Interview with Alena Rykunina of inDrive
From fintech to global mobility, Alena Rykunina’s career journey reflects a passion for human-centered design and meaningful impact. In this interview, the inDrive Senior Product Designer shares how empathy, adaptability, and deep user insight power her design philosophy—and how inclusive thinking can transform both products and teams across continents.
It’s great to meet you, Alena! Your career as a Senior Product Designer spans over seven impressive years. Can you walk us through your journey—what brought you to product design, and how did it lead you to your current role at inDrive?
It’s a pleasure to meet you as well! My journey into the field started in 2015 after I graduated from Stroganov, the oldest university of applied and industrial arts. It wasn’t a straightforward path, as I originally studied Environmental Design, which is not directly related to the tech field. However, it helped me develop a strong eye for detail and the ability to create user-centered solutions. Over the years, I naturally transitioned into UX/UI design, driven by a passion for solving real-world problems through technology, which allowed me to combine creativity with problem-solving. My passion for improving user experiences led me to work with leading Russian fintech companies like Raiffeisen Bank and others. Later, in 2022, upon relocating abroad, I joined inDrive, a global mobility platform with over 280 million downloads, operating in more than 800 cities across 48 countries. At inDrive, as a Senior Product Designer, I lead the design of scalable payment systems that impact millions of customers globally — combining my fintech experience with mobility innovations. This role was my first experience working at a truly global company, giving me exposure to diverse markets and user needs around the world. It broadened my perspective and deepened my understanding of how to create inclusive, adaptable solutions that resonate across cultures.
You’ve worked with leading fintech and e-commerce companies, including top regional fintechs and now inDrive. How has your approach to product design evolved across these diverse environments?
Working in fintech and e-commerce taught me how to design products that meet both user needs and business goals. At Sber, a large tech company with an ecosystem of diverse products, I worked on a super app with over 8 million B2C users. I focused on improving key features like deposits, budgeting tools, and finance analytics — important parts of the app that helped generate revenue. Since the app was used by a wide range of people, including those with poor eyesight, I aimed to make the interface clear and accessible for everyone.
At Raiffeisen Bank, I focused on improving the mobile app for business owners. Many of them preferred using the web version because they didn’t feel confident managing finances on their phones. I redesigned the mobile experience to make it more intuitive and aligned with how business users worked — adding features like mobile account opening, improved account navigation, easier payment flows, and clearer transaction histories. To better understand their pain points, I even opened my own small business, which helped me design more relevant, user-centered tools. It was a rewarding challenge that gave me valuable insight into the real needs of business users managing their finances day-to-day.
Now, at inDrive, I design digital wallets, payment flows, and payout features for drivers and passengers. I’m working with a much larger and more global user base — from Brazil and Mexico to South Africa. This gives me valuable experience in understanding different local contexts, habits, and expectations.
The scale and speed at inDrive help me constantly grow as a designer and hone my talents — I’ve learned how to build flexible, user-friendly solutions that work across very different markets and how to quickly adapt to fast-changing requirements while collaborating with cross-functional teams.
Working in fintech shaped my design approach to be structured and focused on clarity, trust, and consistency. Now, as I work in the e-mobility sector, I’ve also learned how to apply that foundation more broadly — across cultures, platforms, and user behaviors — creating products that are both inclusive and scalable.
You’ve led major initiatives like launching a scalable wallet for drivers at inDrive and redesigning key user flows at Raiffeisen Bank. What have been some of the biggest challenges in driving such high-impact projects, and how did you overcome them?
Both projects had their own scale and complexity, but the common thread was solving for growth while keeping things technically scalable and efficient.
At inDrive, the big challenge was bringing together multiple wallet top-up flows across 48 countries, each with its own payment providers, regulations, and backend systems. Previously, every region had its own setup, which made it hard for the engineering team to maintain and slowed down new launches. I worked closely with product and engineering teams to design a single, flexible global flow that worked with both legacy systems and the new backend infrastructure.
This new setup made it possible to add new payment providers or launch in new countries without constantly redesigning the user flow. One of the biggest wins was making the rollout process much more predictable. Now the team can launch monetization in a new country within just two sprints.
One of the biggest wins was making the rollout process much more predictable. Now the team can launch monetization in a new country within just two sprints.
