Ben Kucsan is a product designer driven by curiosity, relentless optimism, and a fundamental belief in the simple concept of when you make something, the way it will be perceived has a direct relationship with the amount of care that’s been extended in its creation. A member of the design team at WhatsApp in Menlo Park, California — focusing on messaging experiences across platforms for 3 plus billion users.
Education
Master of Arts in Design from the University for the Creative Arts in the United Kingdom.
- Thesis on applied design and format innovations of digital content consumption experiences.
- Research in design thinking, advanced design communication, research and analysis methods, advanced product design, interaction design, visual design, applied design, ethical and sustainable design innovation.
Diploma in Information Technology from the Federal Academy for Commercial Studies in Austria.
- Thesis on e-commerce adoption and acceleration strategies for small and medium enterprises.
- Research in business management, computer science, multimedia technology and design, software development, network management, presentation technology, project management, entrepreneurship.
Awards
Founders receive disproportionate credit for the success of their companies, but it is always the achievement of many.
- Received the TechCrunch Europas Award in the category of Best Tech Startup in 2017.
- Received the Drapers Award in the category of Best Innovation in Fashion Retail in 2016.
- Received the British Fashion Council’s Real Time Innovator Award in 2016.
Achievements
Made possible by standing on the shoulders of giants of those of co-founders and early supporters.
- Selected to take part in Y Combinator, the Silicon Valley startup accelerator program, which according to WIRED magazine is “the most prestigious program for digital entrepreneurs”, with a typical acceptance rate of below one percent.
- Became one of Y Combinator’s Top 100 Companies, ranked by revenue and valuation.
Contact
Ben Kucsan
Meta Platforms, Inc.
1 Hacker Way, Menlo Park, CA 94025
benkucsan@meta.com
about.meta.com
Experience
Senior Product Designer at WhatsApp
Menlo Park, United States
2021 – Now
In partnership with product managers, engineers, UX researchers and content strategists, oversees the user experience of products from conception to launch. Takes broad, conceptual ideas and turns them into useful and valuable products for 3 plus billion users.
Notable accomplishments:
- Led design on Chat Filters, a strategically key feature announced by Mark Zuckerberg.
- Led design on Android Bottom Navigation, a strategically key feature highlighted in a detailed case study published on the official Design at Meta blog by Idit Yaniv, Vice President at Meta and Head of Design at WhatsApp.
- Led design on Silent Group Exit, a strategically key feature announced by Mark Zuckerberg.
Senior Product Designer at Meta
London, United Kingdom
2019 – 2021
In partnership with product managers, engineers, UX researchers and content strategists, focussed on the zero to one effort of building live video capabilities for Portal, Meta’s smart, hands-free video calling devices with Alexa built-in.
Notable accomplishments:
- Led design on Live From Portal to Facebook Pages and Groups, a priority launch during the pandemic.
- Spearheaded an org wide quality and accessibility initiative, focussed on creating a sense of individual contributor ownership over our products, and to provide a toolkit for this to be effectively translated into reliable, ongoing improvements.
- Led design on Live Producer and Rooms on Portal, priority product launches during the pandemic.
Co-Founder and Head of Design at Thread
London, United Kingdom
2012 – 2017
Was responsible for all design at the company building a truly personal shopping experience using a mixture of the world’s best human styling expertise and artificial intelligence. Served on the board, led the design team, and oversaw brand and product development. Thread was acquired by Marks & Spencer, the largest fashion retailer in the United Kingdom in 2022.
Notable accomplishments:
- Helped raise over $40M from Y Combinator, H&M, and the DeepMind founders among others.
- Received the British Fashion Council’s prestigious Real Time Innovator Award, and was widely regarded as one of the most innovative startup companies in the United Kingdom.
- Became one of Y Combinator’s Top 100 Companies, ranked by revenue and valuation.
Product Designer at Silverorange
Charlottetown, Canada
2006 – 2012
Managed and executed all phases of the design process, including communication with clients, ideation, product thinking, interaction design, visual design, and prototyping. Built and maintained large design systems that helped others deliver high quality products efficiently.
Notable accomplishments:
- Led design on early explorations for Xamarin, a development application acquired by Microsoft.
- Led design on the web launch campaigns of major point releases of the Firefox browser and the Thunderbird email client for the Mozilla Corporation.
- Led design on the application for Summify, a social news aggregator acquired by Twitter.