My Role at Telia

(2021-2025)

I joined Telia in 2021 as a UX Designer, initially working on Smart Control (IoT app) from concept to launch. After Telia’s restructuring, I also took over MyTelia, one of the company’s core apps.

Currently, I own UX for Smart Control & MyTelia, serving 500K+ users across 6 countries. I also contributed to internal tools, UX mentorship, and the Telia App Guidelines, now used across 12 apps.

Key Achievements

  • Automated Install Flow, reducing setup time by 35% (~4 minutes faster) and boosting activation rates by 20%. Case Study Link

  • Co-developed Telia App Guidelines, now used across 12 apps for a consistent design system.

  • Improved user engagement, doubling app ratings from 2.2 to 4.6 through a structured Feedback Collection funnel (+1,000 new reviews).

  • Optimised UX based on data, improving task completion rates, reducing churn, and enhancing retention.

4 years at Telia as a Senior Product Designer

4 years at Telia as a Senior Product Designer

4 years at Telia as a Senior Product Designer

Smart Control - IoT & Connectivity App

I joined Telia in 2021 as the first full-time UX hire for a newly formed team focused on improving connectivity, IoT, and WiFi management through a native app. It was a small team with a big vision—creating a seamless digital experience for Telia users.

At the start, I collaborated with two senior UX designers from Daresay agency. Just two months in, I took full ownership of UX. I introduced UX workshops, contributed to product strategy, and advocated for usability testing—both in labs and with real users. Every decision was driven by research and data.

One year in, we launched our MVP. The timeline stretched due to technical dependencies, but the extra time allowed us to refine the experience. During the scale-up phase, I conducted extensive research on feature adoption, activation rates, and other key metrics. I also played a role in localization, helping launch the app in five countries. Today, it has over 300K users.

While I had the support of Telia’s UX guild and occasional input from other UXers, most of the work—from strategy to execution—was in my hands. That level of ownership gave me the freedom to shape the product while ensuring every decision was rooted in user needs.

One of the biggest challenges—and achievements—was designing the automated install flow, which solved a major issue for Telia. (Full case study here: Link)

Challenges & Pain-Points

Challenges &
Pain-Points

Design System for Apps

One of the challenges during my time at Telia was the lack of a dedicated design system for native apps. The existing system was heavily web-focused, and frequent branding shifts made consistency even more difficult. While I wasn’t leading the effort, I contributed alongside other UXers, the Branding Team, and an external agency to help shape a more structured design system for mobile. This work laid the groundwork for better consistency and scalability across Telia’s app ecosystem.

UX Team

Another challenge was the lack of a dedicated UX structure within my team. Unlike other areas in Telia that had established UX guilds, I had no direct UX leadership above me. While I collaborated with UXers from other teams and we occasionally brought in external experts for short-term projects, the responsibility for leading all UX activities ultimately fell on me. Stepping into this role as a mid-level designer was a challenge, but it pushed me to strengthen my weaker areas, take ownership, and grow into a senior role through hands-on experience.

Technical Dependencies

Technical dependencies were a constant challenge. Vendor software limitations often blocked our efforts to automate key processes, even when user research confirmed the need for change. In a large organization, some things were simply out of our hands. It was frustrating to have solid solutions but no way to implement them. Instead of staying stuck, we worked around the constraints—finding temporary fixes and adapting our approach until we could roll out the full solution later. This experience taught me the importance of flexibility—focusing on what can be done instead of what can’t.

🙏

Feedback from Manager, Tech Lead, Devs

— Aleksas is an excellent UX designer. After more than 3 years working together I'm still impressed how much effort he puts into making seamless and intuitive user interfaces. He is always open for our input and quickly makes necessary iterations to help us overcome technical limitations or challenges. Moreover, Aleksas takes it a step further by collaborating with project managers on shaping our products future. I think it's safe to say that he is one of the key people to Smart Control project. Keep up the good work :)

— Apart from being a great designer, Aleksas also possesses strong leadership skills, often taking on the role of a middleman between business and the projects he's involved in. In addition to working on his assigned projects during his time at Telia, Aleksas voluntarily contributed to the creation of an internal TGSL parking app, participated in Front Lab activities, and supported UX on Telia's National IT Challenge project. Overall, he's a great professional who have contributed to Telia's UX a lot.

— Aleksas consistently, taking many extra steps to ensure the success of our projects. His proactive approach and willingness to take on new initiatives have been invaluable. His support for product management and ability to work seamlessly with the team have greatly contributed to our collaborative success. Efforts in bridging gaps and fostering communication are highly appreciated. Aleksas innovative ideas have brought fresh perspectives to our project, creativity and forward-thinking approach have significantly enhanced our design and outcomes.

hello@aleksasrusnak.com

hello@aleksasrusnak.com

Vilnius, Lithuania

+37065041454

hello@aleksasrusnak.com

Vilnius, Lithuania

+37065041454