Head of Design & Product Experience
SIMONA ORLANDI
With over a decade of experience in insurance, automotive, banking and digital services, working with companies like Unipol, Ducati, Aruba.it and Intesa Sanpaolo, what still drives me is watching a design vision turn into something people genuinely depend on. I've always worked where user experience, business strategy and technology have to move together. I care about the "why" before the "what", because the best design decisions aren't just well executed. They're built for the right reasons.
KEY PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES
Product Manager & Head of Design — ACSoftware S.r.l. (2024 - Present)
Currently leading the adoption of AI-augmented workflows in product discovery, design processes and go-to-market strategy.
I lead UX/UI, CX and product strategy across multi-channel digital initiatives in insurance, banking, education, AI and construction, overseeing product vision, roadmap, go-to-market alignment and digital experience governance across a multi-client portfolio.
I introduced structured discovery and market intelligence practices, running competitive analysis, user research, personas, journey maps, pricing, budget and stakeholder workshops with internal teams, clients and prospects.
I founded and scaled the Design Department (5+), defining governance, hiring, career paths and workflows, improving operational efficiency by 40%.
Lead UX/UI Designer & Experience Lead — Aruba S.p.A. (2023 - 2024)
I led UX strategy and cross-functional design alignment across the full redesign of Aruba's corporate digital ecosystem, including all 27+ websites and wikis.
Acting as the central design reference across parallel workstreams, I set experience standards, ensured brand consistency and maintained product vision coherence across distributed teams and stakeholders.
Design Lead & Product Manager — Unipol Gruppo S.p.a. (2016 - 2022)
I grew from UX/UI designer to product and design lead across six years, taking full ownership of UniSalute's digital ecosystem: customer app, reserved area, unisalute.it and internal platforms.
I built and led an in-house design team of 2+, introduced digital brand governance and drove the digital rebranding of UniSalute.
In my final role I moved to UnipolSai's Beyond Insurance COE, where I led cross-functional teams across Health, Mobility and Property ecosystems, driving product evolution from vision to rollout.
I led UniSalute Up from discovery to launch, running a design-first, stakeholder driven process with operations and customer service teams. The app reduced call center volume by 30% and won the Le Fonti Award as Best Health Insurance App of the Year.
CONTACTS
SKILLS
Experience & Design
UX/UI Design, CX Strategy, User Research, Discovery, Design Thinking, Design System, Journey Mapping, Personas, Prototyping, Multichannel Governance.
Product & Strategy
Product Management, Product Strategy, Product Lifecycle, Roadmapping, Go-to-Market, OKR, Metrics & KPIs, Value Definition, Competitive Benchmarking, Market Fit, Agile, Scrum.
Leadership & Collaboration
Cross-Functional Leadership, Stakeholder Management, Team Building, Change Management, Complex Problem Solving, Big Picture Thinking.
Tools
Lovable, Figma, Miro, Jira, Confluence, Framer, Adobe CC, Generative AI Tools, Analytics, Hotjar, Notion
WORK AWARDS
2025 Premio Spina
Observa for Mudem, Banca d’Italia Virtual Museum: special mention for inclusivity & innovation.
2019 Le Fonti Awards
UniSalute Up Best Health Insurance App of the Year: special mention for UX, CX & innovation.
WORK: OTHER EXPERIENCES
Product Designer and Researcher — QubicaAMF S.p.A. (2022 - 2023)
I led product discovery and strategic definition within an industrial B2B2C ecosystem spanning multiple device types: large-scale LED displays, kiosks, tablets and a core management platform.
Working in R&D and cross-functional teams, I ran full discovery cycles across competitor analysis, market research, user interviews, personas, journey mapping and iterative prototyping to define new products and redesign existing software interfaces across the entire device ecosystem.
I shaped the first career path and ladder for the Design function, supporting team growth, role clarity and long-term scalability.
Graphic Designer | UX/UI — Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. (2015 - 2016)
I worked on brand-centric UX/UI design for digital assets and web templates, ensuring and overseeing online brand consistency.
I designed and produced digital content and visual assets for product launches and web campaigns in the racing sector, consistently driving user engagement and brand visibility.
Internal Sales, Marketing & Digital — Sterigenics S.p.A. (2011 - 2014)
I managed client contracts and commercial relationships in a B2B industrial environment specializing in pharmaceutical sterilization.
I handled digital communication, website updates, marketing campaigns and NPS surveys across healthcare, pharmaceutical and food and wine industry sectors.
LANGUAGES
Italian: Native
English: C1 Fluent
French: B2/C1 Fluent
German: A2 Beginner
MENTORING
ADPList Design Mentor
EDUCATION
Product Management Master Product Heroes (2024)
Associate Degree ITS EQF5 Multimedia & Communication (2015)
Technical Diploma
Accademia di Belle Arti Bologna
Scenography (2005)
High School Diploma
Scientific & Linguistic (2004)