Experience Design for Ever-Evolving Digital Landscapes — always holistic, AI integrated, and hands-on.
Simon Reif is a freelance UX Designer and Product Design Lead for digital products, platforms and services.
About Simon Reif
For over 15 years, I've shaped digital products at the intersection of design and technology. I combine research, conception and prototyping into well-crafted UX solutions — from strategic direction to testable designs. My background in interface design and software development ensures that the result isn't just interfaces, but detailed, coherent product experiences.
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I work for clients in culture, business and the public sector – as an embedded part of agile product teams, as a design lead, in an advisory role, or with a full project mandate. Larger projects are delivered together with partners from my specialist network.
My diploma in Design and Technology from the Technische Hochschule Lübeck and studies at the Zurich University of the Arts have fundamentally shaped my approach.
A large part of my work is under NDA and can't be shown publicly here. For a closer look, feel free to get in touch: hello@simonreif.com
Selected Cases
Robin Alexander: Political Journalism
RIMOWA Electronic Tag
Zentrale Stelle Verpackungsregister
ARD Mediathek
Services & Craft
UX Strategy, Research & Testing
I analyse existing products, conduct usability audits, interview real users and test assumptions — with methods that deliver concrete results within days. This way, insights feed into development early, before costly corrections become necessary.
UX Conception
With years of experience, I bring structure to digital products — whether greenfield or evolving existing products. I define information architecture, user flows and concept documentation. The result is well-considered flows and UI designs that can be quickly iterated as prototypes — long before the first line of code is written.
Prototyping
Ideas only become tangible when you can try them out. I build interactive prototypes that feel like real products — from simple click models to detailed designs. This allows concepts to be tested early with real users and well-founded decisions to be made.
Customer Experience
I make visible how customers interact with a company across all touchpoints and channels, from the first contact to the service afterwards. This leads to a shared strategy for experiences that convince customers and simplify and optimise internal processes.
Fractional Leadership, Team Building & Mentorship
I bring long-standing conceptual and UX design expertise into agile product teams, ensure shared alignment, offer co-creation and guide implementation. Whether as a dedicated part of the team, in an advisory role, or as a fractional design lead delivering strategic design leadership without requiring a full-time position.
New project?
Let's talk!
New business / project inquiry
hello@simonreif.com
Available for projects in the tri-border area between Freiburg, Basel and Zurich, in the north between Hamburg and Berlin – and remote everywhere.
FAQ
What does Simon Reif do?
Simon Reif is a freelance UX Designer and Product Design Lead with over 15 years of experience. He shapes digital products, platforms and services – from UX strategy and research through conception to interactive prototypes and complete implementation. He has built large digital platforms for major corporations as well as for mid-sized companies (SMEs) and startups.
Which regions does Simon Reif work in?
He works for clients in the tri-border area between Freiburg, Basel and Zurich as well as in the north between Hamburg and Berlin – and remotely anywhere, depending on the project.
What services does Simon Reif offer?
UX strategy, research & testing, UX conception, product design, prototyping and customer experience – plus fractional design leadership, team building and mentoring for agile product teams. For larger projects, I assemble a complete digital creative team.
Does Simon Reif work remotely?
Yes. Besides on-site projects in southern Germany, Switzerland and northern Germany, he collaborates with teams remotely from anywhere.
Will we get the same quality with a small team or freelancer as with a large agency?
Yes – and usually with more feeling for the subject. Cultural projects, for example, thrive on attitude, context and a distinct signature, not on standardised processes. In large structures, much of that gets lost in coordination loops and intermediate layers. A small, experienced team works directly with your institution, understands the substantive ambition and stays close to the idea and the audience – you talk to the people who actually do the work.
Isn't a small team or freelancer a risk for demanding projects – an exhibition, festival or relaunch?
Not if it's set up the right way. What used to require ten people, three departments and five rounds of revisions can today be kicked off, prototyped and made visible quickly with a few experienced minds. For specific trades, a specialist network is brought in deliberately. That keeps budget and responsibility in one place, and a larger share of the funds flows into what is ultimately visible, instead of into overhead.
How can you contact Simon Reif?
Best via email at hello@simonreif.com. A large part of the work is under NDA and is shown on request.
Elsewhere
Network
Normkit, Michael Großklaus, Frank Gruber, Michael Raba, waf.gmbh, Line Andermark, Henning Lüdeke, Henning Thies, Nils Maier, Oliver Habboub, Malte Müller, Andreas Lexa, Studio Sukha, Juno
