Hej!

This is malte and I do things

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A colleague and me sitting inside of the Lightyear 0 prototype discussing the contents of the In-Car-Infotainment display.
Copyright for the photo: Bart Geers of Lightyear.
nice to mee you!
I am a freelance (UX) strategist and researcher with 10+ years in the field. I support teams to create innovative, user-focused digital products. I am a communicative generalist and like to use the potential of all stakeholders in a project to push the limits.
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my skillset
strategy
Taking holistic views is one of my strenghts.
I don't just come up with ideas, I create game plans.
I like to get into the chopper (but without Arnie) and take a look on your product from end-to-end looking for challenges and potentials influencing my tasks. That includes thinking about long-term effects as well as taking a proper deep dive into background information. Let's make your product stand out from the crowd.
research
I talk to people and gain insights.
I know that insights are key to creating a product that users will actually use. With both quantitative and qualitative research methods, I'll uncover the facts and figures that will make your product shine. I can build genuine connections with participants in interviews, I know what to ask in UX tests, keep up with trends, set up surverys and can identify the sweet spots and gaps in collected data.
ux design
Yes, I know how to work with Figma.
A good design is not just about aesthetics - it's about creating an experience that's both beautiful and user-friendly. With a focus on usability, accessibility, and user research, I'll ensure that your product is designed with your users in mind. Knowing tools like Figma helps me in any assignment. Despite not being my strong suit I am not afraid to lay my hands on component libraries or building screens. I mean, I also did this website on my own (with a little help).
facilitation
Collaboration & Teamwork = Best ideas.
That's why I love facilitating workshops that bring out the best in your team. Whether it's a brainstorming session, design sprint, or strategy workshop, I know how to guide productive, engaging sessions that lead to actionable results. With a focus on empathy and communication, I'll ensure that everyone's ideas are heard and valued. Let's work together to create a workshop that sparks creativity and innovation.
interim
Sometimes a project is not enough.
I do short-term, project-based assignments as well as filling a gap in your team or when you are in need of an outside perspective on a project. I like the opportunity to really get a valuable part of your team, take on responsibilities and create good things together.
team lead
What can I do to make you do your tasks better?
Being a generalist helps me to build bridges between disciplines, to break down silos and to support everyone to their best abilities. I believe in working together as a true team supporting each other and I know how to inspire and guide teams to create their best work. I am a people person, had my first experiences in such roles and felt comfortable doing so.
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just a collection of awesome projects
my hall of fame
‍In the past I had the pleasure to work with
Allianz / Alphabet (BMW Group) / Audi / Auerbach Shipping / Bode Chemie / Comdirect / Deutsche Telekom / Die Ostholsteiner / Douglas / eBay / Edeka / European Payments Initiative / FC Schalke 04 / German Federal Foreign Office / Hexal / Hamburger Hochbahn / KMK Kinderzimmer / LichtBlick / Lidl / Lightyear / Mediengruppe Dr. Haas / Mercedes-Benz / rbb Fritz / Regionalverband Ruhr / rrbone / Screens / Sennheiser / Sparkasse /  SV Babelsberg 03 / Tempus Corporate / Unilever / Vodafone / Volkswagen Group / Welcome Hotels / and some more.
Long story short, here are some portfolio projects that were fun:
lightyear
#1: solar mobility made easy
The instrument cluster and steering wheel of the Lightyear 0.
Copyright for the photo: Bart Geers of Lightyear.
The challenge
How to enhance the user experience of the world's first solar car on any digital interface.
The solution
I joined the Dutch solar car startup Lightyear for four months on an interim basis (shout-out to Tom Harle) to cover for a new colleague that joined the company at a later date.
My assignment was to support the UX/UI team working on the in-car interfaces, the instrument cluster and the in-vehicle infotainment display in the middle console. Being an automotive engineer by university degree with a focus in ergonomics I brought in my expertise to polish the existing screens as well as pushing towards getting the user's voice heard for new features.
As of 2023 the company managed to get the quite expensive 250.000€ Lightyear 0 off the production line but had to declare bankruptcy shortly after. All hopes are now with the Lightyear 2 that may rise like the phoenix from the ashes. (Update mid 2024: It doesn't look like this will happen...)
Role
UX Researcher
Methods
Expert Reviews, Survey
language
EN
Year
2022
European payments initiative
#2: pay anything everywhere (in europe)
Two people holding a smartphone in their hands to complete a transaction using a QR code.
Copyright for the photo: David Dvoracek on Unsplash.
The challenge
The market is scattered and major US-based players like Visa, Mastercard or PayPal are on their way to an oligopoly.
