TALES FROM THE TRENCHES

CHANI FREEDMAN

Har Nof, Jerusalem, Israel

UX Designer and Owner, Simplex

Training: Web design, Design Alive; UX/UI, Mentor College of Design, New Media, and Photography

Years in Field: 5

My Typical Day at Work

My company, Simplex, redesigns complicated apps or invents new apps that involve complex processes and then turns them into easy-to-use, user-friendly software. Creating an app involves three main parts:

UX (user experience) — Planning and designing the best way for the app to be easy to use

UI (user interface) — Making the app visually appealing

Development — Turning designs into functional, working applications

My job focuses on the UX, which is the strategy behind every app — the significant thinking and planning that happens behind the scenes of every app design. This includes answering questions like: What goals does the app need to achieve? What journey does the user need to take to achieve those goals? How can we make that journey as smooth as possible? What happens if users take a different direction?

You can think of product design as involving any act users need to perform on the web beyond the login process. This could range from ordering pizza to checking credit card statements.

Apps and platforms can be broken down into smaller steps or user journeys (also called “flows”). Typically, I take one specific process at a time and redesign it.

Examples of processes or flows I work on include:

Onboarding — How do new clients join the app?

Checkout flow — How do customers pay for services?

Management tools — How do users create or save something new?

Navigation redesign — How can users easily find things in the app?

Reporting and dashboards — How do users access and understand data?
Redesigning a process usually involves several steps. First, I analyze what isn’t working (or, if it’s a new feature, clearly define what success should look like). Next, I brainstorm multiple ideas and solutions. I then design it using Figma, a design tool that creates clear, focused screens with interactive previews. Once I complete the initial design, I hold feedback sessions with clients to refine it. Finally, I hand off the finalized design to the development team.

My work varies by the day depending on which stage each project or process is currently in and involves working to move it forward to the next phase.

My typical clients are SaaS founders — people who already own existing applications or platforms. They come from areas like finance (banking, insurance, accounting), management apps (real estate, healthcare), and data/reporting apps. I primarily find my clients through the Design Alive forum, word-of-mouth referrals and LinkedIn networking

How I Chose the Profession

I kind of stumbled into UX design by chance. As a returning Israeli citizen, I had qualified for a government educational training grant, but the grant had very specific eligibility criteria. The only course I found that fit the criteria was a Zoom course in UX/UI design being offered by the Mentor program in Tel Aviv, so I signed up.

Looking back, it was a great fit. I had already studied web design at Design Alive — a comprehensive course that teaches website design and development — so I had the necessary foundation. (Today, Design Alive also offers a comprehensive UX/UI course, but back then, it didn’t.) I’m creative, tech-savvy, and love solving problems, and UX design balances all three. And it’s more lucrative than web design because you’re working on platforms at a bigger scale.

My Specialty in the Field

My specialty is redesigning complicated user flows and making them simpler and more intuitive (as opposed to apps that are simple to begin with, such as for ordering pizza) I enjoy the creativity of solving complex challenges and simplifying complex or frustrating processes to improve user experience.

What I Love Most about the Field

The wow factor — when clients bring me a challenge they can’t fully visualize a solution for, and then I watch their excitement and satisfaction as I deliver something far beyond their expectations. Creating something amazing from what was initially unclear or difficult gives me tremendous satisfaction.

What I Find Most Challenging

Building and maintaining a steady client base. Also, dealing with the “blank page” syndrome — that initial feeling of overwhelm and being unsure where to start when confronted by a complex problem. Eventually, however, the ideas flow, and solutions present themselves.

I’ll Never Forget When

Traveling to meet new clients here in Israel can be an adventure in itself. Take the time I had a marketing job interview in Tekoa (in the Gush Etzion region). It’s a settlement literally in the middle of a desert, and the interview was conducted in a barn that had been converted to an art gallery!

Then, of course, there were my own bloopers — like when soon after I moved to Israel, I was supposed to meet a client in the German Colony, but got mixed up between European countries and took a bus to French Hill instead.

