Pavle Lucic

Senior UI/UX Designer @ Toptal | Prototyping, Branding, UI Development

I am a Senior UI/UX Designer at Toptal, a network of the world's top 3% of software engineering, design, and finance talent. With over 10 years of experience in the design industry, I have a proven track record of creating visually engaging and user-friendly interfaces for in-car navigation systems, SaaS apps, and marketing websites.

My background in business and economics gives me a unique perspective on how to design UX and UI that are not only aesthetically pleasing, but also functional, efficient, and user-friendly. I am passionate about solving complex problems, collaborating with diverse teams, and learning new skills. I am also Adwords Search Certified, which demonstrates my ability to optimize the online presence and performance of my clients. My goal is to help tech companies increase their revenue by improving the user experience of their products.

Senior UI/UX Desiger

I once told a junior designer:

“You are better than me.”

She froze.
Then shook her head.

But I meant it.

Her instincts fast.
Her ideas were fresh.
Her courage fearless.

We spend so much time chasing recognition that we forget how powerful respect can be.

Better designers don’t diminish you.
They define what’s next for you.

When you respect greatness without envy, you create room for your own.

Respect over recognition. Always.

P.S. Who’s one designer you quietly respect more than anyone else? Tag them.

Senior UI/UX Product Designer | UX Strategy | Figma

A lead designer once told me, “We don’t have time for UX research.”

I said, “Then you’ll make time for rework.”

Because that’s the tradeoff.

If you skip qualitative research, your next sprint will be filled with fixes.
If you skip quantitative research, your next decision will be based on vibes.

I’ve seen this mistakes with every single design team I’ve worked with. 

Zero exceptions. 
Myself included.

Here’s the cycle that works:

Qualitative → Design → Quantitative → Refine.
Talk → Build → Measure → Repeat.

Let me explain:

Qualitative research makes people care.
Quantitative research makes people act.

Together? They make decisions make sense

Through numbers, you measure behavior.
Through stories, you understand it.

My process allows me to:

1. Design with confidence, not assumptions
2. Balance empathy with research evidence
3. Build products users actually want

Every great product you admire was built this way.

Skip a step and you’ll build twice.

(Repost ♻️ if this hits home.)

P.S. Which step do you usually skip first talking or testing?

If I could go back 10 years…

I wouldn’t change the tools I used.
I wouldn’t change my niche.
I wouldn’t change my style.

Instead?

I’d only change one thing.
I’d start designing badly… sooner.

Because every “ugly” design, every failed concept, every 3-hour layout that still looked wrong…all of it built the instinct I have now.

That instinct?
It’s why I can deliver a clean result in 20 minutes today.

The minutes are visible.
The decade is invisible.

And that’s the part that matters most.

Stop trying to be perfect.
Start trying to build your years.

Because once your decade is strong…
your 20-minute magic becomes inevitable.

(Repost if you wish you started earlier ♻️)

P.S. What’s the earliest design software you ever used?

A few weeks ago, a client launched a product without ux research.

The result? Hundreds of users got stuck on one screen.

Entire workflows....broken.

For 48 hours, their team called users, apologized, and collected feedback.

Every single one said the same thing:
“We just wanted to know where to click next.”

That’s when I stepped in.

It was clear: UX research isn’t about data.
It’s about understanding people.

So here’s what I did:

1. I did 5 user interviews
2. I ran 10 usability tests
3. I mapped pain points

The team then rebuilt the onboarding flow from scratch.

The result? 
Completion rates jumped by 64%.
Support tickets about onboarding dropped to almost zero.

If you’re designing anything today, please test it.

Even if it’s just 1 users.

That’s still research. ❤️

P.S. Leave a like or comment if you believe empathy is the best design tool.

(And please repost for your product team ♻️)

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LinkedIn Login, Sign in | LinkedIn

li_at

Talks about #uiux, #webdesign, #uiuxdesign, #uxdesigner, and #productdesigner

Daniel Dancs

LinkedIn’s job notification make me laugh sometimes.

“You are a top applicant!”

Really?

For a role with 700 applicants, posted 13 minutes ago, with requirements I don’t have?

LinkedIn job search UX has two personalities:

1. Encouraging
2. Delusional

Look....

I get why they do it. 
Hope keeps people coming back.

But:

People don’t need hopeful UX.
They need helpful UX.

Like:

“Your profile doesn’t match - here’s what to fix”
“Add these 3 skills to increase your chances”
“This job is a mismatch save your energy”

That is good UX.

That would change lives.
That would create opportunities.
That would actually make job searching bearable.

Until then…

We remain “top applicants” for jobs we’ll never hear back from. 😂

Repost to keep the conversation going ♻️

P.S. Has LinkedIn ever called you a “top applicant”? Did anything happen afterward?

You might want to save this one.

It shows how to create a paper-like effect on any corner and any shape.

