Hamed Abdulsalam

Leading UX design and research across NSF-funded science gateway projects, translating complex scientific workflows into accessible digital experiences for researchers worldwide.

• Led a usability overhaul of the Interactive Outbreak Simulator (epiENGAGE), growing its scientist user base from 100+ to 800+ and simulation completion from 2 in 10 to 9 in 10.
• Established user research frameworks and discovery processes, embedding evidence-based design into teams unfamiliar with UX practice.
• Conducted interviews, usability testing and co-design sessions with scientists across disciplines to surface unmet needs.
• Designed user journey maps, workflows and interface prototypes to simplify access to complex computational research tools.
• Advocated for accessibility and inclusive design across gateway platforms, aligning with WCAG standards.

Led user research and design for Oxfam GB's donation flow, part of a digital fundraising experience relied on by 10 million+ donors.

• Raised donation form completion from 18% to 72% by redesigning the "reason for donating" step, grounded in personas, competitor analysis and moderated usability testing.
• Diagnosed and fixed a post-launch regression that had silently stopped in-memory and legacy donations, restoring over £1M in that donation category.
• Lifted user satisfaction score from 20% to 70%, with 9 in 10 donors preferring the redesign in evaluation.
• Recruited and ran moderated usability testing sessions with real donors via ASKABLE, Zoom and Teams.

Spearheaded user research to design an end-to-end onboarding platform for aspiring designers.

• Designed and launched a digital onboarding platform improving the experience for 1,000+ new designers.
• Built and governed a design system unifying visual language and interaction patterns across products.
• Facilitated research-informed mentoring for 200+ junior and self-taught designers.
• Increased platform sales by 60% through continuous, evidence-based optimization.

Partnered with startup founders across Ventures Platform's portfolio to turn early-stage ideas into validated digital products through user research and UX design.

• Supported 8+ portfolio startups through discovery research and customer interviews, validating product concepts and identifying market opportunities.
• Designed a SaaS portfolio management tool spanning stocks, crypto and forex, making complex data legible for non-technical retail investors.
• Designed end-to-end experiences, from user flows and wireframes to high-fidelity prototypes, accelerating MVP development and securing investor demos.
• Facilitated usability testing and built personas, journey maps and service blueprints to guide evidence-based product decisions.

Shaped brand identity and interface design for Clevify, a mobile learning app.

Leading 300+ professionals across the charity, public and health sectors, advocating for UX, accessibility and inclusivity.

Purdue University

Birmingham City University