Something I Wish People Knew About UX Designers

First of all, people don’t know what UX/UI means. I’m trying to stop saying that I’m a UX designer, because people tend to just nod their head politely and pretend they understand me. So instead, I explain what UX is -redesigning complicated apps and platforms to make them easier to use.

Business holders don’t always understand the impact that UX can have on their business. They might be losing customers every week because people find their onboarding process challenging, or because their competitor’s app is a lot easier to use.

UX is about creating and strategically planning the ease of use, not just putting lipstick on an app and making it prettier.

How I’ve Seen the Field Change Over the Years

The most significant change I’ve observed is the influence of AI on UX design. Previously, UX required extensive manual customer research — directly interviewing users, and painstakingly collecting and analyzing user feedback. Now, AI streamlines much of that preliminary research. It allows quick access to competitor analyses and user-behavior data, making the design and development processes significantly faster and more efficient. Traditionally, design and development were separate stages, often resulting in long delays from design completion to deployment. AI shortens this cycle, allowing clients to see results more quickly, saving both time and effort.

My Advice for People Starting Out

Gain experience by working at a company first. Don’t start independently from day one — there’s tremendous value in working under experienced professionals and learning practical skills.

Analyze existing successful designs as practice. It helps you understand trends, aesthetics, and user expectations. Although UX isn’t just about looks, the visual aspect (UI) is still critical in attracting users.

MIRIAM ISAAC

Ramat Beit Shemesh, Israel

Staff product designer, AppWork; course instructor, Professional Standard Design School, Jerusalem

Training: Graphic and Web Design, Compuskills, Jerusalem

Years in Field: 13

My Typical Day at Work

I’m a staff product designer at AppWork, a U.S.-based SaaS company that provides tech solutions to help owners and managers of multifamily real estate properties streamline their maintenance operations. We build software for property managers, maintenance technicians, and regional operators.

My work focuses on designing the product experience, which refers to how people interact with our software. I help plan and create every part of the user’s experience from start to finish, making sure it’s not only functional but easy and comfortable to use. This includes building our design system (the elements that keep our product’s look and feel consistent), helping lead the product design across features, working closely with other designers and engineers, and continuously improving usability — making sure the systems are working smoothly and efficiently for our thousands of users.

I originally worked with AppWork in 2020 when they were in their start-up stage, and helped design their MVP (minimum viable product — the first basic version of the product created to test the idea and get feedback). I rejoined the company in 2025. It’s been incredibly rewarding to help shape the product from its earliest days to today’s stage of wide growth.

A typical day for me includes everything from participating in collaborative meetings to doing quiet design work in Figma (a digital design tool used to create and test product interfaces). I gather user feedback, map out flows – how a user moves through the app – and create visual designs and prototype features. I also mentor other designers, and provide feedback on the user interface and user experience of the various platforms designed.

In addition to my work at AppWork, I also created and teach a UX/UI design course at the Professional Standard Design School in Jerusalem, where I help train and mentor the next generation of designers.

How I Chose the Profession

I actually originally planned on going into fashion design, but after becoming more religious, moving from Manchester to Israel at age 20, and starting a family, I looked into a career more suited to that lifestyle. I enrolled in a web and graphic design course in Jerusalem, and from there I slowly discovered the world of UX — before it was even recognized as a formal discipline. I fell in love with the strategic side of design: the research, the psychology, and the ability to improve people’s lives through the smallest details.

I was essentially working as a UX designer before the term became mainstream. I consider myself self-taught, having learned through books, blogs, mentors, and hands-on work across startups, agencies, and enterprise SaaS platforms. UX design is something you can learn through a combination of formal education and self-driven learning, but hands-on experience is the most important teacher.

My Specialty in the Field

My specialty is complex B2B SaaS design — meaning, designing software products that companies use to manage their operations.(B2B means business to business, while SaaS stands for Software as a Service.) I focus on building design systems and simplifying highly technical workflows. I’ve worked on internal tools used by employees, dashboards (that display key data and performance metrics), admin panels that allow managers to oversee and configure systems, and developer-facing interfaces designed for programmers who build on or integrate with our platform.

