How I Work
I design for clarity: for the people using a product, and for the teams building it
Six short articles on how I design, lead, and ship, with extra screens to show the range.
Foundations
Scales, roles, type, space, radius
Color
Four brand scales and four status colors. Each scale has 11 steps, so every role has room to move.
Primary
Brand and actions
50
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
950
Neutral
Text, surfaces, borders
50
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
950
Secondary
Warm emphasis
50
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
950
Accent
Highlights and delight
50
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
950
Status
Feedback and alerts
Success 50 · 500 · 700
Warning 50 · 500 · 700
Danger 50 · 500 · 700
Info 50 · 500 · 700
Roles
Action
primary/600
Action hover
primary/700
Focus ring
primary/300
Text
neutral/900
Secondary text
neutral/600
Border
neutral/200
Surface
neutral/50
Emphasis
secondary/500
Highlight
accent/300
Type
Clear headings
Type/24 Semi Bold
Body text that stays easy to read
Type/17 Regular
Labels and captions
Type/13 Medium
Space
8
16
24
32
40
56
Radius
6
8
12
24
Design systems
Built to scale
How I build design systems that stay consistent as products and teams grow.
Read article →
Problem framing
One page, before any design
1
The request
"Add a dashboard to the home screen."
2
Who is struggling
Team leads who check three tools every morning.
3
What they are trying to do
Know what needs attention before the day starts.
4
What success looks like
Faster mornings and fewer missed items.
5
Constraints
Existing data, a two-week window, shared components.
6
Assumptions to test
People want one list. Priority is clear from the label.
Reframed
How might we help team leads see what needs attention first?
UX problem solving
Start with the question
How I frame a problem before I design, and test the riskiest assumptions early.
Read article →
Three layers of success
Sample measures
Outcomes
Did it get easier?
Task completion time
Error rate
Behavior
Are people coming back?
Adoption over time
Repeat use
Quality
Does it hold up?
Consistency across screens
Accessibility checks passed
Before design: agree on measures
After launch: review and learn
Measuring success
Beyond shipped
How I agree on success with product and engineering before design starts.
Read article →
How a critique runs
1
Share context
The designer states the problem and who it is for.
→
2
Questions first
The team asks before giving opinions.
→
3
Options
Two or three directions are explored out loud.
→
4
Decide and assign
One decision, one owner.
→
5
Written follow-up
A short note captures what was decided.
Where it happens
Team critique
Designers share work early and learn from each other.
Cross-functional design review
Product, engineering, and sometimes clients decide together.
Engineering check-in
Feasibility and quality stay aligned before, during, and after design.
Leading a team
Raising the bar, together
How I lead through questions, critique, and shared decisions.
Read article →
Specs
Button
1
Padding
space-20 sides, space-12 top and bottom
2
Radius
radius-8
3
Text and fill
Type/15 Medium on surface/inverse
States
Button
Default
Button
Hover
Button
Disabled
Button
Default
Button
Hover
Button
Disabled
Each state is its own variant, named the same way every time.
Handoff notes
Behavior
Disabled until the form is valid
Edge cases
Long labels truncate after 2 lines
Accessibility
Focus ring is visible on keyboard navigation
Layers
Button
Style=Primary, State=Default
Style=Primary, State=Hover
Style=Primary, State=Disabled
Style=Secondary, State=Default
Working with engineering
A shared language
How I hand off designs so any stakeholder can build from them.
Read article →
Where AI fits in my process
My workflow
I lead
Frame the problem
Who is struggling, and why.
→
AI assists
Research
Summaries and themes, checked against sources.
→
AI assists
Ideate
Many options, fast. I choose.
→
I lead
Design and decide
Trade-offs and craft are mine.
→
AI assists
Validate
Pressure-test ideas and find gaps.
→
I lead
Ship and review
Work with engineering and own the result.
AI helps with the first pass. The framing, the decisions, and the accountability stay with me.
AI in my work
Using AI wisely
How I use AI to work faster and more efficiently, without relying on it blindly.
Read article →
Product design leader. Design functions,
systems, and products for complex SaaS.
Case Studies
Web design system
Native design system
Unified Inbox
AI capability
About
About
How I Work
Résumé
Contact
aln.dohotaru@gmail.com
© 2026 Alina Dohotaru
Visuals are original illustrations and do not depict proprietary product screens.
