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Alona Zhemchugova
alena.zhem@gmail.com
Linkedn

Hello, I’m Alona — a product designer with a background in graphic design. I’m now focusing on UX and product thinking, and I really enjoy making complex flows clearer and easier to understand. I’m still growing in this field, learning fast, and building work I can genuinely be proud of. Now in THOM (Histore d’Or, Stroili, Orovivo, Marc Orian, Agatha).  

Beyond work, I’m a mom, a philosophy learner, and someone who enjoys telling stories through photo.

CV
SELETED WORK > VALUE SIMULATOR

VALUE SIMULATOR
AKANTHAS, 2025

My role - product designer
Scope - design sprint, user research, prototyping, user testing, iteration
CONTEXT

Akanthas is a French B2B startup providing AI-powered waste monitoring and waste quality solutions for industrial sites, construction, operators, and public authorities. Inbound leads arrived with very different profiles and maturity levels.



PROBLEM

Prospects had difficulty with understanding which Akanthas offer matched their situation, seeing the concrete value or expected gains and feeling confident enough to book a first call.



MY ROLE

UX Designer — research synthesis, problem framing, prototype design, and user testing.
I worked with the founders and sales team during a Design Sprint, then continued with iterative refinement.



APPROACH

  • Interviews with sales and stakeholders
  • Review of product materials and case studies
  • User testing of the prototypes
  • Insight synthesis + prioritisation
  • Iteration focused on clarity, relevance, and trust in the results



SOLUTION

A lightweight value simulation tool that:
adapts to user activity and objectives, asks only essential, understandable inputs, provides estimated results with explanation, suggests a contextual next step (case study or expert call).
Positioned as a pre-sales support tool, not a precise return of investment calculator.




IMPACT

The simulator helped new leads better understand what Akanthas could do for them and made it easier for them to imagine how the solution would apply to their own situation. It also helped create more meaningful first conversations with the sales team, because prospects arrived with a clearer idea of the value. The project showed that this type of tool has strong potential and could be improved further with more personalization and clearer explanations of the results.




THIS PROJECT TAUGHT ME

  • In B2B, trust and clarity matter more than polish
  • Results without explanation reduce credibility
  • UX must support sales strategy, not replace it
  • Test activity labels earlier
  • Introduce explanation layers sooner
  • Include accessibility considerations earlier



I strengthened my skills in:
Design Sprint
User research
Prototyping



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