I chose this specialty because I love untangling complexity and finding elegant solutions that make life easier. B2B projects, by nature, tend to be more complex than B2C (business to consumer) because they’re built for many different types of users, each with their own roles and tasks. These systems also have to connect smoothly with other internal tools and sometimes even external platforms — similar to large systems like Salesforce or Zendesk. B2C, on the other hand, is much simpler, usually supporting one person doing straightforward tasks, like shopping online or ordering a ride.

What I Love Most about the Field

I love that UX design is both creative and analytical. I get to dig deep into user problems, explore multiple solutions, test them, refine them based on feedback, and collaborate with talented teams. Seeing your design out in the real world, making someone’s experience smoother, less frustrating and more delightful, is incredibly rewarding.

What I Find Most Challenging

One of the biggest challenges is advocating for design in environments that move fast and sometimes prioritize speed over quality. You have to constantly balance user needs with business goals. Another challenge has been navigating the field as a chareidi woman — especially early on, when I was often the only one like me in the room. But I’ve found that when you do good work and carry yourself with respect, people respond in kind.

I’ll Never Forget When

One of the most meaningful chapters in my career was working at Salto, an Israeli software startup. It was my first role in a venture capital-backed Israeli startup, and I worked with some of the smartest people in Israel hi-tech today, most hailing from the famous Intelligence Unit 8200. I was the only visibly chareidi person in the entire organization. It wasn’t always easy, but it was an incredible experience that pushed me both professionally and personally. I gained confidence, grew in my technical understanding, and proved that a chareidi woman can not only succeed in high tech, but thrive.

I’ll never forget what happened when I left Salto. Several secular Israeli engineers came up to me, emotional, and told me I was the best designer they had ever worked with. But what touched me even more was that they said I was a deeply good person. It was a moment of true connection and mutual respect. I walked away feeling that I had made a kiddush Hashem simply by showing up, doing excellent work, and staying true to who I am.

It reminded me that the greatest impact we leave behind isn’t always in the screens we design, but in the way we treat people and represent our values in every interaction.

Something I Wish People Knew About UX Designers

Behind every “simple” experience is a designer or team who worked incredibly hard to make it feel that way. Good design often goes completely unnoticed — but that’s exactly the point. When UX is done well, the user shouldn’t be thinking about the interface at all. It should feel natural, obvious, and frictionless, like it was always meant to work that way.

How I’ve Seen the Field Change Over the Years

UX used to be considered a “nice-to-have.” Now it’s often the difference between a product’s success and failure. Design is no longer just visual, it’s systemic, strategic, and integrated into every part of product development.

AI is changing how we design. It can generate initial wireframes, suggest UX writing, and help brainstorm design ideas. I use it as a creative sparring partner and time-saver.

But the real heart of UX, understanding users, designing with empathy, and making ethical decisions, still requires human judgment. I see AI as a powerful tool, not a replacement.

My Advice for People Starting Out

Start small — but make it real. Redesign an actual problem, not a made-up app. Build a portfolio that tells a story; don’t just show screens, explain your process and reasoning. Learn to take feedback. And most importantly, find mentors. When I first became a UX designer, there were no mentors in the field — because the field itself was just beginning. Over time, I found guidance through networking and online communities.

Believe in yourself. You don’t have to fit a certain mold to succeed. You can stay true to your values, live your life proudly as a frum woman, and still have a seat at the table in tech.

NUSSI EINHORN

Lakewood, NJ

UX Consultant,

Intent UX

Years in Field: 12

My Typical Day at Work

Designing software is very similar to designing a physical building. To build a functional one, you need both an architect and an interior designer. In software, the UX designer is like the architect — responsible for structure, flow, and usability — while the UI designer is like the interior designer — responsible for the look, feel, and emotional experience. Some designers focus more on UX, others on UI, and many, like myself, work with both.

