validation, stakeholder alignment, and roadmap planning for digital product evolution.
• Impact: 10% increase in team productivity through process and workflow optimization.
PagSeguro PagBank
Product Design Manager
January 2019 – February 2021
• Led Product Discovery and Design initiatives for large-scale financial products in partnership with Product, Engineering, and Business teams.
• Conducted user research, journey mapping, hypothesis validation, and usability testing to support data-driven product decisions.
• Translated complex financial and operational requirements into intuitive, accessible, and scalable digital experiences.
• Improved critical product journeys to increase adoption, conversion, engagement, and customer experience for millions of users.
PagSeguro PagBank
Product Designer Specialist
April 2018 – January 2019
• Applied Service Design, Design Thinking, and Human-Centered Design practices to evolve digital financial products.
• Led journey mapping, service blueprints, co-creation workshops, and cross-functional alignment across Product, Engineering, and Business.
• Structured discovery processes that improved prioritization, reduced risk, and increased operational efficiency.
Cielo
Product Designer Specialist
February 2017 – March 2018
• Led a large-scale Design Sprint involving 200+ participants to define and validate a new Smart POS solution for the payments industry.
• Facilitated discovery workshops, co-creation sessions, and executive alignment across customers, business, technology, and operations teams.
• Conducted strategic validation and prioritization processes, resulting in three executive-approved proposals and one initiative selected for agile development.
PagSeguro PagBank
Senior Product Designer
February 2016 – February 2017
• Contributed to the discovery, design, and launch of digital financial products, including lending, bank reconciliation, and gamification solutions serving large-scale user bases.
• Led user research, journey mapping, information architecture, interaction design, and prototyping efforts to uncover opportunities, validate solutions, and improve product experiences.
• Collaborated closely with Product, Engineering, and Business teams to translate complex financial and operational requirements into intuitive and scalable digital experiences.
• Supported Product Discovery and Service Design initiatives through customer research, workshop facilitation, journey mapping, and cross-functional alignment.
• Advocated for user-centered design, Design Thinking, and Agile methodologies, helping strengthen product development practices across multidisciplinary teams.
UOL
Senior Product Design
February 2014 – February 2016
• Led Product Design initiatives for large-scale digital products and self-service platforms, serving millions of users across one of Brazil’s largest internet ecosystems.
• Conducted UX Research, journey mapping, information architecture, prototyping, and usability testing to identify opportunities and validate solutions.
• Partnered with Product Managers, Engineers, and Business stakeholders to improve customer experience, increase self-service adoption, and optimize digital journeys.
• Redesigned the Self-Service platform, enabling a 12% migration of Call Center demand to digital channels, improving operational efficiency and reducing support costs.
Femoralis
Senior Product Designer
February 2010 – February 2014
• Led UX and Product Design initiatives for digital products in financial services, education, and credit ecosystems.
• Conducted discovery activities including user research, information architecture, journey mapping, wireframing, prototyping, and usability validation.
• Designed responsive web experiences focused on usability, accessibility, and customer experience.
• Partnered with Engineering and Business stakeholders to translate complex requirements into intuitive digital solutions aligned with product and business goals.
*Other experiences omitted for brevity.