jakubkrnac
As a UX/UI designer with a passion for physical product design, 3D design, music production, and embedded electronics, I’ve explored various creative disciplines over the years. Through multiple design projects, I’ve discovered that my true passion lies in the latter stage of the design process - when concepts transition into tangible designs, and the physical form starts to emerge. I enjoy experimenting with materials, shapes, sizes, tactile qualities, and aesthetics, and I feel most fulfilled when an idea becomes something that can be seen, touched, and experienced.
projects
Product design for Panomio As a product designer at Panomio, I am responsible for the full user experience and visual identity of the product. I work across the entire app, including both the dashboard and the course authoring builder. As the only product designer, I lead the design work in close collaboration with the product owner, aligning decisions to ensure the product meets both user and business needs. I conduct user research, design user flows and components, and work closely with developers throughout the process, receiving continuous feedback on technical implementation. Alongside this, I manage and develop the design system and design the website and promotional materials to ensure a consistent and cohesive product experience. I find it deeply rewarding to improve the product every day, making it easier to use, and continuously strengthen my design skills. professional experience
Hybrid prototyping exploration This thesis explores a hybrid prototyping approach for functional prototyping, aimed at lowering technical barriers for interaction design students and recent graduates. The platform separates physical input from software logic, allowing microcontrollers to handle sensing while a browser based application manages interaction and media. Developed through material exploration and iterative prototyping, the platform was evaluated by replicating and extending a previously developed audio sampler. User testing compared the hybrid platform to a traditional embedded workflow, revealing that the hybrid platform supported faster iteration, clearer debugging, and greater accessibility for non-experts. The findings suggest that such a setup is well suited for early-stage design work, where flexibility and speed are essential. While the platform may not replace embedded systems in all contexts, it offers a compelling alternative for creative prototyping in education and exploratory design. individual thesis project · 5 months · 2025 · project report · design process
Audio sampler This project successfully developed a functional audio sampler, similar to commercial models, while providing insights into their design and functionality. Although the prototype closely resembles existing products, it helped uncover the rationale behind common design choices, which are often undisclosed by manufacturers. Through testing multiple interfaces, I identified the most effective interactions for sample recording, manipulation, and playback. Additionally, the project deepened my understanding of real-time audio processing, embedded electronics, and interaction design, revealing the technical complexities involved. individual project · 2 months · 2024 · project report · design process
Shaping sound This project explored the development of an interactive, collaborative music-making ecosystem designed for novices, using four primitive-shaped objects that influence the soundscape in unique ways. Findings indicate that the system's interdependent design fosters an intuitive learning experience, enabling non-musicians to engage enjoyably and grasp its mechanics within minutes, even without instructions. Participants demonstrated the ability to map specific configurations to outputs, with rounded shapes being easier to interpret. My responsibilities were to develop the technical infrastructure, including hardware wiring, coding, and all necessary software setup. I took the lead in designing the interactive objects, with some contributions from my groupmates, and handled the laser cutting. Since the assembly process was particularly challenging, the entire group participated in putting the objects together. group project · 1 month · 2024 · demo video
Haptic media browsing interface This research aimed to design a non-visual interface in order to simplify music library navigation in cars using haptic rotary dials. The prototype incorporated artificial haptic detents and sounds, allowing users to navigate through the library. Three different interaction approaches were tested, from which only one was shown to be usable. The prototype's design and assembly involved experimenting with dial sizes and haptic patterns. The final prototype avoided visual affordances to prevent unnecessary behavior expectations. Overall, this research offers a potential solution to reduce driver’s distraction and improve music library interaction in personal vehicles. individual project · 1 month · 2023 · project report
Gallery In my free time I like to design artifacts and scenes of things that I find pretty, whether it is furniture, common objects or anything else.
hard skills
Figma Logic Pro Blender Webflow FreeCAD Arduino Raspberry Pi EasyEDA HTML CSS Adobe Illustrator Adobe Photoshop Adobe InDesign JavaScript TypeScript Flutter C Dart PHP SQL Git