I start by sitting down with my client — whether an individual, company, or development team — to understand what they’re building, why they’re building it, and who will use it. I analyze the business needs, map out how users will interact with the features, and determine which features are truly necessary to support both the company’s workflow and the end user’s experience.

From there, I create the feature plan (a roadmap of what to build), design the flows and states (how users move through the product and what happens at each step), and make sure everything is streamlined so developers can build efficiently — while users get a seamless, simple, and powerful experience.

A typical day depends on the project phase. Some days are heavy on meetings — talking with clients or users to gather insights. Most days, though, I’m using tools like Figma or Miro, laying out wireframes, testing different approaches, polishing UIs, and handling feedback. Most of my time is spent analyzing details, solving problems, and making continuous improvements. I focus on the higher-level strategy — ensuring features come out truly user-friendly, while other team members work more on the Figma UI work.

My clients are typically businesses with the budget to build custom software. Often they need internal tools they can’t find off-the-shelf, or they’re SaaS founders building software for the market. This can include business web apps, mobile apps, kiosk applications, and more.

As for finding clients — honestly, it’s up to Hashem. I’ve made specific efforts, such as developing a LinkedIn presence — especially since going solo as a consultant. Yet Hashem has guided me in ways I could never have planned. Some clients come from referrals, some are repeat business, and sometimes things dry up completely — that’s just the nature of this work. I’m grateful for every opportunity I’ve had.

How I Chose the Profession

The Chovos Halevavos teaches that Hashem doesn’t just decide how much you’ll earn — He determines the specific path and opportunities that lead you there. We think careers are chosen randomly, but really, nothing is random.

When I was starting out in the career world, I had no real experience and was looking for any kind of job. The opportunity that spoke to me was a web design position at a small agency in Monsey, New York. I started there in 2013, earning $13.50 an hour! I’ve always thought of that job as my “paid college.” That’s where I learned everything — web design, technology, design principles, and more.

There was no official training required at that level. Back then, there weren’t really UX courses available anyway — the field was still very young. So I learned on the job, and supplemented with online tutorials and other resources and plenty of experimentation. The UX industry grew up alongside me. The tools we now take for granted — like Figma and AI — were only developed later.

What drew me in was its perfect mix for my personality: I’ve always been analytical, patient, and detail-oriented, but also creative. UX design gave me a space where those two sides could meet.

My Specialty in the Field

In UX, there are many possible forks. Some designers stay generalists, and others niche down very tightly — like only designing dashboards for healthcare apps. How much you niche really depends on your circumstances and your personal journey.

Throughout my career, I’ve worked on landing pages, e-commerce websites, kiosk apps — you name it. But my work eventually led me toward enterprise tools — software systems used by businesses to manage operations. These include complex web apps and software with complicated workflows. That’s where I found myself excelling and, over time, I leaned into that specialty.

Now, I focus almost exclusively on complex software projects that require lots of planning and UX strategy. It’s more strategic and systems-based than website design, which is more UI- and marketing-heavy. Baruch Hashem, I’ve been able to thrive in that niche.

What I Love Most about the Field

I love the act of recreating — bringing order to something that was very messy or broken. It’s such an incredible feeling to take a piece of software that was once unusable, and, after weeks of redesign, transform it into something simple, streamlined, and even beautiful.

Another thing I love is that software is never static. Unlike a physical building, which you design once and it’s done, software can always be iterated into newer versions. There’s always room for improvement, which keeps the work exciting. The field is constantly evolving, with new tools, new methods, and, now, AI reshaping the space. It sits at the crossroads of technology and people — working closely with developers, but without the monotony of coding. It’s more about planning, directing, and steering the vision.

What I Find Most Challenging

I’ve seen plenty over the years! One big challenge is that technology projects are very volatile. A lot of people dream of building an app, but not everyone has the money to invest, or the marketing budget to actually finish it. So projects often stand on shaky ground. Developers can mess up mid-project, financing can fall through, and things can collapse quickly. It’s not like a physical building where once you start, you almost always finish.

Another challenge is misalignment within teams. Sometimes, even the people running the company don’t know what they really want. Their direction changes mid-design, and that creates frustration for the designers and developers.

