Hola!

My full name is Johanna De La Cruz

With over seven years of experience shaping product experiences in Fintech and Media, I previously led the audio experience design for The Economist app. Since becoming a Senior Designer, I’ve taken on broader challenges, including personalisation and web design across both B2B and B2C initiatives.

I combine expertise in product design with a strong visual sensibility to deliver solutions that are both user-centric and engaging. My background in illustration helps me create interfaces that are visually appealing, while curiosity and empathy drive my understanding of user needs. I enjoy tackling complex challenges to craft intuitive experiences that feel seamless, functional, and memorable.

Resume

Let's Chat

I started as a Visual Designer and quickly realised how often business priorities came before user needs. That led me to UX Design, where the user truly comes first.

What excites me most is seeing research and testing improve a product. Watching users interact, discovering what works and what doesn’t, and shaping experiences that feel intuitive and satisfying is what keeps me passionate about design.

I enjoy working in teams that share ideas and put users at the heart of every decision. My goal is to create products that not only meet business objectives but also genuinely delight the people using them.

SKILLS

Hard Skills:

UI design
Wire-framing
Prototyping
Usability testing
User research
Interaction design
iOS and Android
Workshopping and Ideation sessions
Web design

Soft Skills:

Time management
Curiosity
Empathy
Problem-solving
Teamwork
Collaboration
Organisation
Communication

TOOLS

Figma
Miro
Jira
Confluence
Slack
Prompt engineering:
- Chat GPT
- Gemini
- Lovable
- Claude

LANGUAGES

Spanish: Native

English: Fluent

I CAN PLAY WITH

Photoshop
Illustrator
Indesign

My Process

More about me

Which values guide my decisions when time, money, or clarity are limited?

I’m guided by care for the person on the other side of the screen.

I value creating experiences that feel considerate, intuitive, and quietly joyful—helping people do what they came to do with as little friction as possible. If someone finishes using a product feeling understood, satisfied, and a little lighter than when they started, I consider that a success.

What environments bring out my best work—and which ones don’t?

I do my best work in flexible, trusting environments.
Having the time and space to explore ideas, experiment, and create without micromanagement allows my creativity to thrive. I’m energised by collaboration—working alongside other designers and colleagues, sharing perspectives, and learning through making.

Highly constrained or overly prescriptive environments tend to dull that curiosity and limit the quality of what I can contribute.

Hobbies

I love losing myself in 1,000+ piece jigsaws—the kind of challenge that makes hours disappear and leaves a quiet sense of satisfaction when the last piece clicks into place.
When I’m not puzzling, you’ll often find me curled up with a fantasy novel, experimenting with watercolours or digital painting, or letting off steam at the gym.

Recommendations

Juliana, UK

Senior Product Designer at Grab

"Joy is confident at managing different perspectives. She does a great job of handling feedback whilst providing a clear vision that supports business and user needs. She’s a literal joy to work with and I really appreciated being in the same team collaborating and learning together!"

Luke, UK

Staff Software Engineer at The Economist

"Joy is fantastic to work with and always brings passion into her role. She has an excellent eye for detail, is willing to dig into the nitty gritty, truly understanding the user experience. They have always delivered amazing design work that levels up the product, listening to engineering and compromising where necessary to achieve results. You can most definitely count them as an asset to any team and to bring energy!"

Barbara, UK

VP Product at Exinity

"Joy is a top-class employee! Working with her is truly enjoyable, she brings a smile with her and plenty of solutions to the table, ALWAYS.
Great communication skills, does her best to understand your brief inside out, and will put the end-user at the centre of any initiative. I have worked with Joy for 2 years, I hope our professional paths cross again."