Poli Gilad

Hey there! I’m a Senior Product Designer living in the Netherlands, currently working at Automattic. I love creating interesting products and solving complex flows with talented folks. I’m a big music lover, always curious to learn new things, and a proud mom.

Collaboration

I work closely with stakeholders through workshops and regular check-ins to stay aligned and keep ideas flowing. Good collaboration is what makes great products happen.

Product vision

I always start by understanding the broader vision and how each project fits into it. A clear vision helps connect every design decision to real goals.

Research

I ground my work in research to uncover real user needs and opportunities. It’s the foundation that shapes meaningful and relevant experiences.

UX design

I focus on creating seamless user flows that feel natural and connected across the product. Every step should feel effortless and intentional.

Iterations

Testing and iteration are where designs truly evolve. I validate assumptions, learn quickly, and refine until it just feels right.

Team work

Design is a team sport. I believe in open communication, shared ownership, and supporting others to do their best work.

Automattic

2021 – today


I’ve been working at Automattic since 2021, starting with WordPress.com, where I worked on areas like domains, the help center, and more. Later on, I dove into a more complex area and joined WooCommerce, where I am today. I started with the Plugin Marketplace and then moved to focus on the core experience of WooCommerce. At the moment, I’m working on exciting things that will push Woo and the WordPress admin into its next chapter. I regularly collaborate with my design team and many cross-functional partners to deliver a holistic experience and find ways to improve how our products work together.

Booking.com

2017 – 2021

At Booking.com, I spent most of my time in the Payments division, while also collaborating with the US team on new incentives and sale types tailored for that market. I helped create BookingPay, a new payment product designed to address consumer and merchant pain points. Working closely with cross-functional teams, I helped shape the vision, led workshops, and designed the MVP from the ground up. We focused on the key payment moments during a guest’s stay, developing QR and payment request flows that became the core of our solution. I led user testing in multiple formats to refine our designs and ensure a seamless experience across touchpoints. The result was a fully functional MVP that delivered key insights for future payment initiatives. I also initiated the Rewards & Wallet project, merging two separate pages into one cohesive experience that made rewards easier to understand and use, laying the groundwork for future growth in this area.

Forter

2015 – 2016

At Forter, a B2B fraud prevention company, I founded and built the UX/UI and Design department from the ground up. My main focus was designing a complex web app in close collaboration with product, R&D, and other teams to define goals and adapt to evolving priorities. I led research, workshops, and user testing to shape intuitive experiences for Forter’s diverse B2B customers. Alongside product design, I created Forter’s product style guide to ensure consistency and efficiency across teams. I also led the company’s branding and website design, guiding multiple redesigns to match Forter’s growth and evolving strategy. To scale the design function, I hired and mentored another designer who joined both product and marketing initiatives. This work established a strong design foundation that supported Forter’s rapid expansion and growing client base.

Pumika

2013 – 2015

At Pumika, I worked with a range of clients, including a startup building a learning app and Eurostone, a luxury diamond manufacturer. For the learning app, I collaborated closely with the startup team to design a full-featured iPad experience for teachers and students, focused on creating, managing, and engaging with study materials and live class sessions. I shaped the user experience through detailed flow design and low-fidelity prototypes, later refining it into a polished, customizable dark-mode interface. For Eurostone, I designed the UX and visual identity of their website, centering it around a unique diamond calculator that allowed users to customize and visualize their orders. I created elegant visuals, animations, and interactions that reflected the brand’s premium positioning. The site successfully elevated Eurostone’s digital presence and became a long-lasting showcase of their expertise, attracting new clients to Pumika.

On most days, I believe in coffee before Figma, simplicity over trends, and that great ideas come from plenty of hard work. Feel free to reach out if you’d like to get to know me better, see my portfolio, or grab my CV.