At Raiffeisen Bank, the focus was on improving the mobile banking experience for business clients and increasing app penetration. The B2B app had several pain points, including inconsistent navigation between mobile and web, fragmented transaction histories, and a UI that hadn’t been updated since 2018. This inconsistency between platforms made mobile usage inconvenient, pushing users to rely on web instead.
I led the redesign of the main screen and key user flows, working closely with business and engineering teams to align mobile with the web platform and the bank’s B2C app, making the experience simpler and more consistent across channels.
Both projects had their own scale and complexity, but the common thread was solving for growth at scale while keeping the user experience simple and intuitive.
These projects clearly made a difference. Can you share one success story that stands out—what drove the outcome, and what key lessons did you take away?
One project that stands out in my experience was designing a cashless payment flow adapted for emerging markets. In many regions, users preferred local payment apps like PIX, Yape, or Nequi over traditional card payments. This created a clear opportunity to make payments more accessible and aligned with local behaviors.
We started with small experiments, focusing on understanding real user habits and friction points. Through ongoing testing and iteration, we refined critical parts of the experience from onboarding to how and when local payment methods were introduced. A key goal was to build trust and confidence among users less familiar with digital payments.
We launched the first version of the flow across 36 countries, providing a unified solution. From there, we began adapting the experience for individual markets, making targeted changes to better fit local payment ecosystems and user behaviors.
The key takeaway: Small, user-centered design changes grounded in real behavior can unlock meaningful adoption at scale, even when working across highly diverse markets.
You’re often at the intersection of business needs and user experience. How do you navigate the balance between stakeholder expectations and creating user-centered designs?
I bring stakeholders into the design process early — through initial design iterations and research debriefs. At inDrive, for example, I use analytics, Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT), marketing research results, support feedback, or initiate user research myself to validate user pain points and align them with business OKRs. I view the design process as a collaborative effort where everyone contributes to better outcomes, but user needs always remain the foundation for final decisions.
As a woman in a senior design role, what unique challenges have you encountered in your career—and how have you tackled them?
As a woman in a senior design role, I’m aware of the challenges that can exist in the industry, but I’ve been lucky to work in teams where expertise, collaboration, and results are truly valued. I focus on bringing value, leading by example, and maintaining strong communication with cross-functional teams. I also enjoy contributing to a culture of knowledge-sharing and mutual support within the team.
In your view, what impact can female leadership have on the future of fintech and e-commerce? What qualities do you think women uniquely bring to product design leadership?
Female leaders bring empathy, inclusivity, and a user-first mindset that’s essential in fintech — where trust and clarity matter.
Female leaders bring empathy, inclusivity, and a user-first mindset that’s essential in fintech — where trust and clarity matter. These qualities are key to creating products that truly reflect and serve the needs of diverse users. I believe that these industries will be stronger and more innovative with more women leading with empathy and a deep understanding of the human side of technology. I find that inDrive shows a strong commitment to empowering female leaders, both within the core team and through its impact initiatives, like the Aurora Tech Award.
How can companies and the industry at large better support and encourage women to pursue—and thrive in—design roles within fintech and e-commerce
Support starts with representation — visible female leaders make a big difference. Companies should also offer mentorship, transparent growth paths, and safe environments for idea sharing. Encouraging flexible work, inclusive hiring, and clear recognition for contributions can also foster retention and growth.
You’ve mentored over 20 designers—an impressive contribution. What do you believe makes for an effective mentor, particularly when supporting women in design and tech?
Listening, sharing both failures and successes, and providing actionable feedback are key parts of how I mentor. I focus on helping mentees build confidence, articulate their design decisions, and navigate workplace challenges. One of the biggest challenges I see is impostor syndrome, which often stops designers from progressing in their careers. Being a mentor also means advocating for them — whether through portfolio reviews, suggesting growth opportunities, or simply offering support when it’s needed most.
Looking ahead, what do you see as the biggest opportunities for innovation in fintech and e-commerce product design? And how do you plan to grow in your own role in the years to come?
The biggest opportunities lie in creating seamless, user-friendly experiences across multiple platforms and integrating cutting-edge technologies like AI and machine learning into fintech products. As for my own role, I plan to continue refining my skills in user research, leadership, and cross-team collaboration. I also want to focus on mentoring the next generation of designers and contributing to the strategic direction of product design at inDrive.
