Hi! It's

Melis Lekesiz

UI/UX Designer & Web Developer

About Me

Hi there, I'm Melis. 👋 I'm currently living in Karlsruhe, Germany and am from Istanbul, Turkey.



After high school, I decided to study Computer Science at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). My parents are also computer scientists, so I guess it runs in the family:) I proudly graduated in October 2022, with my bachelor's thesis titled "Concept and Implementation of a web-based tool for Process Monitoring in Blockchain-based systems for an oncological treatment".
Now, for my master's degree, I've made a switch to Information Systems, and I'm absolutely loving it! My interests span across UI/UX Design, Human-Computer Interaction, as well as Web and App Development. Excited to keep learning and exploring in the tech world!
I love traveling and discovering new cities—it's something I find incredibly exciting! Exploring local cuisines is a big part of my adventures. I also find peace in spending time in the kitchen, experimenting with new recipes. Aside from that, I have a passion for playing music; I have a keyboard and a guitar at home. On weekends, you might find me at the local animal shelter, lending a hand and spending time with the animals. Being around animals brings me immense joy.

My Experience

2 Years now
UI/UX Working Student at Respeak GmbH
from January 2021 till now

Being part of an AI startup is truly amazing! Each day brings a new learning opportunity, and I get to put that knowledge into action in my work. My role involves crafting designs and incorporating AI into various design processes. We collaborate with major companies like Deutsche Bahn and SWR, which keeps my tasks diverse and dynamic. Some days, I'm deep into design projects, while others involve programming tasks. And, of course, research is always a crucial aspect of what I do.

3 Months 2023
Student Assistant at Human-centered Systems Lab @ KIT
from June 2023 to September 2023

As a student assistant at IISM, I contributed to various projects. I created a landing page for the project HUBII, based on the design requirements I received. I therefore created user journeys based on user research. Another exciting part of my job, was to help conducting experiments at the Karlsruhe Decision & Design Lab (KD2Lab). The experiments were mainly about emotion adaptive systems. I also continued to improve my programming skills by developing the given microservice further to analyze the experiment data.

9 Months 2022
Design Thinking Innovation Project - SUGAR Network for Design Innovation
from September 2022 to June 2023

As part of SUGAR, 24 world-renowned universities enable students to work in multicultural and interdisciplinary teams on product and service innovation and development projects. Using the design thinking method, we developed a proof-of-concept that integrates desirability, feasibility and viability to solve the problem posed by our industry partner, Diakonie Baden. For this project, we (5 students from KIT) have collaborated with inno.space (Hochschule Mannheim). Our challenge was to create a scalable solution that helps caregivers take charge of their own well-being and creates an attractive work environment. This 9-month experience was truly one-of-a-kind. It all started with a kick-off at Trinity College Dublin, where we delved into our challenges and connected with partner universities, building a network and getting to know each other. We applied Design Thinking to craft a prototype, conducting numerous interviews with doctors, caregivers, patients, and their relatives. We ended up with more than 50 prototypes, and in the final stages, we combined some of them to create the best possible solution. Our journey concluded with a presentation of our solution on the premises of SAP in the Silicon Valley!

2 Years 2019
Working Student in Software Development at hrConnectum GmbH
from November 2019 to October 2021

While working as a student, I was part of the development team. My primary focus was revamping the web application to enhance the user experience, employing tools like Figma and Sketch. My favorite part of the job was the challenge of adding new features while keeping the user experience in mind. I also got better at communicating and presenting by sharing these changes with the team and customers. Over the span of these two years, I've expanded my web development skill set, gaining proficiency in HTML, CSS, Javascript, VueJS, Laravel, PHP, and MySQL.

6 Months 2019
Student Assistant at Forschungszentrum Informatik Karlsruhe
from May 2019 to October 2019

My focus was on Edge Computing. I collected info about Edge and Fog Computing, simulation tools, and resource allocation for IoT and IIoT devices. After that, I created simulations with IoFog and IFogSim using Java and Eclipse.

6 Months 2018
Software Engineering Practice Module at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
from November 2018 to March 2019

The main objective of the project is to provide a Web platform to evaluate Active Learning experiments. The classification results of OcalAPI are reassessed by user feedbacks and the user behaviour during this process is recorded and visualized. We used Django, Python, Javascript, HTML, CSS and Balsamiq.

Projects

Conversation Management System for Human Agents

For the lecture "Designing Interactive Systems" at KIT, we collaborated with EnBW to improve the customer and call agent experience by utilizing ChatGPT. We created an interactive Figma prototype based on the interviews and the EnBW design guidelines. The prototype can be found here (external YouTube link).

Figma, Prototyping, Generative AI, User Research, User Flow
InCosy - Intelligent Consulting System

We developed InCosy for the SUGAR/Service Design Thinking Project. InCosy is an innovative system designed to address the challenges faced by caregivers. It streamlines the process of collecting caregiver concerns during shift handovers and offers practical solutions through curated product recommendations. When a caregiver chooses a suggested solution, it seamlessly forwards the selection to the home lead who can then acquire the product and introduce it through a guided team briefing. Furthermore, to continuously enhance the system, caregivers are regularly invited to provide feedback, ensuring ongoing improvements and refinements to the suggestion system. If you want to see the project, please contact me!

User Interviews, Design Thinking, Research, MS Office, User Flows, Figma, ChatGPT, Python
FileSweep

This Figma prototype (external Figma link) is built for the Citizen Science Design Seminar at KIT. The application enables users to organize their digital data efficiently and remove duplicates. At the same time, it encourages the storage of data on external storage media. This minimizes the environmental impact of digital data storage. In order to motivate as many users as possible to actively use the application, it has a comprehensive bonus and incentive system. The incentive system consists of several levels and uses various gamification elements.

Interviews/Surveys, Figma, MS Office
Well-being App

I helped designing and implementing a well-being courses management website and mobile app for connecting instructors, venue owners, companies and individuals. The project couldn't launch due to the pandemic.

HTML, CSS, VueJS, PHP, Laravel, Sketch
Magic 8 Ball Android App

I have developed an Android app for the Mobile Computing and IoT lecture at KIT. The app works with Bluetooth headphones. To use the app you have to ask a yes/no question to the Magic 8 Ball and shake your head to get your answer.

Dart, HTML, CSS, Adobe Photoshop, Android Studio
Movie / Cinema Web App

The Single Page Web Application is built for the Mobile Computing and IoT lecture at KIT. It shows you the popular, upcoming and current movies in your preferred location.

HTML, CSS, VueJS, Google Geolocation API, The Movie Database API