IT

Interfaces people understand at first glance.

Nicola Pes

Freelance Senior UX/UI Designer in Milan

I help companies and product teams design AI products, design systems and accessible interfaces that users understand at first glance.

Book a free 15-minute call Get the EAA checklist
discover

Sound familiar?

The problems product teams bring me most often

Users drop off halfway

Onboarding, checkout or quote requests lose people, and nobody knows at which step or why.

UX audit of a key flow

Your AI product isn't being used

The technology works, but users don't get what it can do, don't trust its answers or don't know how to correct them.

UX/UI for AI-powered products

Every screen looks different

The interface grew without a system: duplicated components, inconsistencies, slow development for every new feature.

A Figma design system, ready for development

The European Accessibility Act applies to you

Since 28 June 2025 many digital services must be accessible, and you don't know how far your product is from compliance.

WCAG / EAA accessibility review
The first step

UX Audit Express

I analyse one key flow of your product (website, web app or mobile app) and deliver the fixes to make, ranked by impact. No long contract: see how I work, then decide whether to continue.

Delivered in 5 business days Fixed price, agreed upfront Remote, in English or Italian
  • Heuristic review of the flow
  • WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility checks
  • 10+ prioritised fixes
  • PDF report + video walkthrough
  • Mockups of the key fixes
  • 30-minute debrief call
Request your audit

If we move on to a redesign, the audit fee is deducted from the project.

How I can help

UX/UI services for companies, startups and product teams

UX & accessibility audit

A clear picture of what isn't working in your product and what to fix first.

  • Heuristic and flow analysis
  • WCAG 2.2 / EAA review
  • Prioritised roadmap

Design Systems

Components, tokens and rules in Figma that make your interface consistent and development faster.

  • Setup or cleanup in Figma
  • Design tokens and variants
  • Developer documentation

UX/UI for AI products

Interfaces for chatbots, agents and AI features whose limits users understand, and that they trust.

  • Conversational flows
  • Error and trust states
  • End-to-end web and mobile projects

Need a senior designer inside your team for a few months? Let's talk about ongoing support.

How I work

Four steps, no surprises

  1. Intro call

    You tell me about the product, goals and constraints. Together we see if I'm the right fit.

    15 minutes · free

  2. Analysis

    Audit, available data, user interviews or tests: I start from what actually happens.

    1–2 weeks

  3. Design & test

    Flows, prototypes and interfaces in Figma, validated with your team and, where possible, with users.

    in sprints

  4. Delivery

    A clean developer handoff, a documented design system and support during implementation.

    and beyond

About me

Senior UX/UI Designer

"Most interfaces fail because they prioritise aesthetics over clarity. I do the opposite."

I'm Nicola Pes, a Senior UX/UI Designer with a background in Computer Science and Communication. For 6+ years I've designed interfaces and design systems for complex products in enterprise, public sector and energy, working in Agile teams with developers and stakeholders.

Today I focus on three things: AI-powered products, scalable design systems and accessibility. I volunteer for Be My Eyes, which supports blind and low-vision people: to me accessibility is a real commitment, not just a WCAG chapter.

0+
Years of experience
0
Certifications
0
Books published
Free resource

Is your product ready for the European Accessibility Act?

A practical 2-page checklist to find out in 15 minutes where your website or app may fall short.

  • 15 checks grouped by area, no jargon
  • What you can check yourself and what needs an expert
  • Who must comply and who is exempt

Sent straight to your inbox. No spam: just a few practical UX tips, and you can unsubscribe anytime.

Experience

My professional journey

Dec 2023 — present

UX/UI Designer

Reply · Public sector and Energy

Enterprise design systems and interfaces. WCAG accessibility, user research, Agile/Scrum, AI agent design.

Jul 2022 — present

Freelance UX/UI Designer

Self-employed

UX/UI projects for companies, startups and non-profits: interfaces, prototypes and digital products.

Jul 2023 — Dec 2023

UX & UI Service Specialist

Valentino

Interface and digital service design for luxury fashion.

2019 — 2023

UX/UI Designer

Consulting firms

Interfaces, user research and design thinking for clients across industries.

Education

The foundations of my method

2020 — present

40+ courses and 11 certifications

LinkedIn Learning, Reply, University of Milano-Bicocca

Design Thinking, Service Design, UI Design, accessibility and AI tools.

2020

Master in UX Design

Talent Garden Innovation School

Human-centred methods, research and prototyping.

2017 — 2020

MSc in Communication Theory and Technology

University of Milano-Bicocca

UX, interaction design, digital communication.

2012 — 2016

BSc in Computer Science

University of Cagliari

Programming, databases and web development: I speak developers' language.

Skills

Tools and methods I use every day

Why trust me

Proof, not promises

Author of "UI da Zero"

A practical guide to interface design, published on Amazon (Italian). The method I use on projects, written down. See the book

Enterprise experience

Complex products for the public sector, energy and luxury fashion, inside Agile teams with developers and stakeholders.

Verifiable references

Colleagues and professionals I've worked with have left recommendations on my LinkedIn. Read them

Portfolio

Projects, on a call

Most of my work is under NDA. On the intro call I'll walk you through the cases closest to your industry and problem, including process and design decisions.

Book the call

Frequently asked questions

Do you work remotely?

Yes, I work remotely with teams in Italy and abroad, in English or Italian. I use Figma, Miro, Jira and whatever tools your team already uses.

How does pricing work?

Mostly fixed-price projects agreed before we start, so you know upfront what you pay and what you get. For ongoing support we agree a monthly package of days.

Can you work with our existing dev team?

That's the ideal setup. I deliver organised Figma files, documented components and clear specs, and stay available during implementation.

How long does a project take?

A UX Audit Express takes 5 business days. A design system or redesign takes from a few weeks to a few months: we define it together after the call.

Do you sign NDAs?

Yes, before seeing any confidential material.

How many projects do you take on at once?

Only a few, so each gets the attention it deserves. That's why I suggest reaching out a few weeks before you need to start.

Book a call

15 minutes, free, by phone

Pick the day and time that suit you: the calendar adapts to your time zone. Tell me about your product and we'll see if I can help.

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Let's talk about your product

Tell me in a few lines what you need. I'll reply within one business day and, if it makes sense, we'll set up a free intro call.