Jihad Aqel, Product Design Lead

WelcomeHi, I'm Jihad

I design digital products for
complex, high-stakes environments

I have 6+ years of experience in product and UX design, working mostly with subscription and logistics platforms, the kind with too many flows, too many stakeholders, and never enough structure. That's usually where I feel at home.

I like clarity. I like systems. I like when the business goal and the user's day actually agree with each other.

What I doAll day, mostly

Here's what I actually do all day.

Basically my excuse to nerd out about product strategy, growth loops, and design systems, while pretending it's all very serious professional work.

01

Product & UX Design

Turning ambiguous problems into clear, structured interfaces. I work across the full product lifecycle, from early discovery to polished interactions, always optimizing for the people who'll actually use the thing.

End-to-end product designComplex workflowsCross-platformInteraction designPrototypingUser flows

02

Growth & Subscription UX

Designing the moments that move numbers. Onboarding, upgrade flows, retention loops, built to hold up against real revenue targets without feeling manipulative.

ConversionOnboardingRetentionPaywallsA/B testingFunnel design

03

Design Systems

Building the infrastructure that makes good design repeatable. Component libraries, token architectures, contribution models, the boring-sounding stuff that quietly saves thousands of hours.

Component architectureDesign tokensGovernanceDocumentationTeam workflowsHandoff

04

Research & Strategy

Decisions backed by evidence, not gut feelings. I synthesize qualitative and quantitative signals into structures teams can act on with confidence.

User researchSynthesisIAProduct strategyData-informed decisionsStakeholder alignment

ViewMy Experience

UAE · MENA · 2024–Present

STARZPLAY · Product Design Lead

StreamingGrowthLeadership

Leading UX strategy for a multi-market streaming platform, from subscription flows to cross-platform feature rollouts.

Contributed to the end-to-end revamp of the platform across web, mobile, and TV
Introduced features and cross-platform collaborations driving 5M+ concurrent viewers
Increased subscription rate by 30% through onboarding and paywall redesigns
Boosted browsing traffic by 142% through IA and discovery redesigns
Mentored UI designers, ensured quality and system consistency across markets

UAE · MENA · 2022–2024

MBC Group · Senior UX Designer

MediaAVODDesign Systems

Led the introduction of AVOD features on one of the region's largest media platforms, unlocking a new revenue tier without eroding subscription value.

Contributed to the end-to-end platform revamp across web, mobile, and TV
3M new subscribers acquired in two years
$37M in net profit driven by features shaped end-to-end from a UX perspective
Evolved design system practices for consistency and delivery speed

Jordan · MENA · 2021–2022

Posta Plus · MyBox Logistics

LogisticsMobileMVP

Led UX design for MyBox, a mobile logistics app, from research through shipped MVP.

End-to-end mobile UX for parcel logistics
User research, usability testing, competitive analysis
Scalable interaction patterns through a dedicated design system

Jordan · 2019–2021

Gogo Global · SaaS Revamp

SaaSEnterpriseUX Research

End-to-end UX revamp of a logistics SaaS platform including driver and customer applications.

Rebuilt driver and customer apps from the ground up
Interviews, personas, journey mapping, usability testing
Complex workflows delivered inside agile business constraints

Teaching ExperienceSpreading love for design

Spreading love for design.

Design gets better when you share it. I run community events, mentor emerging designers, and speak on UX and career craft, because a healthier design community makes every product better.

Interaction Design Foundation

As Local Leader, I organize UX/UI events, meetups, and knowledge-sharing sessions. I facilitate workshops on human-centered design and mentor newcomers navigating the field.

Design Mentorship

One-on-one mentorship for junior UX designers across MENA, career guidance, portfolio reviews, and the honest feedback that's hard to find early in a design career.

Talks & Panels

Part of Friends of Figma, the official Figma community, where I ran workshops on product and interaction design, sharing hands-on craft and career learnings with local designers.

Selected WorksClient work at Stroom Studio

Selected works.

A selection of product design work delivered through Stroom Studio, the design practice I co-run. Each project shipped for a real client, across fintech, health, travel, and marketplaces.

MotoGT

E-commerce

Car accessories and custom parts with 24-hour delivery, a marketplace built around speed, trust, and product quality.

Decasa

PropTech

A home-hunting experience that makes browsing feel calm and elegant, from first search to signed lease.

Huna

Marketplace

Pioneering freelance collaboration in the Arab world, connecting clients and talent with clarity and trust.

STARZPLAY

Streaming

The MENA region's leading streaming platform, designing viewing experiences for millions across web, mobile, and TV.

MBC Shahid

Streaming

One of the Arab world's largest streaming services, crafting flows that make discovery and viewing feel effortless.

YBV

Fitness

A community-driven training brand across Dubai and Abu Dhabi, HYROX, group workouts, pilates and yoga in one home.

Jordan Create

Community

A creative community and mentorship initiative, helping designers in Jordan grow their craft and career.

And there's much more, a growing body of work across products, brands, and communities I've had the chance to shape.

Nice to Meet YouBeyond the portfolio

Beyond the portfolio.

I'm curious about how things work, products, teams, technology, people. That curiosity is probably why I ended up in design in the first place, and why I keep trying to solve people's problems for a living.

Outside of design, I recharge in a lot of quiet ways. And yes, I genuinely enjoy reorganizing Figma files. Some people relax with meditation. I refactor design tokens.

Based in

Abu Dhabi, UAE · open to remote and relocation

Languages

Arabic (native), English (fluent)

Studies

Bachelor's in Software Engineering, Applied Science Private University

Off the clock

Long walks, longer playlists, and the occasional deep dive into something with nothing to do with design

Also me

I quietly redesign every product I use, usually in my head, sometimes in Figma

Current obsession

How subscription products can grow without losing the trust of the people paying for them

Principles & ValuesWhat I stand for

What I stand for.

The principles I keep coming back to, the ones that shape how I think, design, and collaborate.

01 / 04

Clarity over cleverness

The best interfaces disappear. Every element earns its place through purpose, not decoration.

02 / 04

Research is a compass

Real people with real problems, that's where every decision starts. Evidence beats opinion, always.

03 / 04

Design for the business

User value and commercial value are two sides of the same craft. A design that ships nothing helps no one.

04 / 04

Systems, not screens

Scalable patterns, reusable components, and thoughtful documentation. Consistency is a form of respect for your team's time.

On repeatWhat I design to

What I design to.

Slow mornings, deep focus, long commutes, in that order. This playlist runs most of my working hours.

ContactLet's connect

Let's connect.

Email

aqeljihad@gmail.com

Phone

+971 55 336 8602

Elsewhere

LinkedIn ↗

I design digital products forcomplex, high-stakes environments