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Alek Walker

about

Alek Walker at Multnomah Falls, Oregon

Hi, I'm Alek, thanks for stopping by.

My work spans B2B platforms across marketing tech, staffing, and healthcare data: Cordial, Spectraforce, Bridgera, and IQVIA, with output ranging from single features to design systems built to outlast any one team.

Over time I found myself drawn less to individual screens and more to the systems, processes, and people behind them: taking a platform through Series A as its design lead, authoring a design system from scratch, and using Claude's Design System tooling to extend design capability beyond the design team itself.

Today I'm the first product designer at Prudentia Sciences, the scientific intelligence layer powering life sciences deals, building the design foundation from the ground up.

How I work

Four principles that hold across every engagement, regardless of the product.

Simplicity is earned

Great design reduces complexity through deliberate tradeoffs, iteration, and restraint.

Design for systems, not silos

User problems rarely exist in isolation, and neither do the systems that support them.

Strong products are built by alignment

Product quality is a reflection of how well teams collaborate and share ownership.

Impact through communication

Design leadership is practiced by clearly advocating for users, negotiating constraints, and aligning decisions.

Mt. Hood, taken by Alek

Design engineering

I've shipped code since early in my career at Bridgera, and design engineering is central to how I scale design at Prudentia today, not just Figma.

  1. 01Shipped code early in my career at Bridgera, the starting point for a design practice that never fully separated from engineering.
  2. 02Led the Figma-to-Storybook migration at Cordial, translating design tokens and components into code so design and engineering shared one source of truth.
  3. 03Run accessibility and consistency audits directly against the shipped codebase, not just design files, to catch drift between spec and implementation.
  4. 04Package reusable components and patterns for other teams to consume, cutting down on one-off implementations across the product surface.
  5. 05Prototype in code when it's faster or more honest than a static mockup, especially for interaction-heavy or LLM-driven workflows.
A raven, taken by Alek

Leadership & mentorship

I build the scaffolding that lets design work outlast any single designer: taking platforms through Series A as their design lead, authoring design systems from scratch, and scaling design operations as teams and product surface area grow.

  1. 01Took a startup's platform through Series A as its design lead, building and fostering the design foundation from the ground up.
  2. 02Authored a company's design system from scratch and evolved it into a Figma-based, token-driven system adopted across the org.
  3. 03Enabled cross-org design capability using Claude's Design System tooling, giving teams outside design a consistent, guardrailed way to design and ship without a dedicated designer in the room.
  4. 04Scaled design operations, including process, rituals, and tooling, to keep pace as the team and product surface area grew.
  5. 05Led and mentored a team of 4 designers at IQVIA, owning project management, career development, and output quality.
  6. 06Own brand standards at Prudentia Sciences, including theme, imagery, brand, font, and color, end to end.

What people say

James Minshall, Principal Solutions Architect at Cordial

“Alek's collaboration, attention to detail, and user-focused mindset made working with him both productive and enjoyable. I highly recommend him to any team looking for an impact-driven UX professional.”

Subhajit Ghosh, Senior Software Engineer at Cordial

“I had the pleasure of working with Alek on several projects, including the development of a design system, and I can confidently say that Alek is an exceptional designer. From the very beginning, Alek demonstrated a deep understanding of both design principles and the technical requirements needed to create a cohesive and effective system. His ability to balance creativity with usability made him an invaluable asset to our team.”

Geoff Hawkes, Technical Product Leader

“Alek is a talented and proficient designer who thinks broadly and creates ideas that bridge the gap between user need and technical delivery. In our time together at Cordial, he created UX design that allowed us to launch features for our clients that provided visibility into mission-critical email send data and scaled our SMS channel internationally. He was always highly responsive and quick to collaborate, making him a valuable asset to any team that needs to build and launch high-value products.”

Chad Farran, Lead UX Designer at Cordial

“As a strong advocate for great UX, Alek consistently improves our platform by documenting processes, recommending thoughtful enhancements, and upholding Cordial's design standards. His contributions have led to more efficient user workflows and a more cohesive design system.”

Holiday Eng, UX Design Associate Director, IQVIA

“I was lucky to have Alek on my team for about a year back in 2021/2022. He is an incredibly talented designer whose skills also extend beyond just UX. Specifically, he's technically minded while also having the ability to project manage and lead a design team through a complex situation. The work for the team would have been so much harder without Alek there to help guide them through it. He's a great designer and leader for any project, and I'd recommend him for any team!”

Sergiy Svitlooky, Frontend Developer

“I had a pleasure of working alongside Alek for the past 2.5 years. That included variety of projects like core application, design system and component library. Throughout our time together, Alek consistently demonstrated a remarkable ability to translate complex concepts into visually compelling designs. His creativity and attention to detail significantly enhanced our projects and contributed to the overall success of our team.”

Andrew Shields, Product Manager

“I've had the pleasure of working with Alek for 2.5 years at Cordial, and I can't say enough about his impact as a UX designer. We worked on multiple projects together, but one project in particular shows his process. It was an alerting feature that allowed clients to set custom thresholds for their messaging campaigns, alerting them automatically if something went wrong. Alek took a lead role in this project, deploying a Pendo survey directly in the UI to gather initial feedback and gauge interest. This not only helped us identify potential users for interviews but also validated our early ideas.”

Kaushal Thakare, Lead Experience Designer

“Alek is a born leader and a problem solver, easily identifying and proposing solutions to any roadblocks that the team hits along the way. Alek is a brilliant UX designer who is good at supervising, guiding and motivating the team members.”

Yurii Beiko, Lead Software Engineer / Frontend Lead

“In addition to his design expertise, Alek is a highly collaborative and resourceful team member. He approaches every challenge with an open mind and is willing to exchange ideas. His empathy and strategic thinking allow him to craft thoughtful solutions that address client needs while driving business value.”

More on LinkedIn
A flock of snow geese lifting off a wetland at Sauvie Island, taken by Alek

Outside the studio

A few things about me that don't fit neatly into a case study.

  • TravelerPrague, Bangalore, Playa del Carmen, and Porto are recent favorites.
  • FoodieCurrently mastering brisket on a new smoker.
  • WriterChipping away at a fantasy novel in whatever spare time I can find.
  • SnowboarderMoved to the Pacific Northwest specifically to be closer to the mountain.

Want to talk through a specific problem?

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