Karakaya

Karakaya

Hello!

I'm Burak Karakaya, AI product designer

I'm Burak Karakaya, AI product designer

Designing fintech, SaaS and mobile products for
7+ years. Today, I build them end to end with AI.

Designing fintech, SaaS and mobile products for
7+ years. Today, I build them end to end with AI.

OPEN TO NEW ROLES ✦ AVAILABLE ✦

What I do

I design products and ship them
from first sketch to working code.

Product Design

Products where mistakes cost money, from payments to AI agents. Research, flows and UI, from first idea to launch.

Product Design

Products where mistakes cost money, from payments to AI agents. Research, flows and UI, from first idea to launch.

AI Prototyping

Ideas explored in Claude Design and built in Claude Code, so teams can test a working product in days.

AI Prototyping

Ideas explored in Claude Design and built in Claude Code, so teams can test a working product in days.

Design Systems

Tokens and components that coding agents read through Figma MCP, so the design and code stay in sync.

Design Systems

Tokens and components that coding agents read through Figma MCP, so the design and code stay in sync.

Motion & Interaction

Micro-interactions, transitions and launch visuals, specced so they ship precisely as designed, in Lottie or code.

Motion & Interaction

Micro-interactions, transitions and launch visuals, specced so they ship precisely as designed, in Lottie or code.

✦ 7+ YEARS OF ✦ DESIGN EXPERIENCE

About

More about me

I'm Burak, a product designer based in Dubai&Istanbul working remotely with teams worldwide.

For 7+ years I designed products as a Senior Product Designer at ZEBEDEE, IBM, Qatar Investment Authority and Rosneft, and built ZEBEDEE’s design system from scratch. Alongside that I ran Karakaya, my own studio of five across 3D, illustration, motion and product.

Today I design with Claude, Figma MCP and coding agents, and take ideas all the way to working products.

My experiences

I've designed for fintech, enterprise SaaS, travel and energy, and led my own creative studio along the way.

NOV 2025 - PRESENT

Freelance AI Product Designer

I help teams design and ship AI products, from the first flow to a working prototype built in Claude Code.

NOV 2025 - PRESENT

Freelance AI Product Designer

I help teams design and ship AI products, from the first flow to a working prototype built in Claude Code.

2018 - 2025

Founder & Design Lead at Karakaya

Led a 5-person studio across 3D, illustration, motion and product, making websites and campaigns for global brands.

2018 - 2025

Founder & Design Lead at Karakaya

Led a 5-person studio across 3D, illustration, motion and product, making websites and campaigns for global brands.

JUN 2021 - JUL 2023

Senior Product Designer at ZEBEDEE

Built the design system from scratch, redesigned the ZBD Wallet app (+40% engagement) and the developer dashboard.

JUN 2021 - JUL 2023

Senior Product Designer at ZEBEDEE

Built the design system from scratch, redesigned the ZBD Wallet app (+40% engagement) and the developer dashboard.

APR 2020 - MAY 2021

Senior Product Designer at Qatar Investment Authority

Improved booking, navigation and loyalty flows in the Qatar Airways app.

APR 2020 - MAY 2021

Senior Product Designer at Qatar Investment Authority

Improved booking, navigation and loyalty flows in the Qatar Airways app.

DEC 2019 - DEC 2020

Senior Product Designer at Rosneft

Designed features for mobile apps for drivers and fleets: loyalty, station finder and digital fuel cards.

DEC 2019 - DEC 2020

Senior Product Designer at Rosneft

Designed features for mobile apps for drivers and fleets: loyalty, station finder and digital fuel cards.

JUL 2018 - DEC 2019

Senior Product Designer at IBM (Oniqua)

Designed the integration of Oniqua's asset optimization into IBM Maximo MRO.

JUL 2018 - DEC 2019

Senior Product Designer at IBM (Oniqua)

Designed the integration of Oniqua's asset optimization into IBM Maximo MRO.

My Works

Products, systems and AI-built experiences I've designed and led.

0+

Years of experience

0

Designers led

10M+

Raised by products I designed

0

Global brands

Process

How I work: from idea to
working product.

  • 01.

    Discovery

    I learn who uses the product and what they need to get done. I talk to users and the team, and we agree on the problem first.

  • 02.

    Define & Design

    I map user flows, explore a few directions, pick one with the team and build it on a system that each new screen then reuses.

  • 03.

    Prototype with AI

    I build working prototypes with Claude Code and test them with real users early, so decisions rest on what users actually do.

  • 04.

    Ship & Improve

    I stay close to engineers through launch with clear specs and reviews, then check the data and refine what people touch most.

  • 01.

    Discovery

    I learn who uses the product and what they need to get done. I talk to users and the team, and we agree on the problem first.

  • 02.

    Define & Design

    I map user flows, explore a few directions, pick one with the team and build it on a system that each new screen then reuses.

  • 03.

    Prototype with AI

    I build working prototypes with Claude Code and test them with real users early, so decisions rest on what users actually do.

  • 04.

    Ship & Improve

    I stay close to engineers through launch with clear specs and reviews, then check the data and refine what people touch most.

  • 01.

    Discovery

    I learn who uses the product and what they need to get done. I talk to users and the team, and we agree on the problem first.

  • 02.

    Define & Design

    I map user flows, explore a few directions, pick one with the team and build it on a system that each new screen then reuses.

  • 03.

    Prototype with AI

    I build working prototypes with Claude Code and test them with real users early, so decisions rest on what users actually do.

  • 04.

    Ship & Improve

    I stay close to engineers through launch with clear specs and reviews, then check the data and refine what people touch most.

Tools that power my every day:

Have questions?

I've gathered common questions and their answers to make your experience smoother. If you can't find what you're looking for, feel free to reach out to me.

Are you open to full-time roles?
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Yes. I'm open to remote Product Designer, AI Product Designer, Design Engineer and Design Lead roles. I also take on selected consulting projects.

How do you use AI in your work?
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AI is part of my everyday process. I use Claude and AI coding agents to explore ideas faster and build working prototypes, while design decisions stay mine.

Where are you based and which time zones do you work in?
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I'm based in Dubai&Istanbul and have worked remotely with teams in Europe, the US and the Middle East. My hours overlap with both European and US working days.

What kind of products do you work on best?
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Complex products that need to feel simple: fintech, B2B SaaS, AI tools and consumer mobile apps.

Contact

Got a project in mind? Let's get in touch.

Email me

burak@karakaya.digital