Alexander Fandén - Design Systems Designer

I’m a Design Systems designer & leader with 13+ years of experience in product and design.

I combine craft, systems thinking, and AI to build better foundations, drive adoption, and help teams ship faster. Staff Product Designer at Deel, previously Stripe and Agoda.

Case studies

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June 2026

Designing with AI

6 ways I've incorporated AI tools to my day-to-day workflow so far, from early ideation to live products.

June 2026

Designing with AI

6 ways I've incorporated AI tools to my day-to-day workflow so far, from early ideation to live products.

July 2025

Refining the foundations

Three years of learnings shaped ADS 3.0 — laying the foundation for all new components and making the system more cohesive, accessible, and aligned with our brand.

July 2025

Refining the foundations

Three years of learnings shaped ADS 3.0 — laying the foundation for all new components and making the system more cohesive, accessible, and aligned with our brand.

April 2024

Prioritizing Design Systems

A step-by-step approach to managing and prioritizing requests in your design system. Originally presented at the Into Design Systems Conference.

Featured at

UX Collective

Into Design Systems

April 2024

Prioritizing Design Systems

A step-by-step approach to managing and prioritizing requests in your design system. Originally presented at the Into Design Systems Conference.

Featured at

UX Collective

Into Design Systems

May 2021

Migrating to figma

A complete guide of how we migrated our design org from Sketch to Figma. Shared on Medium and presented at the Into Design Systems Conference

Featured at

UX Collective

Into Design Systems

May 2021

Migrating to figma

A complete guide of how we migrated our design org from Sketch to Figma. Shared on Medium and presented at the Into Design Systems Conference

Featured at

UX Collective

Into Design Systems

February 2020

Designing a performance and insights feed for hotels

I led the design of a new insights dashboard in Agoda’s hotel app, boosting active usage by 6x through user research and cross-functional collaboration.

Featured at

Careers at agoda

February 2020

Designing a performance and insights feed for hotels

I led the design of a new insights dashboard in Agoda’s hotel app, boosting active usage by 6x through user research and cross-functional collaboration.

