UI/UX Design in Kharkiv, Ukraine

UI/UX Design in Kharkiv — interfaces that drive sales

Today, “just having a website” is no longer enough for businesses in Kharkiv and the Kharkiv region. The market has changed: your potential customer opens a smartphone with 4G on Sumska street, sees three or four similar offers in Google, and decides within 5 seconds which one to visit. If your site loads slowly, is structured unclearly, or doesn’t look right on mobile — you’ve lost that customer before they even finished reading your headline. That’s why investing in quality UI/UX design isn’t a “luxury whim” — it’s a direct investment in sales.

I’m Alex Filiuk, Senior UI/UX designer with 15 years of experience and a portfolio of 130+ projects. I design interfaces for websites, web applications, SaaS products, and CRM systems for businesses in Kharkiv, across Ukraine, and for clients in the US and EU. This page brings together everything a business owner or product manager in Kharkiv should know before commissioning UI/UX design: how product design differs from a “pretty picture”, what the process looks like, how much it costs, which typical mistakes destroy ROI, and which trends actually matter in 2025–2026.

Why UI/UX is critical specifically for businesses in Kharkiv

In a city of 240,000+ residents with a strong small/medium business sector — from cafés on Sumska street to manufacturing facilities in the Nauky Avenue tech corridor and IT teams working for the national/international market — competition in digital grows every year. Local brands now compete not only with each other but also with national chains (Silpo, ATB, Rozetka), which have UX research departments and invest millions in conversion optimisation. If your site is built “like everyone’s” from 2015, you automatically lose 30–50% of potential traffic.

What quality UI/UX design gives a Kharkiv business:

• Lead conversion growth. A site designed around real user scenarios converts 2–4× better than a templated one.
• Reduced mobile bounce rate. Mobile-first design drops bounce from 70% to 30–40%.
• Lower operational costs. A clear online dashboard means fewer support calls. For a B2B service in Kharkiv, that’s tens of saved hours weekly.
• Higher LTV for SaaS. A convenient product retains customers longer.
• Scaling readiness. A design system lets you add new features without rewriting code.

UI/UX vs “just make me a website”: the key difference

Most businesses in Kharkiv face a fundamental misunderstanding of what UI/UX is. A common scenario: an entrepreneur orders a “turnkey site” from a freelancer or agency, gets a nice visual, runs ads via Google Ads — and can’t understand why high traffic doesn’t produce sales. The answer is almost always the same: the site was built without understanding the user.

Graphic design is the visual part: colours, typography, illustrations, composition. That’s only 30% of the full UI/UX process. The other 70% is invisible work:

• UX research. Who is your user? What tasks do they have? What barriers? What do they do BEFORE arriving at your site?
• Information architecture. In what order will they look for information? What menu labels will be clear at first glance?
• User flows. What does the path from opening the site to completing the target action look like? How many steps? Where do drop-offs happen?
• Wireframes. Screen structure without visuals — to understand the logic before we start “decorating”.
• Prototyping and testing. A clickable prototype tested on real users before development starts.

Without these 70%, the visual part is just decoration. That’s why I always insist on the full UI/UX cycle, even for small local businesses. If you already have a site that doesn’t convert, I recommend starting with a UX audit — faster and cheaper than launching a full redesign from scratch.

What projects are most often ordered in Kharkiv

Over 15 years of work I’ve seen that Kharkiv region business categories have their own specifics. The most common requests:

• Local retail. Shops, boutiques, stores on Sumska street and Pushkinska streets — they need a catalogue site with online ordering and city-wide delivery, Instagram integration, a self-service interface.
• Services. Dental clinics, medical centres, beauty salons, auto services — they need online booking, customer dashboard, admin panel for the receptionist.
• HoReCa. Cafés, restaurants, pizzerias — they need a site with menu, delivery ordering, table reservations, loyalty programme.
• Manufacturing in the Kharkiv region. Furniture factories, food industry, wood processing — they need a B2B portal with product catalogue, tender system, dealer dashboard.
• IT and digital startups from Kharkiv. Teams entering the national/international market — they need a SaaS interface or complex web app with roles, analytics, integrations.
• Education and courses. Private schools, training centres, tutoring hubs — they need a platform for enrolment, payment, access to materials.
• Agriculture sector. Large farms in the Kharkiv region — they need dealer portals, warehouse worker interfaces, mobile apps for agronomists.

