Drones
Percepto · Airobotics
I lead six designers at Bingo Blitz, a live game played by millions. A change can move the numbers the same week it ships.
From the first time I started to design until today, I am still evolving.
Yaniv Sela UX Team Lead · 2023–2026 · Playtika
I keep changing domains
Banking
Bank Hapoalim
Before games: autonomous drones over refineries, a bank portal serving 12,000 employees, an edtech studio with 11 enterprise clients. The jumps were deliberate. Every few years I chose to be the least experienced person in the room.
Research
752 surveyed · Bank Hapoalim
I started as a designer
I started by implementing the UI and the interactions myself: HTML, CSS, and ActionScript in Flash. Being close to the build made me a technical designer, and it is still how I grow. I learn a skill by doing the work, then I can lead it.
At Bank Hapoalim, before anyone touched the portal, I led a full research program: interviews, a 752-person survey, card sorting. I still work that way. Understand the people closest to the problem before proposing a screen.
Then I started leading
At Airobotics I needed a design system. I stopped talking about design quality and started talking about build speed, so the Head of Software Development would back it. At Playscape I managed five designers and built the design function while the same team was delivering client work.
After Playscape I went freelance as a senior designer. Copilot.cx in IoT, B2B and B2C. Augury in machine health, B2B. LOCG in crypto, B2C. Quik in e-commerce, B2C. Telefire, a fire system. Different companies, new technology each time. The job was to learn the domain fast enough to design in it.
Practice
Airobotics · Playscape
System
Bingo Blitz · design system
Now I lead the system
Today I lead six designers at Bingo Blitz. I use design as a method for management. Same loop as a product problem, run with the team: understand the need, frame it, try the fix on my own work, then turn it into a standard so it holds without me.
I still implement. The difference is the era: vibe coding, Cursor, Claude, Figma MCP. Same instinct as HTML, CSS, and ActionScript. Get close to the build so I can lead it. The tool has to make the team's judgment faster. It does not get to make the judgment.
The team rebuilt the design system in Figma, then in code on GitHub, so developers and product partners build from it too, not only UX.
I used to measure my contribution by what I shipped. Now I measure it by what keeps running without me.