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Alex Sviryda
Product Designer at Propeller
Posted on 19 Mar, 2026
What tools do you use to help you design?
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How did you get started in your role?
My journey started in school where I built my design foundations, followed by an internship at an ad agency. A pivotal moment was participating in a startup weekend workshop, where you build something from scratch in 54 hours. After graduating, I was juggling part-time work at both an ad agency and a startup, and ultimately chose to go full-time with the startup because the work I was doing there resonated with me the most.
How do you incorporate the apps in your design process?
What's exciting about being a designer right now is how many tools exist to help us move faster. I lean heavily on Claude Code, Visual Studio Code, and Cursor to prototype my vision, which helps get faster alignment, uncover edge cases, and tell the story more effectively. Since we're fully remote, I also use Descript and Screen Studio to share work asynchronously through video. Figma has essentially become my sketchbook where I work through early mockups and ideas before moving into prototyping.
What books do you recommend?
What are the responsibilities of your role?
As a product designer at Shopify, my core focus is reducing the complexity and friction merchants face in their day-to-day operations. Right now, that looks like simplifying fulfillment workflows like reviewing address errors and flagging fraud. My role spans the full journey: researching merchant pain points and data to deeply understand the problem, then crafting the experience and solution alongside the team that brings it to life.
What difficulties do you encounter in your role?
The most common challenge is delivering great work under tight timelines. Working at a larger company also means more alignment across cross-functional teams, and because Shopify is one large ecosystem, there are a lot of dependencies between teams that you have to navigate.
What advice would you give to your younger self trying to get into the field of design?
Two things: never stop learning, and don't neglect your soft skills. The more you genuinely invest in learning, the faster you'll be able to pick up and apply new skills throughout your career. And while it's easy to let communication skills slip in a remote environment, being a strong storyteller and being able to clearly explain your decisions is just as important as the craft itself.
Do you have any regrets in your journey in becoming a designer?
Honestly, I love being a designer and have no regrets. That said, if I could give my younger self one warning, it would be to watch out for burnout. Designers are expected to be creative constantly and in tech, that bar is even higher. With AI in the mix now, the responsibilities keep growing. So be patient and gentle with yourself along the way.
As a designer how do you stay inspired?
Design doesn't just live online and that's easy to forget. I stay inspired by going offline: visiting museums, experiencing live events, working with my hands, and spending time with the people I love. Stepping away from the screen is often where I can recharge my creative thinking.