How I Work
I design for clarity: for the people using a product, and for the teams building it
Six short articles on how I design, lead, and ship, with extra screens to show the range.
Foundations
Scales, roles, type, space, radius
Color
Four brand scales and four status colors. Each scale has 11 steps, so every role has room to move.
Primary
Brand and actions
50
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
950
Neutral
Text, surfaces, borders
50
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
950
Secondary
Warm emphasis
50
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
950
Accent
Highlights and delight
50
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
950
Status
Feedback and alerts
Success 50 · 500 · 700
Warning 50 · 500 · 700
Danger 50 · 500 · 700
Info 50 · 500 · 700
Roles
Action
primary/600
Action hover
primary/700
Focus ring
primary/300
Text
neutral/900
Secondary text
neutral/600
Border
neutral/200
Surface
neutral/50
Emphasis
secondary/500
Highlight
accent/300
Type
Clear headings
Type/24 Semi Bold
Body text that stays easy to read
Type/17 Regular
Labels and captions
Type/13 Medium
Space
8
16
24
32
40
56
Radius
6
8
12
24
Design systems
Built to scale
How I build design systems that stay consistent as products and teams grow.
Read article →
Problem framing
One page, before any design
1
The request
"Add a dashboard to the home screen."
2
Who is struggling
Team leads who check three tools every morning.
3
What they are trying to do
Know what needs attention before the day starts.
4
What success looks like
Faster mornings and fewer missed items.
5
Constraints
Existing data, a two-week window, shared components.
6
Assumptions to test
People want one list. Priority is clear from the label.
Reframed
How might we help team leads see what needs attention first?
UX problem solving
Start with the question
How I frame a problem before I design, and test the riskiest assumptions early.
Read article →
Three layers of success
Sample measures
Outcomes
Did it get easier?
Task completion time
Error rate
Behavior
Are people coming back?
Adoption over time
Repeat use
Quality
Does it hold up?
Consistency across screens
Accessibility checks passed
Before design: agree on measures
After launch: review and learn
Measuring success
Beyond shipped
How I agree on success with product and engineering before design starts.
Read article →
How a critique runs
1
Share context
The designer states the problem and who it is for.
→
2
Questions first
The team asks before giving opinions.
→
3
Options
Two or three directions are explored out loud.
→
4
Decide and assign
One decision, one owner.
→
5
Written follow-up
A short note captures what was decided.
Where it happens
Team critique
Designers share work early and learn from each other.
Cross-functional design review
Product, engineering, and sometimes clients decide together.
Engineering check-in
Feasibility and quality stay aligned before, during, and after design.
Leading a team
Raising the bar, together
How I lead through questions, critique, and shared decisions.
Read article →
Specs
Button
1
Padding
space-20 sides, space-12 top and bottom
2
Radius
radius-8
3
Text and fill
Type/15 Medium on surface/inverse
States
Button
Default
Button
Hover
Button
Disabled
Button
Default
Button
Hover
Button
Disabled
Each state is its own variant, named the same way every time.
Handoff notes
Behavior
Disabled until the form is valid
Edge cases
Long labels truncate after 2 lines
Accessibility
Focus ring is visible on keyboard navigation
Layers
Button
Style=Primary, State=Default
Style=Primary, State=Hover
Style=Primary, State=Disabled
Style=Secondary, State=Default
Working with engineering
A shared language
How I hand off designs so any stakeholder can build from them.
Read article →
Where AI fits in my process
My workflow
I lead
Frame the problem
Who is struggling, and why.
→
AI assists
Research
Summaries and themes, checked against sources.
→
AI assists
Ideate
Many options, fast. I choose.
→
I lead
Design and decide
Trade-offs and craft are mine.
→
AI assists
Validate
Pressure-test ideas and find gaps.
→
I lead
Ship and review
Work with engineering and own the result.
AI helps with the first pass. The framing, the decisions, and the accountability stay with me.
AI in my work
Using AI wisely
How I use AI to work faster and more efficiently, without relying on it blindly.
Read article →
Product design leader. Design functions,
systems, and products for complex SaaS.
Case Studies
Web design system
Native design system
Unified Inbox
AI capability
About
About
How I Work
Résumé
Contact
aln.dohotaru@gmail.com
© 2026 Alina Dohotaru
Visuals are original illustrations and do not depict proprietary product screens.
