Bart Van Der Meiden

Design leader with 25+ years of experience creating digital products, leading multidisciplinary teams and translating business strategy into customer-centered experiences. Experienced in banking, consultancy and enterprise environments, combining product design, UX leadership and concept development to help organizations move from early product discovery to successful implementation. Specialized in bringing clarity to complex digital challenges, aligning business, technology and design, and helping teams create products that are both useful and human.

Senior Product Designer at ABN AMRO (2022-01 – 2025-01)

Played a central design role in multidisciplinary product discovery sprints across ABN AMRO's banking domains. Contributed throughout the process, from ideation and concept development to rapid prototyping and user validation, translating validated concepts into focused MVPs and clear directions for product development.

• Elevated early product concepts through active ideation, creative direction and a strong focus on originality
• Brought clarity and focus to complex discussions, helping teams identify and protect the core idea
• Aligned emerging concepts with customer needs, brand principles, business goals and technical feasibility
• Translated concepts into interactive prototypes and focused MVP strategies for validation and development
• Worked across diverse banking domains with multidisciplinary teams of business experts, product owners, researchers and copywriters

UX lead at ABN AMRO (2018-01 – 2022-01)

Built and led the UX capability for ABN AMRO's business banking domain, creating the team, vision and collaborative structure needed to strengthen design across multiple Scrum teams. Combined design leadership and team development with early-stage concept development for future digital initiatives.

• Led early-stage concept development for new digital products and services
• Grew the design team from 2 to 8 designers, aligned with the department's business goals
• Coached designers in identifying, developing and applying their individual strengths, while managing performance and annual reviews
• Implemented a structure combining Scrum team domain expertise with individual design specialisms, making specialist knowledge available across the department
• Created a brand-led UX manifesto and vision to establish a shared design language, quality standard and tone of voice

Senior UX designer at ABN AMRO (2018-01 – 2018-01)

Freelance job working on the redesign of the open domain website, internet banking and several other initiatives that laid the foundations for ABN AMRO's modern digital design language.

• Design of a new digital design language
• Art direction of other designers
• Alignment with other departments

Brand- & UX Design at Freelance.nl (2017-01 – 2017-01)

Creative lead for the complete redesign and relaunch of Freelance.nl following a change of ownership. Developed a new brand identity and helped shape the platform experience, applying the brand across key product surfaces while safeguarding usability and consistency throughout the interface. The identity is still in use today.

• Designed the new logo and brand identity
• Designed key product pages and UI templates
• Maintained brand consistency across the platform
• Designed a broad range of brand materials
• Collaborated closely with a UX designer and the developers to align brand and product design

Senior UX designer at Philips (2016-01 – 2016-01)

Helped establish a cross-platform design system for web, apps and embedded product interfaces at a time when design systems were still an emerging discipline. Applied extensive experience in style guides and component-based design to shape the system's structure and documentation approach.

Art director at Deloitte Digital (2015-01 – 2016-01)

Joined the newly established Deloitte Digital agency as Art Director, working across digital products, propositions and experiences. Combined hands-on concept and UX design with creative direction, new business development and design coaching.

• Led creative direction while remaining hands-on in UX and visual design
• Coached junior and medior designers throughout projects and pitches
• Developed concepts from client briefs and translated them into compelling pitch narratives and presentation decks
• Presented proposals to prospective clients and contributed to commercial project proposals, including approach, planning, timelines and pricing
• Contributed to design sprints, journey mapping and concept development across a broad range of A-brands and industries

Teacher Visual Design at Hogeschool van Amsterdam / CMD (2013-01 – 2016-01)

Invited by the Hogeschool van Amsterdam to develop and teach a new visual design curriculum after identifying a gap between graduates' design capabilities and the expectations of professional agencies. Designed and delivered a semester-long course focused on concept-driven visual design.

• Designed the complete curriculum for first-year CMD students specialising in visual design
• Taught students to develop visual identities from a clear concept and narrative rather than trends or personal taste
• Coached students through the complete creative process, from idea and story to visual execution
• Helped establish a stronger professional foundation for aspiring digital designers

Senior UX Designer at KPN (2014-01 – 2015-01)

• Designed a new self-service platform for KPN's business mobile customers, replacing a legacy environment with a modern experience built on a new API
• Worked in a small, agile team to define and design the platform from the ground up, creating a modular foundation for future services and expansion

Senior UX Designer at Rabobank (2013-01 – 2014-01)

• Contributed to the redesign of Rabobank's internet banking app as part of a large multidisciplinary design team
• Designed key user flows and screens, including payments, account overviews and navigation
• Actively challenged design decisions from a usability perspective, providing constructive feedback throughout the project

Visual / UX design lead at Info.nl (2004-01 – 2013-01)

Joined Info.nl during a period in which the digital industry rapidly matured and design disciplines became increasingly specialised. Evolved from an all-round digital designer into the agency's lead visual designer, taking ownership of the visual identity, brand experience and creative direction of digital products for leading Dutch organisations. Worked from initial client brief and concept exploration through design, client presentations and implementation, while coaching junior designers and collaborating closely with front-end developers.

• Defined visual concepts and creative direction for complex digital products and services
• Conducted client workshops and translated business objectives into distinctive digital experiences
• Presented design concepts and creative directions to clients and stakeholders
• Guided projects from concept through implementation in close collaboration with front-end developers
• Coached junior designers and helped establish visual quality across the design team

Web Designer at Brightin (2003-01 – 2004-01)

• Design of various small business websites
• UX design of the in-house developed CMS

Web Designer at Cubic International (1999-01 – 2001-01)

• Design and front-end development of various online stores
• Design of templates for online stores

Illustrator, graphic designer at Freelance (1996-01 – 1999-01)

• Illustrations for newspapers and magazines
• Newspaper editorial layout
• Graphic design for various magazines
• Graphic design for various advertising agencies
• Web design for TV show 'Wie is de Mol'

Graphic Design in Graphic Design – Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht

Teacher primary school in Education – PABO