And no you don’t need plugins, 3D tools, or magic.
Just 2 layers, gradients, and a little patience.

I’ve been sharing Figma tricks for years.
But this one… this one’s special.

Because it feels real.

Save it.
Practice it.
Use it often.

Because this fold effect turns flat designs into felt designs.

Repost to help other designers ♻️

Paper like design effect

AI helped me close an $8,000 deal. 

Last week, I was on a Zoom call with a potential client.

They needed help redesigning their mobile app.

As they talked about their business and app, I did 3 things:

1. Captured the problem described in their own words
2. Created a design process I am planning to use with them
3. Come up with a path on how we’d get there together

Then AI stepped in.

- I opened Gamma
- Pasted in my raw notes
- Watched AI creating a presentation
- Made some minor design adjustments
- Sent a live link to the client during the live call

This happened while we were still on the call.

Client's words?
“Wait… you made this right now?”

Yes. 

That moment broke the ice.
That moment built the trust.
That moment closed the deal.

That’s how AI should work.

It didn’t replace me. 
It accelerated me.

Hope this helps. (If so, repost for others, please ♻️)

🎁 Bonus: 

I’m giving away the exact workflow I used (and how it *could* be used with Gamma) to create a live-presentation on the call.

Comment Gamma below and I’ll DM you guide.

P.S. Tag a friend or colleague in the comments who might benefit too.

Every designer eventually realizes this:

You don’t need more tools.
You don’t need more plugins.
You don’t need more fancy software.

You need a better eye.

And your eye is shaped by principles of design.
Not by features.

Once I understood that, everything changed:

• My work finally had rhythm
• Spacing started to make sense
• Visual decisions became intentional
• Layouts stopped feeling “accidental”

And suddenly… my work looked cleaner without adding anything new

The day I stopped chasing trends and started studying why designs work…
Was the day my growth finally clicked.

Your career changes the moment you stop decorating
and start designing with principles.

P.S. Did you have a moment when design suddenly started making sense?

What do all designers have in common?

Ridiculous requests. 😂

Let me respond to 10,000+ of them right now:

Can you make it pop? No.
Can you work for exposure? Big NO.
Can you copy this brand exactly? No.
Can you send 7 different directions? No.
Can you design this in 1 hour? Absolutely not.
Can you “just add a little more creativity”? No.
Can you lower the price after the work is done? No.
Can we skip discovery and go straight to design? No.

Look, I’m kind. I’m patient. I love good clients.

But some requests…
Heartbreaking.

As my projects grew, so did my No’s.

(and my list of “please don’t do this” moments)

You want free design? There’s Canva templates.
You want effective design? That costs money.

Simple.

Now… back to my inbox.
More No’s to send.

P.S. What’s the strangest client request you’ve ever received?

Sydney Fernandes

I just helped 1 startup improve onboarding flow.
(with zero redesigns)

The fix? Moving labels.

Not joking.

I didn’t add fancy animations.
I didn’t touch the color palette.
I simply placed labels above input fields.

The result?

Abandonment rate halved
Completion time down by 27%
Users stopped rage-clicking “Next”

The best part? 

Founder feedback:
“We can’t believe something this small made that big a difference.”

This is how I build trust with clients not through aesthetics, but through outcomes.

Small change. Huge clarity.

Agree?

P.S. When was the last time you tested your form labels? (No? Time to do it!)

My son’s first steps → felt like seconds.
His first day at kindergarten → felt like minutes.
His first “I love you dad” → felt like forever.

Time plays favorites like that.

The first years of parenthood?
They vanish fast.

I used to spend 10 hours a day chasing goals.

Now, I spend one hour chasing giggles and somehow, it feels more productive.

Career milestones come and go.
Childhood doesn’t.

And the truth is…

We’re not losing time.
We’re living it in small, beautiful doses ❤️.

P.S. What’s one small moment you’d relive if you could?

My friend is launching a startup called Merry Swap.

It’s an app that lets you swap, sell, or donate second-hand items like clothes, furniture, tech, and more.

🌍 The idea is simple:

Instead of letting unused things collect dust...
someone else gets to use them, the planet breathes easier, and you can make someone happy or help others in need.

How it works:

👕 Swap items with others
💸 Pay the difference if values don’t match
🎁 Or donate the money from your sale to charity

The app promotes a circular economy and helps reduce CO₂ emissions.

Benefits for users:

🧘‍♀️ Get rid of what you don’t need
💸 Save money
🌟 Treat yourself
🌱 Care for the planet
🫴🏼 Be kind and generous

📍 Launching in Belgrade in 2026, with plans to expand across Europe and the U.S.

Right now, the startup is applying for investment funding, and every waitlist signup increases its chances of getting support.

👉 If you like the idea, join the waitlist and share the link ❤️

🔗 http://merryswap.com/

Thank you 🌱🌟

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