Featured at

Careers at agoda

Testimonials

Alex breaks it down challenges with such clarity, you’ll wonder why it was hard in the first place. He's a great collaborator and that rare partner who lifts others, inspires creativity, and makes work fun. He articulates design thinking so clearly, it’s like a TED Talk every time. If you want someone who raises the bar for the whole team—and makes everyone better while solving complex problems—Alex is the one you want on your team.
Brie Elam
Senior Design Manager, Agoda (ex-Amazon)
Above all, Alex isn’t just a leader—he’s my personal role model. He drives collaboration with contagious enthusiasm, shares his expertise freely, and celebrates every team win—big and small. Under his guidance, we didn’t just work side by side; we grew stronger, more connected, and inspired to exceed our own expectations. Any team would be lucky to have Alex showing the way.
Parnrawee Ninlaphan
Product Designer, Agoda
Alex was one of the reasons I decided to join his team. He's the kind of designer who is truly passionate about the craft and quality. You can always count on Alex to lead by example and look out for his teammates while still effectively managing stakeholders. He is one of the best designers I have had the pleasure of working with and learning from.
Tanisa Law
Product Designer, Agoda
When Alex commits to something, you can trust he'll deliver. His proactive approach and strong self-direction enable him to spot problems, craft solutions, and execute independently with minimal oversight. Alex spearheaded the evolution of Agoda's design system from a Figma-only resource to full codebase integration.
Dynin Khem
Design Director, Agoda (ex-Amazon, Kraken)
An excellent storyteller with extreme attention to detail and a contagious passion for design — that’s Alex in a nutshell. I had the opportunity to work alongside Alex on several cross-functional initiatives at Agoda, such as defining Agoda’s Experience Principles, contributing to the table component, and inheriting his work on the app for our hotel partners. Alex’s leadership on the design system was especially impactful — he paved the way for a unified design language and led efforts to clean up the token system by introducing intent-based tokens.
Arash Bal
Product Design Lead, Supply at Agoda (ex-oyo)
I had the opportunity to collaborate on some very interesting topics in and around the design system space while working with Alex. He has the combination of being very passionate, visionary and skillful, giving him the strength and ability to pull through complex tasks in a complex environment with a lot of stakeholders and dependencies. However, what I enjoyed most working with Alex was the ability to bounce ideas off each other and coming up with smart solutions to improve our day-to-day work. Alex brings both creative thinking and the drive to actually make things happen.
Lars Jarlvik
Engineering Manager, Design ops at Agoda
I had the privilege of working closely with Alexander, and despite being separated by an ocean, he made collaboration feel effortless. Alexander is exceptionally detail-oriented and thorough in everything he does - even his work-in-progress concepts come beautifully documented. He knows exactly when to make smart trade-offs without compromising quality, and he's an outstanding advocate for design thinking throughout any organization.
Emily Simon
Design Manager, Rocket Travel by Agoda
Alex is the best designer I’ve ever worked with. He has deep knowledge and experience in design systems and was the one who introduced me to them. What makes working with him so easy isn’t just his design talent, but also his technical understanding—his grasp of CSS and React components makes collaboration between design and engineering seamless.
Kanokphol Techarattanaprasert
Design Systems Engineer, Agoda
Right from the start, Alex painted a bold, clear vision for our design systems and scalable architecture, breaking down complex ideas into actionable steps. Thanks to his hands-on guidance and genuine commitment to excellence, our work flowed seamlessly and consistently raised the bar.
Parnrawee Ninlaphan
Product Designer, Agoda
His strong soft skills make him a fantastic communicator and presenter, and he’s constantly inspiring those around him with his unique perspectives. Working with Alex was truly enjoyable. He helped our team develop a product design mindset, bridging the gap between engineering and design. He is the best designer I have worked with, no doubts.
Michael Abadi Santoso
Staff Software Engineer, Agoda (ex-Wise)
Alex’s leadership ignited my drive to grow. As both leader and mentor, he pushed me—always with respect and encouragement—to stretch beyond my comfort zone: mastering new tools, refining my craft, and setting ever-higher standards. His feedback was straight to the point, honest, and always came from a place of real care for my growth. That perfect mix of candid critique and steadfast support unlocked potential in me I didn’t even know I had.
Parnrawee Ninlaphan
Product Designer, Agoda
Alex brings great energy to the team. He’s supportive, always learning and sharing the latest things he discovers—whether it’s new tools, ideas, or ways of working. He’s constantly experimenting with new approaches that often lead to real improvements for the team. He manages to be both driven and genuinely fun to work with.
Kanokphol Techarattanaprasert
Design Systems Engineer, Agoda
Alex consistently provided innovative design ideas that elevated our projects. His expertise isn't limited to design—he also excels in technical areas, contributing valuable insights on topics like theming editors and design tokens. Alex played a vital role in taking our design system to the next level, always bringing forward creative, future-proof solutions.
Michael Abadi Santoso
Staff Software Engineer, Agoda

