About

My practice has never belonged to one discipline.

My path started with a technical foundation in software engineering, moved through physical product design on healthcare projects, and arrived at strategic and service design across PropTech, EdTech, and venture work. What hasn't changed is a constant curiosity about new technology — and wanting to build things, not just theorise about them.

Based in: Milan, Italy
Experience: 10+ years
Focus: Service & Venture Design
Languages: EN · IT · UKR

Journey

From engineering roots to service & venture design.

2007—2014

Engineering roots

I came to design already fluent in how systems work — not despite the engineering background, but because of it.

BSc Technical Cybernetics, Ukraine → MSc Design & Technology, Tallinn → Research Assistant, Troyes

2015—2019

Switching to service design & product management

Managing projects across very different teams taught me how decisions actually get made — and pointed me toward roles where I could help shape those decisions, not just coordinate them.

Project Manager — CESIE ETS, Palermo · CANactions, Kyiv · Product Manager — BIG IDEA, Kyiv · Design Thinking Consultant — Stanford ME310 / SUGAR Network

2017—2020

Studying user-centred design

I went back to formal study to ground that instinct in method — putting the people using a system at the centre of designing it, not just the system itself.

MSc Product Service System Design, Politecnico di Milano

2019—2021

Lifeed

Joining as the company's first designer, then moving into Product Management, I introduced lean product routines and built a reusable People Analytics dashboard where neither had existed before.

First Designer, then Product Manager — Lifeed

2021—Present

Planet Smart City

I shaped the end-to-end resident access experience for a connected residential service operating across Italy, Brazil, and India — aligning a digital product, physical infrastructure, and on-site operations into one shared system.

Service Designer — Planet Smart City

2022—2025

Djungle Studio

I ran customer discovery, market sizing, and live experiments to turn founders' early hunches into evidence-backed business models before they invested in building.

Venture Designer — Djungle Studio, Planet Smart City

Interested in the details? Check my full career history on LinkedIn →

Education

2007 — 2011

Bachelor of Computer Science, Technical Cybernetics

Ukrainian State University of Science and Technologies

2011 — 2014

Master of Science, Design and Technology

Tallinna Tehnikaülikool (Tallinn University of Technology)

2017 — 2020

Master's Degree, Product Service System Design

Politecnico di Milano

2018 — 2019

ME310 Program, Design Thinking & Business Innovation

Stanford University, in partnership with the SUGAR Network

Beyond work

Tracing the past, exploring possible futures

Genealogy is where my instinct for research becomes personal. I explore archives, connect fragmented records and reconstruct the human stories hidden between them.

Living and working across Ukraine, Estonia, France and Italy has made me attentive to how culture shapes everyday behaviour. Away from the screen, I discover places on foot, explore art and read science fiction for new perspectives on possible futures. I also stay connected to the design community through talks, workshops and shared learning.

Open archival record books, a handwritten family tree chart, and an old family photograph laid out on a desk

Genealogy and archival research

I am interested in genealogy and archival research — the process of connecting fragmented information and uncovering the human stories behind it.

Iuliia on a wooden swing at a mountain viewpoint overlooking a lake and the Alps

Hiking and discovering places on foot

Away from the screen, I enjoy hiking and discovering new places on foot — always looking for the next trail or summit I haven't explored yet.

A modern desk with a laptop showing a world map video call, an open passport with visa stamps, a phone with a map app, and boarding passes

Living and working across cultures

Having lived and worked across Italy, Estonia and France, I am fascinated by how culture and context shape people's behaviours, expectations and everyday experiences.

A hand pinning a sticky note to a wall covered with colorful notes and hand-drawn diagrams during a workshop

Contributing to the design community

I also enjoy contributing to the design community through talks, workshops and shared learning.

A home desk at night with a laptop, a small single-board computer and a breadboard with lit LEDs

Curiosity about new technology

Outside client work, I keep tinkering — prototyping side projects and staying close to how new tools and technology are changing what's possible.

Working on a product, service, or venture that needs clearer direction?

I am open to senior opportunities in product, service, and strategic design, as well as selected collaborations with startups and innovation teams.

Connect on LinkedIn

iuliia.vorobiova@gmail.com