Each category has its own design approach. What works for a 5-table café isn’t suitable for a B2B manufacturing portal with 200 SKUs. That’s why I don’t use templates — every project starts with its own research.

UI/UX project stages — step by step

I work via a transparent process that 130+ of my clients have gone through. Each stage has a fixed deliverable that you can see. No “wait a month, I’m drawing” — you know what’s happening every week.

1. Discovery (week 1–2). In-depth client interview: business goals, stakeholders, technical constraints, competitors in Kharkiv and globally. Audit of the current site (if any): Google Analytics data, Hotjar hot-spots, bounces, conversion. Interviews with 5–7 potential or current users. If you’re in Kharkiv — I run the workshop in person.
2. Information architecture (week 2–3). Sitemap, user flows, low-fidelity wireframes. At this stage we solve the structure — what content goes where, how screens connect, what steps a user takes to reach a goal. No colours, nothing “pretty” — pure logic only.
3. Design system (week 3–4). I create tokens (colour palette, typography, spacing), base components (buttons, forms, cards), patterns (lists, tables, navigation). This is the library that all screens are built from.
4. UI design of key screens (week 4–5). Hi-fidelity mockups of main screens: home, key landing, dashboard, order form. Present to you, collect first feedback.
5. Design of secondary screens (week 5–6). All remaining screens, additional states (empty state, error, loading), variations for different user roles.
6. Prototype and usability testing (week 6–7). I assemble a clickable prototype in Figma. Test on 5–7 respondents (for Kharkiv businesses — recruiting Kharkiv residents specifically), gather insights, apply revisions.
7. Handoff to development (week 7–8). I prepare dev specs in Figma dev mode, export assets, write annotations. If you also order development from me, this stage is integrated into a single pipeline.
8. Post-release QA. I check the implementation against mockups, build a list of discrepancies, support fixes.

The total cycle is 4–8 weeks for a website, 8–16 weeks for a web app. If you need it faster (e.g., MVP by a specific Kharkiv launch date) — we discuss expedited format or a 2-week design sprint with limited research scope.

How much UI/UX design in Kharkiv costs

Pricing comes from project scope, not geography. An entrepreneur in Kharkiv, Kyiv or Los Angeles gets the same rate for the same package. Approximate ranges (exact figures are in “Pricing”):

• Landing page or single-page site. 2–4 screens, 1 research round, basic design system, 3 responsive layouts. Suitable for a Kharkiv local business testing a channel — café, dental clinic, service.
• Corporate website. 8–15 page types, full design system, prototype, usability testing. The most popular choice among Kharkiv clients.
• SaaS product or web app. User dashboard, roles, complex logic, integrations. Premium format — for IT startups and manufacturing companies with full B2B portals.
• UX audit of an existing site. Quick format: analysis of the current site, 7–15 issues found, recommendations. Suitable when you have budget constraints or want to assess scope first.

Worth a separate note: if you order UI/UX together with development, branding or SEO — the combined package costs less than the sum of separate services. It’s healthy business sense: one team runs the project in a single context, saving your time and reducing risk of misalignment.

Common Kharkiv business mistakes when ordering UI/UX

Over 15 years I’ve seen dozens of cases where a Kharkiv business overpaid or got a bad result due to typical mistakes. Here are the key ones:

• Ordering “mockups” without research. The designer asks “what style do you like?” and draws mockups — without a word about users. Result: pretty, but doesn’t convert. Fix: always start with a discovery stage.
• Voting in a focus group of relatives. “I’ll show it to mum, my wife, the accountant — let them vote.” UI/UX is evaluated not by “like / don’t like” but by concrete metrics: task completion, time on task, errors, conversion in tests.
• Using ThemeForest templates. Bought a template for $50 — got a “site”. Seems like savings, but actually a loss: the template was designed for an imaginary “average” business, not your Kharkiv audience. Conversion will be 2–3× lower.
• Design without mobile-first. The designer shows a nice desktop mockup, the mobile version comes “later”. On mobile it’s awkward — and 70%+ of your traffic comes from there. That’s lost sales.
• Design without a design system. Each screen is drawn separately, without unified components. A year later you want to add a new page — and the project can’t be extended, everything needs to be redone.
• Handoff to development without specs. The designer hands over a Figma file, the developer asks: “How does the filter work?”, “What colour is the hover?”, “What should the error text be?” — and starts guessing. Fix: complete dev-specs package, video guides, willingness to answer questions.
• Skipping usability testing. Design ends with “approved by client”, the site launches — and turns out users can’t find the order button. Fix: test on 5–7 respondents BEFORE coding starts.