There’s also the looming presence of AI. It’s already streamlining a lot of work, especially with cookie-cutter UIs or clones of existing apps. That raises uncertainty about what parts of the field will stay human-driven and what parts will be obsolete.

And finally, a personal challenge: Sitting alone in front of a computer for five to eight hours a day can get lonely. As creative as the work is, the lack of human contact can be draining.

I’ll Never Forget When

At one point, I was offering free 60-minute audits of apps as a marketing strategy. I did one for a company, and based on the feedback, it seemed almost certain they would hire me right away to redesign their application. But they didn’t. Four years later, they suddenly came back and said, “Now we’re ready.” That experience really taught me that there’s always a lot happening behind the scenes in companies — budget, timing, leadership shifts — that we as freelancers or agencies simply don’t see. Whether a lead is responsive or not isn’t always about us. When Hashem decides the right time has come, that’s when the project will happen. It’s always marvelous to see that orchestration.

And then there are the incidents that you just have to laugh at — like the time we built an entire app with a specific color scheme. Back then, it wasn’t easy to change colors across hundreds of screens. And then, after all that work, the CEO decided to change the company logo. Suddenly, we had to redo the entire color theme to match. It took days just to make everything line up again.

Something I Wish People Knew About UX Designers

A lot of people assume being a UX designer is an easy path to a high salary with low-entry barriers. But it’s not just about taking a quick online bootcamp, slapping “UX designer” on your LinkedIn profile, and landing a job.

Redesigning features to be truly user-friendly requires deep understanding of psychology — how people actually interact with software. It takes practice, patience, and hundreds of iterations to make something not only functional but also clean, modern, and intuitive. That level of refinement doesn’t come overnight.

The field is saturated with people trying to get in, some even faking portfolios. But UX design is a real talent. It can only be acquired through experience, experimentation, and persistence. If shortcuts led to true success, everyone would be doing it, and nothing valuable would ever get built. The truth is: If you want to create good value and get paid well for it, you have to put in the work and deliver real results.

How I’ve Seen the Field Change Over the Years

The field has gone through a lot of gradual changes. In the early days, there was no Figma. We used Photoshop to design software, which really wasn’t built for that kind of work. Then Adobe XD came along, but eventually shut down, and Figma rose to dominate the market — and still does today.

Now we’re in the era of AI. Tools like Vercel’s Vo, Lovable, Bolt, Base 44, Firebase Studio, Chat GPT and Figma Make have entered the scene, each trying to disrupt the design workflow. Figma itself has also integrated AI, and all these tools are competing in real time.

At first, people thought AI would completely take over and be able to produce polished, user-friendly apps. But it hasn’t gotten there yet — most AI-generated designs still need a lot of human refinement. That said, the impact of AI is real. It’s created volatility in the field. Some clients hesitate to invest in proper design and development when they believe they can get something “good enough” with a prompt. And that uncertainty ties directly to the economy. When businesses are struggling, they hold back on tech investments, and projects stall. Technology is not immune — it’s tied to the same ups and downs as every other sector.

I personally view all this through the lens of bitachon. At the end of the day, it’s not about which tool dominates or where the economy is headed. We’re in Hashem’s Hands, and we follow His path. That’s where the real security lies.

My Advice for People Starting Out

Make sure this is really aligned with your innate talents and personality. If Hashem designed you with the patience, creativity, and mindset for this work — then go for it. But don’t jump in just because it sounds cool or because of the money.

Start by doing small projects, even for free. Try tutorials, experiment, and see if it actually pulls you in. That’s the only way to know if it’s a real fit.

Also, be ready to pivot. The UX job market can be dry at times, and you may need to shift into related fields.

It’s a good idea to try out different niches. Some people thrive designing websites, others prefer mobile apps, some lean toward enterprise software, some do purely UI, and others focus more on business analysis. Try different paths and see what speaks to you. From there, take it one step at a time, adjust as needed, and always remember that your only true goal is to serve Hashem every moment.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 1089)