Principal Product Designer for complex products that need to ship.

I design fintech, travel, SaaS, and enterprise platforms, specializing in complex, high-impact challenges. My expertise covers payments, permissions, booking flows, admin tools, right-to-left layouts, edge cases, and unified design systems. These areas are critical to product success and demand thoughtful design decisions. I have delivered measurable results, including increasing conversion rates by up to 20 percent, reducing onboarding errors by 30 percent, and enabling timely launches without compromising quality.

I was the first designer at Sendoso and the sole designer for a bank-grade travel platform. I now lead product design at Zension, focusing on banking, retail, and subscription products in the region.

First designer at Sendoso 15+ years Dubai-based Fintech / Travel / SaaS Arabic RTL Design systems
Umair Yahya, Principal Product Designer
15+ years in product designFirst designer at Sendoso$150M Series C company experience140+ screens on TravelShop12+ programs at Zension50k+ users at Integry1B+ monthly calls supportedEnglish + Arabic RTL delivery

Work that had to survive real constraints.

Managing constraints such as bank compliance, supplier certification, tight deadlines, and bilingual requirements is central to my process. I take a facilitative, solution-focused approach, aligning technical, legal, and business teams early to clarify priorities, ensure transparency, and resolve conflicts quickly. For example, I developed a payments platform that achieved compliance approval in two weeks through close collaboration with key teams. For a major bank’s travel booking platform, I led cross-functional workshops to ensure all perspectives were considered, enabling supplier certification and bilingual delivery on a tight timeline. I have also guided teams through conflicting requirements, driving clear decisions that supported product scalability across markets. Detailed walkthroughs are available upon request.

TravelShop flight booking experience

TravelShop

2025 → 2026

A top Egyptian bank had unused loyalty points. I created a platform that enables cardholders to book flights, hotels, and cars with their card, points, or both.

Sole Product Designer
Customer platform + admin portal · 140+ screens
MVP live in 4 months · scope extended after launch
FintechTravel commerceEnglish + Arabic RTLDesign systemB2B2C

I managed all design aspects, including user journeys, booking states, edge cases, benefits, claims, the operations portal, emails, vouchers, and a bilingual token system. I led cross-functional workshops, resolved compliance issues, and acted as the main stakeholder contact, delivering timely solutions with engineers and product managers.

Read the case study
Sendoso Marketplace interface
2018 → 2022 · San Francisco

Sendoso

Joined as the first design hire at a seed-stage sending platform, building V1 and V2 independently and establishing usability testing.

I owned more than 300 screens across key modules, led global navigation research, and established the company’s first usability program.

First design hire · design team grew to 12+ · company raised a $100M Series C
Case study coming soon
Integry Flow Builder interface
2022 → 2024 · Dubai

Integry.ai

I redesigned the integrations platform to enable users to build flows independently, transforming Flow Builder from a support-ticket source into a self-serve tool.

I owned the design system, led the Flow Builder redesign, and designed over 40 screens per module. I mentored two designers who began leading user research within six months, reducing support tickets by 30 percent. This mentorship accelerated their growth and fostered a collaborative culture, resulting in more open feedback and stronger alignment with product and engineering. I used user testing and iteration cycles, validated with Maze, to drive measurable improvement.

50k+ users · 1B+ monthly API calls · redesign reduced support tickets
Case study coming soon

More work

ClubHub property booking page 2024 ClubHubContract Product Designer Designed a system and 200+ screens for a vacation club platform, delivering Wallet, Search, and Property modules in five months.Responsible for the foundation file, token system, icon system, core module designs for Wallet, Search, and Property, and ensuring a seamless developer handoff. Preview coming soon
Zaam and Emirates NBD partner landing page 2024 → Now Zension / ZaamPrincipal Product Designer Led subscription and fintech journeys for major regional brands. Managed partner feedback and delivered programs independently.Accountable for all design deliverables, from initial partner sign-off to handoff-ready specifications. Selected shots on request
GetSetWell landing page 2025 → Now GetSetWellFounder of the project I am independently building a wellness and trainer marketplace focused on Dubai. This project keeps me connected to the real challenges of launching products.Responsible for the strategy, product design, brand, validation, and launch planning. Pre-launch

What I’m known for.

01

Converting complex flows into simple journeys

Enable paid bookings with minimal steps on products featuring live inventory and three payment options.

02

Designing failure, pending, refund, and support states

Trust is built by addressing challenging scenarios before launch, not after.

03

Building design systems across tenants and languages

I use a single component library and tokens for all variable elements to prevent design drift.

04

Designing admin portals with module-first, role-based views

This ensures operations teams have effective tools to support customers.