Modern UI/UX trends worth attention in 2025–2026

UI/UX evolves alongside technology and user behaviour. Here are directions I apply in projects for businesses in Kharkiv and beyond:

• Accessibility-first. WCAG 2.1 AA isn’t a “bonus” anymore but a requirement — legally mandatory in the EU. If you’re planning to export from the Kharkiv region — accessibility is non-optional.
• Dark mode by default. 40%+ of users use dark theme. Sites are designed for both modes from the start.
• Microinteractions. Small animations that give the interface “liveliness” and signal system state. Without overuse — only where they help the user.
• AI-driven personalisation. The interface adapts to user behaviour — recommendations, dynamic navigation, smart defaults.
• Speed as a feature. Loading speed is part of UX. Design is optimised for Core Web Vitals.
• Mobile-first, not “mobile-friendly”. These are different approaches: mobile-first means the mobile version is primary, not an “adaptation” of desktop.
• Privacy by design. GDPR compliance is built into the architecture itself, not “bolted on later”.

Cases: UI/UX for businesses in Kharkiv and across Ukraine

My portfolio includes 130+ projects. Among them — interfaces for Ukrainian and international SaaS products, corporate portals, mobile apps, e-commerce platforms. I’ve worked with Kharkiv companies, with clients from Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, and also from the USA (New York, Los Angeles) and Europe. This lets me see how a local Kharkiv business can compete with national and international players — and how UI/UX specifically becomes a tool of that competition.

If you want concrete examples — go to the “Projects” section or get in touch via the contact form: I’ll pick 5–10 most relevant cases for your niche and show not just final screens but the working process — research, wireframes, prototypes, testing results.

What you receive after the UI/UX project ends

• Figma file with full design system: tokens (colours, typography, spacing), components, variants, patterns.
• Hi-fidelity mockups of all screens in three layouts: mobile (375 px), tablet (768 px), desktop (1440 px).
• Clickable Figma prototype for stakeholder demos, investors, or testing.
• User flows and sitemap in Figma or Miro — so you and your team understand product logic.
• Usability testing report: issues found, recommendations, session recordings (with respondent permission).
• Dev-specs for development: Figma dev mode, exported assets (SVG, PNG), state and animation annotations, video guides.
• Rights transfer: all source files become your property.
• Post-launch support: 30 days for questions, minor revisions, technical consultations free of charge.

My other services for businesses in Kharkiv

UI/UX design is part of a product ecosystem. If you’re planning a serious digital launch or redesign, a complex approach is worth considering:

• Web development — from a landing page to a full corporate site or e-commerce.
• Mobile app design — native iOS/Android interfaces.
• Mobile development — implementing the design in React Native or natively.
• Branding and logo design — so the site design becomes part of a cohesive visual system.
• UX audit — quick assessment of the existing site with concrete recommendations.
• Conversion optimisation — A/B tests, analytics, iterative funnel improvements.
• CRM/ERP/SaaS design — complex B2B interfaces for internal systems.
• E-commerce — specialised online stores with full catalogue and cart.
• Product strategy — positioning and roadmap before design starts.
• SEO — so your brand can be found in search in Kharkiv and the region.

UI/UX design in other Ukrainian cities

I work not only with businesses from the Kharkiv region. If you have offices in several cities or are planning regional expansion — we’ll build a system that scales. Among other locations I actively work with:

• Kyiv — national brands, IT companies, chains.
• Lviv — creative business, gastronomy, IT.
• Odesa — retail, tourism, e-commerce.
• Dnipro — manufacturing, B2B, technology companies.
• Kharkiv — IT, education, engineering.

Full list of locations on the “Service Areas” page.

Ready to discuss UI/UX design for your Kharkiv business?

If you have a specific request — fill in the contact form or write to email/Telegram (contacts in the website footer). The first consultation is free, up to 60 minutes long. We’ll discuss your business, product goals, approximate budget and timeline. If you have an existing site — I’ll do a quick express review and show 3–5 issues you can fix immediately, even before a full redesign.

I’m ready to design an interface for your business in Kharkiv that works: reduces drop-offs, increases conversion, retains users for years. Not just a “pretty Figma file” but a working product tool, built on research, validated with real users, and ready to launch.