Madsen Vale, Product Designer based in Berlin

Product Designer • Maker • Berlin

I design products, lead teams, and ship my own apps.

Hands-on at every step, I design, mentor, structure processes, and support bold ideas.

Universal Music Group Mercedes-Benz Zattoo Coca-Cola Selfapy 1&1 Heineken Salt
(01) Build in Public

Zero to App Store

Frido & Friends is my indie app studio where I design, build, and ship products to tackle everyday challenges.

Frido Vintage Frido Vintage
To Do Cards To Do Cards
Keepsake Keepsake
Pochete Pochete
Tuner Tuner
Lume Lume
Wallie Wallie
Moons Moons
2.5M+ Eyeballs
$0 Funding
#2 Product Hunt
Visit Frido.app
(02) Voices

The Receipts

* Now talking in #would-hire-again
* Topic is 'What's it like working with Madsen?'
<head_of_design> A man who takes action instead of just complaining. One that I would always hire again.
<product_owner> He won't hold back from questioning and throwing ideas out if something better seems possible.
<product_designer> He possesses the power to gather people and shape a strong design culture throughout the company.
<design_director> Finely crafted user interfaces. I recommend Madsen highly as a strong product designer and co-worker.
<tech_lead> We established a design system and engineers and designers started speaking the same language.
<marketing_director> He deeply understands users from different regional markets. Perseverance, boldness, and creativity always win.
<ceo> His main mission is to improve usability while not forgetting about its business aspects.
<madsen> all real quotes btw. no one was bribed or threatened.
(03) Case Studies

Designed it.
Shipped it.

2020

Mercedes-Benz Fuel & Pay: Shipping at Enterprise Scale

Led the integration of a contactless fuelling payment feature into the Mercedes-Benz ecosystem.

10+ business units involved
1K+ users interviewed
Read Case Study
Zattoo TV app interface 2019

Making Live TV Feel Like Streaming

Redesigned Zattoo's flagship Recordings feature, improving content discovery and watch duration.

15 platforms
3M+ households
Read Case Study

Keynotes

Design, Build, and Ship an App with AI
View Keynote
Reasoning with the Unreasonable
View Keynote
Selfapy app design
UI design work sample
Zattoo TV app interface
UI design work sample
Selfapy mental health app screen
UI design work sample
UI design work sample
UI design work sample
Zattoo streaming app design
Selfapy app design exploration
UI design work sample
UI design work sample
Selfapy app interface design
Zattoo TV app screen design
UI design work sample
Selfapy app onboarding design
UI design work sample
(04) Process

How I Work

What I bring to a team, and how I usually get involved.

I turn ambiguity into direction

I partner with teams that have active products but unclear priorities. I redesign key entry points, onboarding flows, and conversion funnels. I test, iterate, and move the numbers that matter: acquisition, conversion, retention.

  • Design Strategy
  • UX Research
  • Product Design
  • Growth Design

I design and ship the actual thing

I design and ship features hands-on. I prototype at all fidelities, refine core journeys, maintain design systems, and write code when it makes things move faster. Fast to build, solid enough to evolve.

  • Visual Design
  • Design Systems
  • Prototyping
  • AI-assisted Development

I give teams momentum

I build processes that stick. Tooling that scales. Measurement that matters. I hire the right people and flex with freelancers and agencies when needed. Better work becomes the default.

  • Design Leadership
  • People Management
  • Mentorship
  • Process Design
(05) About

I am Madsen Vale

For me, great design happens where method meets instinct. Hands-on at every step, I design, mentor, structure processes, and support bold ideas.

My journey has led me to design products for Fortune 500 companies, startups, and indie entrepreneurs.

Beyond my day job, I run the indie app studio Frido & Friends. I'm also a musician, a pro bono mentor, and someone who tries to keep a positive attitude and advocate for fairness.

Now: Principal Designer at Universal Music

Prev: Mercedes-Benz, Selfapy, Zattoo

ProptechHealthtechAutomotiveSaaSD2CB2BE-commerceMusicFood & BeverageNews & MediaStreaming ProptechHealthtechAutomotiveSaaSD2CB2BE-commerceMusicFood & BeverageNews & MediaStreaming
Madsen Vale Madsen Vale Madsen Vale
  • 🏆 Emmy-winning product
  • 🥈 European Design Award
  • 🎯 Coca-Cola's first Facebook app
  • 🚀 Product Hunt #2
  • 💜 Pro bono mentorship for designers & NGOs
LinkedIn Resume