about – Elena Shalman

At a glance

I am a UX expert with over 15 years of industry practice in the area of strategy, product innovation and methodological leadership.

I help organizations to uncover key challenges and open solution space(s). I do this by driving the collaboration of various stakeholders, defining relevant methods and facilitating formats.

I enjoy intellectual challenges and discovering new areas in which I can apply my knowledge and learn something new

Characteristics

Strategic Thinker
Summarizer
Process driver
Challenger
Methodical magician
Flexibel inventor
Structured worker

Languages

German (native)
Russian (native)
English (fluent)

Areas of expertise

Strategic thinking

Extending perspectives, summarizing essentials and driving methodological process to build a holistic foundation / vision for product (business) strategy and innovation

Workshops & methodological leadership

Conception and moderation of co-creation processes for user-centered product and service innovation, e.g. design sprints, positioning and strategy workshops

Extensive methodological knowledge in the area of UX and strategy

Conducted over 100 workshops, over 30 design sprints

Lecturing & teaching

Creator of individual training in the areas of strategy and UX (e.g. for DB Systel, bonprix, Berenberg Bank)

Passionate university lecturer (Digital Branding)

Experience

2019 - current, Principal UX Strategist
Xing / New Work SE

Leading (experience) vision definition to establish a user centric product vision inside the company: definition and facilitation of co-creation processes with employees and users, translation of vision into a comprehensible story that all employees can understand and use

Driving new product strategy: definition of methods, facilitation & moderation of process, guiding strategic research, leading interdisciplinary discovery team

Fostering user-centered culture with trainings and methodological knowledge

Close collaboration with management and leadership, facilitating strategic decisions and resulting in actionable steps

2016 - current, Lecturer Digital Branding
Brand Academy Hamburg

Lecture Digital Branding (part of Brand Management bachelor program)

2017 - 2019, Product Owner Coach
Berenberg Bank, Hamburg
Self-employed

Team coach and methodological supporter.
Product owner and team lead in the development of complex financial products

2011 - current, Experience Strategist & UX Consultant / Self-employed

Support of user-centered product development, in particular in early stages: definition of process and methods, leading discovery, facilitation of design sprints, creation of strategic foundations, leading of product architecture development

Operation in companies (e.g. Libri, Metro, DB Systel, bonprix) or collaboration with agencies (e.g. CELLULAR, Mutabor, Jung von Matt, BBDO, DDB)

Planning and realization of individual coaching & training offers in the area of user experience e.g. for DB Systel, bonprix, Berenberg Bank

2009 - 2010 UX Lead
SinnerSchrader GmbH Frankfurt

Establish user experience expertise at Frankfurt office: UX consulting and concept creation in eCommerce projects, pitching to new clients, setup of UX team.

Clients e.g. Deutsche Bank, Berliner Bank, Heinrich Heine, Ergo Direct

2005 - 2009, Senior Consultant
Namics

Entry into the field of digital conception and information architecture. Attending various projects first as team member then as expert lead. Clients: Deutsche Bahn / DB Systel, Techniker Krankenkasse, Hannover Rückversicherung, Commerzbank.

Education

Diploma of computer Science (grade: very good)

University of Bielefeld, scientific computer science, focus topic artificial intelligence (2001 - 2005)

Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, computer science & psychology (1999 - 2001)