theWambuidesign

I make products work for the people who use them.

Research-led product design for teams launching something new or fixing what already exists, from everyday systems to AI-built apps.

I help teams understand their users, decide what matters most and design products people can actually use, trust and choose.

See my work

Nairobi, working globally

Diana facilitating a co-design workshop with a group gathered around a wall of sticky notes.
  • 50K+ People using products I designed
  • 4 Countries
  • $100K+ Generated by a product I co-founded
  • 4 Years designing business-critical products

Philosophy

Designed for the conditions your users actually have.

Good design doesn’t assume fast internet, one language, or instant trust. For four years, I’ve designed products for the conditions people actually live with: 50,000+ users, four countries, real constraints. Those constraints aren’t a limitation. They’re part of the design.

AI can generate screens. It can’t sit with your users. That part is still my job.

Diana at a desk working on a laptop, wearing a cap and a graphic tee.
A workshop group seated around a table with a screen on the wall behind them.

Featured portfolio

Products I've shaped across community health, safeguarding, events and small-business tools, designed with the people who use them, from first idea to the experience they rely on. Some are live. Others are still being built.

Services.

Whether you're figuring out what to build, building it, improving it or launching it all together, I can help with one part or all of it.

Know what to build before you build it.

I research your users, understand the business behind the product, and run workshops with your team to decide what matters most. You leave with a clear direction, before development gets expensive.

Categories

  • UX research
  • Team workshops
  • Product strategy
  • User journeys
  • Information architecture

Design that works on every screen it lives on.

Mobile apps, web platforms, marketing sites, and the design systems that hold them together, designed for the real conditions your users have. Quick builds available for portfolios and personal sites.

Categories

  • App design
  • Web design
  • Marketing sites
  • Design systems
  • Prototyping

Something's working. Let's make it better.

For products that are live, or AI-built MVPs that people aren't using the way you hoped. I find where users get stuck, fix the flows that matter most, and test the changes with real people.

Categories

  • UX audits
  • Flow redesign
  • Usability testing
  • Post-MVP improvement

Product, brand and site, built as one.

For teams who want it all designed together, so what you're building, what you're saying and what people experience all point the same way.

Categories

  • Product + Brand + Site
  • Six weeks
  • Fixed scope

Not sure what needs fixing? Start with a UX Audit: three days, a fixed fee, and a clear plan for what to change, what to prioritise and where to spend your design budget.

Great work starts with people, not assumptions. I talk to the people using the product, learn what they need and trust, then design from there.

Contact me

About me

I'm a product designer in Nairobi. I've spent four years designing business-critical products, the kind where a confusing screen costs someone money, time, or care they needed.

I'm Diana Wambui, a Product & Experience Designer helping teams make their products work for the people who use them.

I've spent four years designing with community health workers and safeguarding teams across Africa, running co-design workshops in Kenya and Nigeria and research across seven countries. That's where I learned that the best design decisions come from sitting with real people, not guessing about them.

I've designed across health, safeguarding, events and small-business products, from research and strategy through to the final experience. Some are live with thousands of users. Others are still being shaped.

I've also been on the other side of the brief. I've co-founded products, so I understand that design decisions affect more than screens: they affect time, development cost, adoption and whether people choose what you've built.

Today I use AI to move faster through the making, so more of my time goes into what needs a human: understanding people and deciding what matters.

Black-and-white portrait of Diana Wambui smiling, glasses pushed up on her head.
  • Diana with colleagues around a table during a working session.
  • Diana outdoors on a hillside with arms outstretched by a trail marker.
  • Diana walking through a bamboo forest, photographed from behind.

How I Work

Whether I'm starting from an idea or fixing something live, I work from what people need, what the business needs, and what has to ship. I use AI to move faster, so more of your time goes into understanding people and deciding what matters.

Step 1

Understand

Who is this really for, and what gets in their way?

Know the problem before spending money solving it.

I start with the people, the problem and the business behind it. I often begin with a team workshop to align everyone, then review what's already there, talk to users and stakeholders, and use research to understand what's actually getting in the way.

Outputs: Workshops · Research insights · Audits · User journeys · Problem definition

Step 2

Define

What matters most, and what can wait?

Turn what we know into a clear plan.

I turn what I learn into a clear product direction: priorities, structure, flows and the decisions that need to be made before development and design work gets too far ahead.

Outputs: Product direction · Information architecture · User flows · Prototypes

Step 3

Design & Test

Does it work for real people in real conditions?

Make it real, then challenge it.

I design the experience, build the system around it, test the important decisions, and refine what isn't working. The goal is a product people can use and a team can build, not just a polished interface.

Outputs: UI · Design systems · Prototypes · Usability testing

Step 4

Ship

Can the team build it and keep it going?

Get it ready for the real world.

I prepare the final experience and system for handoff, launch or the next team. No disappearing after the pretty screens are done.

Outputs: Final designs · Design system · Handoff · Launch support

Need to move fast?

For tight timelines, I run a one-week UX sprint: we map the key flows, set clear design rules, build alongside your developers with AI, test with real people, and launch. Fast doesn't mean skipping the thinking. It means focusing it on what matters most.

Frequently
Asked

Before we start, here's what to know about working together.

Local Time
Nairobi, EAT (UTC+3)
Availability
2 slots, Q4 2026

Let’s make it work for your people.

Launching something new, improving what's already live, or not sure where to start? Start with a UX Audit: three days, a fixed fee, and a clear plan for what to prioritise next.

Email me WhatsApp