Available Now

Mark de Bruin

Freelance designer helping small teams build useful, reliable software.

For over a decade I’ve helped boost conversion rates, reduce customer churn, successfully launch redesigns, and more.

→ More about me

↓ Featured work

What I can do for you

Looking to survive, thrive, or stand-out? I can help you with that.

Microscope icon Icon used for decoration

Research is essential when building software. For some it’s lots of documentation, diagrams and meetings. Not for me; too much guesswork. Instead, I use research to quickly move into the creation phase. By building, testing, and gathering real feedback early, we can adapt and create solutions that truly work.

Statistics up icon Icon used for decoration

Product strategy provides context and sets a clear direction. I help uncover your customers’ contexts and their desired outcomes, then work with you to decide what to build and why. By focusing on real problems and simplicity, we can make smarter decisions and ship what truly matters faster.

Layout icon Icon used for decoration

Product design thrives on team work, blending customer needs, business goals, and technical constraints. Through close collaboration we quickly turn insights into prototypes. This way we can iterate on real feedback resulting in impactful, technically feasible solutions.

Code icon Icon used for decoration

Front-end development or front-of-the-front-end to be more specific. I love working directly with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. By iterating with real code and data in the browser, I solve often overlooked problems. Like janky, sluggish, and inaccessible interfaces and time-consuming developer handoffs.


Returnless

Helping online stores get their returns in check.

I mainly worked on a redesign of the onboarding. The old flow was frustrating for users. It was incomplete, skipped key steps, and had dead ends. All new customers required hands-on demos with customer success. To get tenants to take their return form live themselves, I first streamlined the account creation. Then, I added a new Get Started page with clear steps towards going live. And finally, I updated pages with better defaults and to-do cards to guide the users. Early results show new customers going live 40% faster.

Besides working on the onboarding, I also tackled lots of design debt across the product, improving both UI and UX. I updated lots of features on existing pages — big and small. And I designed new concepts for key flows such as connecting e-com integrations and the return detail page.

Get started onboarding screen Embed form card Return page on phone in lady’s hand Return page on iPad mini

Equippo

Online marketplace for used construction equipment.

I helped boost the revenue per employee to new heights by collaborating with internal stakeholders. Though many iterations, we improved workflows and the back office. The product team greatly reduced human error by automating tasks, and I simplified interfaces to the user’s exact needs. As a result, operations, sales and accounting got a productivity increase up to 1100%.

My designs increased conversions up to 300% for the public website. Mostly with the help of Hotjar and analytics. I also lead the redesign project to success. Better UIs and double the performance greatly improved our customer experience. And by finishing designs with Tailwind CSS in React, I helped the team ship features 2× as fast.

Equippo cover image Catalogue Random cards and modals in a grid Account overview phone Account listing phone

Outliny

Tattoo bookings made easy for artists and clients.

Outliny was my idea for a SaaS product. I started with interviews and desk research. I used the results to map out the Jobs-to-be-Done. With a clear overview of the contexts and desired outcomes, I came up with a solution: A form builder that sends the artist everything they need in a formatted email.

I launched a landing page to validate my concept by collecting emails of interested artists. I also shared prototypes with a few people. Unfortunately, it became clear that there was insufficient demand.

Outliny project header image Email capture screen Landing page mobile
Logo Stratzat Logo used for decoration
Working with Mark was a pleasure. He’s organised, efficient, and consistently delivers high-quality work. He ensures his solutions are strategically sound, and has a strong technical understanding of UX/UI implementation.”
Picture of Jasper

Jasper den Ouden
Product Strategy, UX & Co-founder

Logo Returnless Logo as decoration
Mark was far more than just “the designer”, he was a true partner in building products, consistently elevating the quality and pace of our work. He not only crafts great experiences but also ensures they get built the right way.”
Picture of Jelle

Jelle Spekken
Head of Technology

Logo Nusio Logo as decoration
Mark helped us set up a professional product team. He has an eye for detail, is thoughtful and very critical. What I found remarkable was how he kept both the business and user needs in consideration with every decision.”
Picture of Vijay

Vijay Durán Jiménez
CEO & Product Owner

Logo Equippo Logo as decoration
Mark’s designs were always backed up by data and impactful for both our customers and the company. His broad range of skills, from product strategy to development, make him a force multiplier for any product team.”
Picture of Doménico

Doménico Schwalb
Chief Product Officer