Mehmet Tolgay Cirakoglu Email & Phone Number

Dubai, Ae

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

As a seasoned design lead, I manage cross-functional teams, prepare client pitches and ensure high quality delivery of design-led strategy, service design, digital transformation and innovation projects for clients from various industries, including tourism & travel, finance and telecommunication. • Formulated a next generation financial service experience vision and strategy for a mid-size bank in Turkey to thrive in a saturated market through differentiation. Developed a portfolio of service and digital product concepts, and oversaw the redesign of the digital channel experience to implement the new vision. • Crafted a behavioral customer segmentation framework for a top Middle Eastern airline, adopted by multiple departments to deliver personalized travel experiences based on traveler context. Developed experience concepts leveraging data driven real-time personalization and identified necessary business enablers for implementation. Illustrated customer journeys for prioritized behavioral segments.• Built user-centered design capabilities in-house for a leading Middle Eastern telco provider, training over 40 employees. Provided hands-on training and mentorship, resulting in the successful overhaul of the B2B sales experience and the employee learning & development program.• Designed the future of purchasing experience of telco products for B2B customers. Identified and mapped required future technological and operational enablers to the unified experience vision. Created a blended digital and physical experience walkthrough to facilitate stakeholder alignment and generate buy-in. • Articulated the future hotel experience vision for a futuristic city in the making in the Middle East, consisting of digital and physical experience concepts to be implemented over the next 5 years, a strategic roadmap, necessary technology and business enablers and data infrastructure blueprint.

Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul, Turkey

• Developed and launched MVPs for three strategic business initiatives in the car purchase and urban mobility sectors. Oversaw KPI tracking and performance improvements, before handing off to dedicated teams for further development and scaling.• Led efforts to investigate market trends, consumer behaviors, and potential business opportunities within the car purchase and mobility domains. Conducted in-depth user research through interviews, remote ethnography, and focus groups to identify behavior patterns and unmet needs.• Proposed a 3-year innovation roadmap and portfolio of new services. Structured and facilitated ideation sessions with stakeholders to identify and prioritize growth opportunities, leading to the generation of innovative business ideas and solutions.• Conducted research on economic feasibility and developed business models for projects, ensuring strategic alignment and profitability.

Princeton, Nj

• Improved user satisfaction and increased completion rates of diverse digital products by leading usability tests and user research, analyzing qualitative and quantitative data to uncover actionable insights that informed and optimized product design• Obtained two design patents as primary contributor by designing an innovative interaction model for a gesture-based interface in advanced medical imaging software.• Researched new technologies and future trends in medical imaging, medical training and education; prepared strategy proposals to senior executive staff about future products and concepts; co-authored research report.• Conceptualized user experience, developed workflow analysis, information architecture and wireframes, designed and conducted user research for mobile and desktop application projects pertaining to a variety of sectors.

• Raised the application rate of the English Assessment Exam to 100% by designing, prototyping and implementing the online version of the exam in collaboration with the IT department and pilot regional offices; integrating it with the current systems.• Supported the research and presentation of strategic initiatives to McDonald's senior executives for enhancing employee GED education. Engaged in detailed ethnographic user research and analysis to drive insights.

- Assisted in developing concepts for international and local projects in multi-disciplinary teams.- Led architectural visualization and graphic design teams.

- Designed graphics, illustrative animations and websites for international medical brands such as Pfizer and Merck Sharp&Dome.

Ma, Design + Mba (Dual Degree)

Ba, Visual Communication Design

Education record