What might a customer-to-business and customer-to-customer pan-European payment solution look like that you can use no matter where you are on the continent?
The solution
The answer: A digital service built in Europe for Europeans, led by a consortium of European banks called European Payments Initiative.
A skilled team at ustwo and I worked on an app prototype for several months – you might want to think of a very stretched design sprint.
During that time we did three iterative rounds of research. A focus group session in Sweden to identify needs and challenges in the beginning. Then during development we did two more rounds of qualitative UX research in Germany, the Netherlands, France and Spain. My responsibility was to hire local facilitators, interpreters and translators for the respective native languages; preparation of discussion guides, stimulus and video call infrastructure; analysis of insights and overall consulting on UX topics.

Update: In the summer of 2024 the result of this prototype will be launched as WERO.
Role
UX Research Ops
Methods
Focus Group Session, Remote Interviews
Markets, language
DE/NL/FR/ES/SE, EN
Agency/Studio
Year
2021
screens
#3: benchmarking the benchmarkers
I moderate a group standing in front of a wall full of post-it notes.
The challenge
ScreensStudio, a benchmarking platform for professionals in the automotive industry with an extensive coverage of infotainment systems looking for answers on who their users actually are and how to improve the user experience + reduce attrition.
The solution
In my time with Lightyear (see above) I had the pleasure using ScreensStudio for the first time and thought "this is immensely useful!". So when UX247 approached me if I would be interested in collaborating with them I did not hesitate to do so!
Qualitative interviews with former and existing users in DE, FR, IT, the UK and the US gave me insights on why and how they use the platform and struggles with their employers procurement. While I could not help with the financial aspects I was able to identify user groups and common behaviours. Those lead to the creation of a clickable prototype of a revamped interface draft. In a second round of interviews I validated the assumptions and design choices.
After finishing the evaluation I presented the results within the framework of an UX and company strategy workshop in Stuttgart (see photo).
Role
UX Strategist, Designer & Researcher
methods
Expert Review, Remote Interviews, Prototyping
Tools
Figma
MARkets, languages
DE/FR/IT/UK/US, EN/DE
Agency/Studio
Year
2023
lichtblick
#4: get solar on your roof
Two handymen on a roof installing solar panels
The challenge
Raise interest and drive more potential customers into an online application funnel for an all-in-one solar package from LichtBlick, Germany's largest sustainable energy provider.
The solution
I joined a small product design team on an interim base for 7 months with tasks in classic UX design, research and strategy. Our common goal was to enhance the user experience within the online sales funnel by providing the most important information and keeping the application as sleek as possible while getting as much details as needed. We went through a series of qualitative interviews to gain insights on prospective buyers' needs and knowledge, drafted alternative user flows and started a process of continuous user research.
Role
UX Designer & Researcher
methods
User Interviews, Surveys, UX Design
Tools
Figma
languages
EN/DE
Year
2023-24
Alphabet
#5: your best lease car friend
A person holding a smartphone showcasing the Alphabet App.
Copyright for the photo: Alphabet.
The challenge
An app that has been in the works for several years needs an overhaul (new corporate identity) and new features.
The solution
Another interim assignment, another project with the fabulous bunch of people at ustwo. The team I joined has been working on a lease car companion app (Click here for more info) for Alphabet (not the Google one but the BMW owned) and I stayed for 11 months.
During my time I worked on strategic topics to enhance the user experience throughout the customer journey in workshops and daily business together with a all-remote design team of up to 4 colleagues across several time zones.
Also because the client team resides in Munich I made sure that the communication between agency and client went smooth – sometimes chats in the same local language can lower barriers better than anything else, right?
Role
UX Design Lead
Tools
Figma
languages
EN/DE
Agency/Studio
Year
2021-22
ebay
#6: how to shop local
A flea market. Books are arranged on the floor forming a heart.
Copyright for the photo: Donatella  D'Anniballe on Unsplash.
The challenge
Shopping for items and services in your local area might not be the first thing when you think of eBay's offerings.
After they sold their German subsidiary and clear market leader in classifieds in Germany, (eBay) Kleinanzeigen, eBay wants to get back into the business of C2C transactions.
The solution
UX247 and I set up two focus group sessions at eBay's campus near Berlin to discuss the challenges and needs users face when shopping locally as well as validating early hypotheses and success criteria on their shopping behaviour.
Role
User Researcher
Method
Focus Group Sessions
Market, languages
DE, DE/EN
Agency
Year
2022
telekom
#7: make frag magenta accessible
A laptop with a braille device in-front of it. The laptop screen shows the telekom.de website with the Frag Magenta chatbot.
Copyright for the photo: Elizabeth Woolner on Unsplash.
