Welcome to Stjepan's freelance profile!
This freelancer is available part-time (2 days per week) but hasn't confirmed their availability in over 7 days.
Part-time, 2 days per week
Location and workplace preferences
- Location
- Uithoorn, The Netherlands
- Remote only
- Primarily works remotely
Verifications
Freelancer code of conduct signed
Read the Malt code of conduct
Languages
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Croatian
Native or bilingual
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English
Native or bilingual
Categories
Skills (11)
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Beginner Intermediate Advanced
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Beginner Intermediate Advanced
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Beginner Intermediate Advanced
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Beginner Intermediate Advanced
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Beginner Intermediate Advanced
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Beginner Intermediate Advanced
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Beginner Intermediate Advanced
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Beginner Intermediate Advanced
Stjepan in a few words
I set out to be a psychologist (and completed my MA), but I decided to trust my gut and become a designer. The second best decision I ever made.
I love shaping how people interact with software, and this is why I design software people use at work. My aim is to move away from the typical workplace software, which is often a mechanical, lifeless pile of features, disconnected from what people are trying to do. I believe we can make software that serves people better. That's what I design for.
And that's good for business too!
Stayntouch, the hospitality technology startup I joined in 2013 as one of the first hires - and have led design ever since - had a successful exit to Shiji Group in 2018 and was later acquired by MCR Hotels in 2020. With a $3 billion portfolio of 92 premium-branded hotels, they purchased Stayntouch as "the best property management system in the market".
Besides Stayntouch, I redesigned agenda management software for Boardsync in 2016. The new design helped them double their revenue before Civic Plus acquired them in 2017.
In a nutshell, I've been making things on the internet since 2004. I've worked on 100+ websites, apps, and digital products ranging from mom-and-pop shops to large corporations and enterprise systems.
I've worked with C#, PHP, SQL, and JS – but it's not my cup of tea. I've written millions of lines of HTML & CSS and will write millions more – because I love making stuff with it.
But as much as I love HTML&CSS, design is my jam.
Experience
Stayntouch
Hospitality
Product Design Lead
Back in 2013, a typical PMS was an on-premise desktop application that required weeks of training. Hotels were reluctant to change their software because it was a risky move. Imagine putting your entire business's lifeline into a new startup's hands. It's a tough call to make, and penetrating this market with a cloud-based PMS that runs on any device was tough.
As one of the first hires, my job was to design a PMS that would deliver on a promise that hotel staff would need no training to start using the system. The design had to, on first look, convince hoteliers to lower their guard and open up to the possibility of changing their old PMS. User experience (UX) had to be exceptional, and user interface (UI) had to feel intuitive.
As the sole designer working on the PMS, I:
- Designed the UX and UI of the entire product while simultaneously learning about the complex world of hotel operations,
- Wrote the entire HTML & CSS codebase and pushed the limits of what was possible to make the final product feel like a native iPad app,
- Built an interactive product demo, which we used to sell the product, basically securing new clients before the product was ready,
- Collaborated closely with leadership and engineering to ensure my design aligned with business goals and technical possibilities.
Today, our PMS manages over 100,000 rooms in hotels around the world. Hoteliers smile when they see the system's fun, colorful, and easy-to-use design. Some even say it's the easiest system they have ever used — that makes me happy.
And it's good for business, too:
- 50% conversion on self-check-in and 81% on contactless check-in,
- 60 seconds for self-check in, or 30 seconds for staff check-in: 70% time reduction!
- 240% ROI with automated upgrades/upsells.
Jolly Good Design B.V.
Digital & IT
Owner
Here, I help people like yourself make software other people use at work. My goal is to help the focus, feel confident, and gain progress in their day.
Multilink
Digital & IT
Web Designer/Developer
The web team consisted of 4 web designers/developers and an art director, who was in charge of designing most of the websites we made. Once the designs were approved, I would convert them to HTML & CSS while simultaneously building the website using our in-house CMS.
Configuring and building content modules required me to learn C#, XSLT, and SQL, so you could say I did some backend development too. I got up to speed quickly and launched my first client website two months after joining.
When I left the company, I was in charge of building complex interconnected websites for our key clients, like T-mobile and Maistra Hospitality Group.
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Education
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Psychology, Master of Arts
University of Rijeka, Croatia
2010 I studied psychology with a focus on statistical analysis, research design and attitude formation processes.For my graduating thesis I designed and conducted an online experiment to investigate advertising effectiveness in the context of Elaboration Likelihood Model.
Certifications
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Irrational Labs' Behavioral Economics BootcampIrrational Labs
2020