05

Working inside fintech, travel, loyalty, and SaaS constraints

I work within strict compliance reviews, supplier certifications, and detailed brand rules. I deliver products that meet all these requirements.

06

Designing Arabic and RTL product experiences

I create mirrored layouts, right-to-left calendars, and mixed-language branding, designing these elements from the ground up rather than simply translating them.

07

Using AI to move faster without outsourcing judgment

I rapidly synthesize research, explore ideas, and build prototypes, making all key decisions directly.

Where I learned to ship.

My experience spans regions and company sizes, showcasing the breadth of my design impact through the following roles and contributions.

2024 → Now Zension TechnologiesPrincipal Product Designer Sole designer across 12+ partner programs in fintech, e-commerce, retail, and telecom, with daily feedback cycles and handoff-ready delivery. Dubai
2025 → 2026 Bank travel platformSenior Product Designer · Contract Delivered TravelShop end-to-end for a major Egyptian bank. MVP live in 4 months, in 2 languages, on 1 design system. Remote
2024 ClubHubContract Product Designer Designed 200+ screens and a full system for an enterprise vacation-club platform in five months, leading two junior designers. Remote
2022 → 2024 Integry.aiSenior Product Designer · Team Lead Design lead on Integry.ai, serving 50k+ users and a billion API calls a month. Flow Builder redesign cut support tickets. Dubai
2018 → 2022 SendosoSenior Product Designer · First design hire Solo on V1 and V2, then helped scale the team to 12+ as the company raised a $100M Series C. San Francisco
2014 → 2018 Venexel TechnologiesJunior to Lead UI/UX Designer Advanced from junior to lead, managing two designers and delivering for prominent clients. Lahore

How I handle complexity.

01

Start with the business problem.

Before considering user needs, I evaluate the potential costs of failure in revenue, retention, and risk. This assessment guides my design decisions and highlights key tradeoffs for each project. I then use structured interviews, usability testing, and analytics to identify and validate user needs, often uncovering gaps between assumptions and real experiences. When prioritizing features, I balance business objectives and user benefits based on project constraints, weighing immediate deliverables against long-term impact. I determine which issues need immediate resolution and which can be deferred, considering their effects on workflow, stakeholder expectations, and future growth. I develop the design brief only after critically examining these decision points and their broader implications.

02

Research at the speed of the deadline

When time does not allow for a full discovery phase, I condense the process. I use structured benchmarking and competitor analysis, documenting the rationale for rejecting certain ideas. Every design pattern is selected for a specific reason.

03

Design the system, not the screen.

I use a single-journey framework, one component library, and tokens for variables. This lets a single designer deliver over 140 screens in two languages without inconsistencies.

04

Design the failures too

I design for loading, pending, partial success, and refunds before launch. Addressing these scenarios early is critical to building user trust.

The longer version.

I began my career in Lahore in 2011 at a small studio, doing a bit of everything. I might design logos in the morning and work on a government feedback portal after lunch. You learn quickly when you have to handle it all yourself.

In 2018, I joined Sendoso in San Francisco as their first designer, building V1 and V2 independently and establishing the usability testing practice. Four years later, the team grew to 12 designers, and the company raised over $150 million in Series C funding. This rapid growth taught me the value of adaptability and proactive communication when building design processes, as early decisions shaped the team’s effectiveness and product direction. Afterward, I moved to Dubai and worked at Integry, an integration platform with 50,000 users and 1 billion API calls per month, where I redesigned the Flow Builder. I then contributed to ClubHub, delivering 200 screens and a complete design system in five months before handoff.

Then, I designed a travel platform for a bank in Egypt as the only designer. The project supported two languages and reached MVP in four months. After launch, the scope expanded. This project is featured in the case study above.

Currently, I lead product design at Zension, collaborating with partners such as Samsung, Noon, Jarir, and several regional banks. My work has directly contributed to launching high-impact subscription and fintech programs, increasing customer engagement, reducing onboarding times, and supporting regional business expansion goals for our partners. In addition to my primary role, I mentor designers on ADPList and am independently developing GetSetWell, a wellness marketplace focused on Dubai. This progression from early multidisciplinary roles to leadership, mentorship, and entrepreneurship reflects a well-rounded professional evolution grounded in industry expertise and hands-on product delivery.

Based in Dubai. Built in Lahore.
CurrentlyPrincipal Product Designer, Zension Technologies
AvailabilityOpen to Principal / Lead Product Design roles
MentoringADPList · 500+ minutes across 3 countries
Languages, productEnglish + Arabic RTL delivery
WalkthroughsDetailed case walkthroughs available on request