The challenge
The German telecommunication giant Telekom is obviously interested in making their products as accessible as possible. The newly introduced customer service chatbot "Frag Magenta" should be no exception.
The solution
I supported a team for a few months working on AI and chatbot topics in customer support. I conducted several rounds of user interviews to figure out how they would approach the provider and what their opinion is on such modes of communication. That included groups of people with disabilities that have difficulties using screens, e.g. due to very limited eyesight. The result was a list of recommendations to the development team.
Role
UX Researcher
Method
Remote Interviews
Market, language
DE, DE
Agency
Year
2020
morgenweb
#8: go digital, go local – but for whom?
A man sitting and holding up a newspaper covering his face. Also there is a tablet displaying a digital newspaper website.
Copyright for the photo: Roman Kraft on Unsplash.
The challenge
The Haas Mediengruppe, a publisher of local newspapers in the Rhine-Neckar region of Germany, approached Edenspiekermann in 2019 in order to find out who their readers actually are – and more importantly: How they consume news online.
The solution
As part of the overall digital strategy I came in for the part of user research to identify the frequent readers and what they are interested in, both in a quantitative open-for-all online survey as well as in interviews with selected newspaper subscribers using the publication-shared website "Morgenweb" and/or their app.
All of the collected insights and learnings ended up in distinctive reader's profiles (like a persona but not a persona) that laid the foundations for building the next iteration of "Morgenweb".
Role
User Researcher
Methods
Survey, Remote Interviews
Market, language
DE, DE
Agency
Year
2019-20
sparkasse
#9: the others are just banks
A glass wall with Post-Its
The challenge
Online/neo banks disrupted one of the oldest businesses in the capitalist world. Of course this didn't go unnoticed at Germany's biggest banking group Sparkasse. They wanted to know what a new and modern banking app could look like.
The solution
It's not a small task – especially when your stereotypical customer is mostly non-tech savvy. To validify that the new app draft could be used by everyone digital product studio MAD brought me into play. In the lab of Sparkassen Finanzportal in Berlin, now S-Communication Services, we put Figma prototypes through its paces. I prepared, facilitated and analysed the interviews.
Role
UX Researcher
Method
Interview-guided UX Tests @ Sparkassen-Finanzportal's own Lab
Market, language
DE, DE
Agency/Studio
Year
2019
douglas
#10: make me pretty online
An open calendar on a table accompanied by a smartphone showcasing the Douglas Beauty Booking website.
Copyright for the photo: Nicola Styles on Unsplash.
The challenge
The retail chain Douglas didn't want to leave the field clear for risen online services like Treatwell to miss out on bringing in their expertise in beauty.
The solution
To distinguish them from other booking services Douglas thought it would be a good idea to build a similar but heavily curated web portal for booking beauty appointments from manicure over massages to complete makeovers.
When the portal was in an open beta stage I facilitated a friends & family test to ask participants for both their booking and salon experience to recommend changes for the final product.
Unfortunately they shut down the service in June 2021 – I guess the costs for salon curation including photoshoots was too expensive but who knows.
Role
UX Researcher
Methods
Survey, Remote Interviews
Market, languages
DE, DE/EN
Agency
Year
2019
nrads
#11: kick nazis out of the stadiums
A flag at a football pitch highlighting the Nazis raus aus den Stadien logo.
The challenge
Nazis, racists and other discriminating agitators shouldn't be or feel welcome inside football stadiums.
The solution
Together with its partners, soli-members and donors, Potsdam-based SV Babelsberg 03 turns publicly against them.
The begin of the campaign "Nazis raus aus den Stadien!" was in consequence of a judgment of the Northeast German Football Federation (NOFV). It ignored the anti-Semitic and folk-inciting songs in the guest block of the Karl Liebknecht stadium to a home match, whereas the call "Nazi pigs out!" a visitor noted in the home area was recorded in the later judgment of the sports court.
A huge wave of solidarity struck the "Kiezverein" from Potsdam-Babelsberg. In numerous stadiums, throughout Germany and Europe, fan clubs and organisations expressed their support, world-wide magazines, such as the Washington Post or New York Times reported on the incident.
From this arose a movement through which many other clubs of all leagues positioned against right-wing extremism and hate in sports facilities – including Bundesliga clubs like Werder Bremen, Borussia Dortmund, 1. FC Köln or second tier club FC St. Pauli.
With the long-term campaign "Nazis out of the stadiums" the association wants to support interesting projects and smaller clubs in the fight against the "right".
In 2022 freelance frontend developer Mathies Schneider and I set up a dedicated website.
Role
Project Coordinator, Digital Media & Concept
Market, language
DE, DE
Year
since 2017
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