Ovidiu Olaru

Zurich, Switzerland

+41 79 518 85 47

contact@ovidiuolaru.com

Profile
Experience Design Leader
AI, R&D & Complex Systems

Experience design leader working at the intersection of R&D, AI and complex systems.

I design and prototype end-to-end experiences across physical products, software and human workflows, translating emerging technologies into usable systems.

Currently leading experience design in clinical equipment R&D, focusing on AI-assisted design workflows, synthetic user validation and system-level interaction models.

I work closely with engineering, clinical and business teams to define problem spaces, align decisions and make complex systems actionable.

Why On AI Lab

I’ve spent the last years designing for systems where failure has real-world consequences.

This requires synthetic validation, AI-assisted workflows and end-to-end ecosystem thinking as part of the delivery process, not as experimentation.

The AI Lab’s focus on defining future experiences aligns directly with how I approach design, exploring interaction models before they become products.

Professional Experience
Senior UX Manager
Equipment Ecosystem, R&D
Dentsply Sirona, Zurich·Aug 2024 – Present

Define experience strategy across clinical equipment ecosystems spanning hardware, embedded software and procedural workflows

Implement AI-assisted design workflows using Cursor and custom AI agents connected to Bitbucket, enabling direct transition from design to production-ready code within a single sprint

Develop synthetic user simulations with LLM agents to validate interaction models and workflows prior to clinical usability testing, identifying edge cases early in development

Facilitate end-to-end workshops with Clinical Affairs, engineering and product teams to map treatment workflows and identify system-level issues

Present experience models and system interaction frameworks to senior engineering and business leadership to inform product direction

Contributed to scaling the design organization from 7 to 44 designers, playing an active role in hiring and team development

Lead cross-functional design initiatives across equipment and digital systems, aligning UX with engineering and clinical constraints

UX Consultant
Dentsply Sirona, Zurich·Jun 2023 – Aug 2024

Designed clinician-focused workflows for complex, regulated procedures

Conducted usability testing in clinical environments and translated findings into structured design improvements

Collaborated with hardware, engineering and product teams on integrated system design

Contributed to scalable design system architecture across multiple product lines

Design Lead
Smart City Platforms
Rubicon, Atlanta, USA·Apr 2019 – Sep 2022

Designed operational systems deployed across 500+ municipalities, including route optimisation, field operator tools and sustainability reporting

Translated complex operational data into actionable user experiences for multiple stakeholder groups

Partnered with product, engineering and business leadership on long-term system design strategy

UX Consultant
Sportsbet, Melbourne, Australia·Dec 2022 – May 2023

Redesigned regulated product flows balancing compliance and usability

Conducted A/B testing and iterative improvements increasing discoverability and reducing support volume

Design Lead
Lateral Inc, Cluj / San Francisco·Apr 2017 – Apr 2019

Led cross-functional teams delivering digital products from concept to production

Facilitated workshops aligning product strategy and execution

Mentored designers and established design standards

Co-Founder and Product Design Lead
Gemsmark, London, UK·2015 – 2020

Led product design and development from concept to launch

Defined roadmap, product direction and user experience strategy

Jury Member
The Webby Awards·2017 – Present

Evaluate global digital work across UX, product design and innovation

Education
Mastering Innovation and Design Thinking
MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Master’s Degree, Visual Arts
Alexandru Ioan Cuza University
Bachelor’s Degree, Visual Arts
Alexandru Ioan Cuza University
Core Capabilities
AI-Assisted Design Workflows·Synthetic User Simulation·Experience Design for Complex Systems·R&D Product Development·Systems Thinking·Cross-functional Leadership·Workshop Facilitation·Stakeholder Alignment·Hardware and Software Ecosystems