Testimonials

Alex breaks it down challenges with such clarity, you’ll wonder why it was hard in the first place. He's a great collaborator and that rare partner who lifts others, inspires creativity, and makes work fun. He articulates design thinking so clearly, it’s like a TED Talk every time. If you want someone who raises the bar for the whole team—and makes everyone better while solving complex problems—Alex is the one you want on your team.
Brie Elam
Senior Design Manager, Agoda (ex-Amazon)
Above all, Alex isn’t just a leader—he’s my personal role model. He drives collaboration with contagious enthusiasm, shares his expertise freely, and celebrates every team win—big and small. Under his guidance, we didn’t just work side by side; we grew stronger, more connected, and inspired to exceed our own expectations. Any team would be lucky to have Alex showing the way.
Parnrawee Ninlaphan
Product Designer, Agoda
Alex was one of the reasons I decided to join his team. He's the kind of designer who is truly passionate about the craft and quality. You can always count on Alex to lead by example and look out for his teammates while still effectively managing stakeholders. He is one of the best designers I have had the pleasure of working with and learning from.
Tanisa Law
Product Designer, Agoda
When Alex commits to something, you can trust he'll deliver. His proactive approach and strong self-direction enable him to spot problems, craft solutions, and execute independently with minimal oversight. Alex spearheaded the evolution of Agoda's design system from a Figma-only resource to full codebase integration.
Dynin Khem
Design Director, Agoda (ex-Amazon, Kraken)
An excellent storyteller with extreme attention to detail and a contagious passion for design — that’s Alex in a nutshell. I had the opportunity to work alongside Alex on several cross-functional initiatives at Agoda, such as defining Agoda’s Experience Principles, contributing to the table component, and inheriting his work on the app for our hotel partners. Alex’s leadership on the design system was especially impactful — he paved the way for a unified design language and led efforts to clean up the token system by introducing intent-based tokens.
Arash Bal
Product Design Lead, Supply at Agoda (ex-oyo)
I had the opportunity to collaborate on some very interesting topics in and around the design system space while working with Alex. He has the combination of being very passionate, visionary and skillful, giving him the strength and ability to pull through complex tasks in a complex environment with a lot of stakeholders and dependencies. However, what I enjoyed most working with Alex was the ability to bounce ideas off each other and coming up with smart solutions to improve our day-to-day work. Alex brings both creative thinking and the drive to actually make things happen.
Lars Jarlvik
Engineering Manager, Design ops at Agoda
I had the privilege of working closely with Alexander, and despite being separated by an ocean, he made collaboration feel effortless. Alexander is exceptionally detail-oriented and thorough in everything he does - even his work-in-progress concepts come beautifully documented. He knows exactly when to make smart trade-offs without compromising quality, and he's an outstanding advocate for design thinking throughout any organization.
Emily Simon
Design Manager, Rocket Travel by Agoda
Alex is the best designer I’ve ever worked with. He has deep knowledge and experience in design systems and was the one who introduced me to them. What makes working with him so easy isn’t just his design talent, but also his technical understanding—his grasp of CSS and React components makes collaboration between design and engineering seamless.
Kanokphol Techarattanaprasert
Design Systems Engineer, Agoda
Right from the start, Alex painted a bold, clear vision for our design systems and scalable architecture, breaking down complex ideas into actionable steps. Thanks to his hands-on guidance and genuine commitment to excellence, our work flowed seamlessly and consistently raised the bar.
Parnrawee Ninlaphan
Product Designer, Agoda
His strong soft skills make him a fantastic communicator and presenter, and he’s constantly inspiring those around him with his unique perspectives. Working with Alex was truly enjoyable. He helped our team develop a product design mindset, bridging the gap between engineering and design. He is the best designer I have worked with, no doubts.
Michael Abadi Santoso
Staff Software Engineer, Agoda (ex-Wise)
Alex’s leadership ignited my drive to grow. As both leader and mentor, he pushed me—always with respect and encouragement—to stretch beyond my comfort zone: mastering new tools, refining my craft, and setting ever-higher standards. His feedback was straight to the point, honest, and always came from a place of real care for my growth. That perfect mix of candid critique and steadfast support unlocked potential in me I didn’t even know I had.
Parnrawee Ninlaphan
Product Designer, Agoda
Alex brings great energy to the team. He’s supportive, always learning and sharing the latest things he discovers—whether it’s new tools, ideas, or ways of working. He’s constantly experimenting with new approaches that often lead to real improvements for the team. He manages to be both driven and genuinely fun to work with.
Kanokphol Techarattanaprasert
Design Systems Engineer, Agoda
Alex consistently provided innovative design ideas that elevated our projects. His expertise isn't limited to design—he also excels in technical areas, contributing valuable insights on topics like theming editors and design tokens. Alex played a vital role in taking our design system to the next level, always bringing forward creative, future-proof solutions.
Michael Abadi Santoso
Staff Software Engineer, Agoda