How I Work
I design for clarity: for the people using a product, and for the teams building it
Six short articles on how I design, lead, and ship, with extra screens to show the range.
Foundations
Scales, roles, type, space, radius
Color
Four brand scales and four status colors. Each scale has 11 steps, so every role has room to move.
Primary
Brand and actions
50
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
950
Neutral
Text, surfaces, borders
50
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
950
Secondary
Warm emphasis
50
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
950
Accent
Highlights and delight
50
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
950
Status
Feedback and alerts
Success 50 · 500 · 700
Warning 50 · 500 · 700
Danger 50 · 500 · 700
Info 50 · 500 · 700
Roles
Action
primary/600
Action hover
primary/700
Focus ring
primary/300
Text
neutral/900
Secondary text
neutral/600
Border
neutral/200
Surface
neutral/50
Emphasis
secondary/500
Highlight
accent/300
Type
Clear headings
Type/24 Semi Bold
Body text that stays easy to read
Type/17 Regular
Labels and captions
Type/13 Medium
Space
8
16
24
32
40
56
Radius
6
8
12
24
Design systems
Built to scale
How I build design systems that stay consistent as products and teams grow
Read article →
Problem framing
One page, before any design
1
The request
"Add a dashboard to the home screen."
2
Who is struggling
Team leads who check three tools every morning.
3
What they are trying to do
Know what needs attention before the day starts.
4
What success looks like
Faster mornings and fewer missed items.
5
Constraints
Existing data, a two-week window, shared components.
6
Assumptions to test
People want one list. Priority is clear from the label.
Reframed
How might we help team leads see what needs attention first?
UX problem solving
Start with the question
How I frame a problem before I design, and test the riskiest assumptions early
Read article →
Three layers of success
Sample measures
Outcomes
Did it get easier?
Task completion time
Error rate
Behavior
Are people coming back?
Adoption over time
Repeat use
Quality
Does it hold up?
Consistency across screens
Accessibility checks passed
Before design: agree on measures
After launch: review and learn
Measuring success
Beyond shipped
How I agree on success with product and engineering before design starts
Read article →
How a critique runs
1
Share context
The designer states the problem and who it is for.
→
2
Questions first
The team asks before giving opinions.
→
3
Options
Two or three directions are explored out loud.
→
4
Decide and assign
One decision, one owner.
→
5
Written follow-up
A short note captures what was decided.
Where it happens
Team critique
Designers share work early and learn from each other.
Cross-functional design review
Product, engineering, and sometimes clients decide together.
Engineering check-in
Feasibility and quality stay aligned before, during, and after design.
Leading a team
Raising the bar, together
How I lead a team through questions, regular critique, and shared decisions
Read article →
Specs
Button
1
Padding
space-20 sides, space-12 top and bottom
2
Radius
radius-8
3
Text and fill
Type/15 Medium on surface/inverse
States
Button
Default
Button
Hover
Button
Disabled
Button
Default
Button
Hover
Button
Disabled
Each state is its own variant, named the same way every time.
Handoff notes
Behavior
Disabled until the form is valid
Edge cases
Long labels truncate after 2 lines
Accessibility
Focus ring is visible on keyboard navigation
Layers
Button
Style=Primary, State=Default
Style=Primary, State=Hover
Style=Primary, State=Disabled
Style=Secondary, State=Default
Working with engineering
A shared language
How I document and hand off designs so any stakeholder can build from them
Read article →
Where AI fits in my process
My workflow
I lead
Frame the problem
Who is struggling, and why.
→
AI assists
Research
Summaries and themes, checked against sources.
→
AI assists
Ideate
Many options, fast. I choose.
→
I lead
Design and decide
Trade-offs and craft are mine.
→
AI assists
Validate
Pressure-test ideas and find gaps.
→
I lead
Ship and review
Work with engineering and own the result.
AI helps with the first pass. The framing, the decisions, and the accountability stay with me.
AI in my work
Using AI wisely
How I use AI to work faster and more efficiently, without relying on it blindly
Read article →
Let’s talk
Questions, collaborations, or just to say hello.
Product design leader. Design functions,
systems, and products for complex SaaS.
Case Studies
Web design system
Native design system
Unified Inbox
AI capability
About
About
How I Work
Résumé
Contact
aln.dohotaru@gmail.com
© 2026 Alina Dohotaru
Visuals are original illustrations and do not depict proprietary product screens.