Marzhan Kabduakhitova

Marzhan Kabduakhitova

Chief Design Officer @ Ratio Global
CDO, Forbes 30U30, UX Awards Nominee – product thinking, interviews, AI UX, & complex systems.
Canada Active this month

Services

$360 / month

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About

I’m Marzhana – Forbes 30 Under 30, UX Awards nominee, CPO/CDO, and co-founder of Ratio, an AI-native science platform rebuilding how science gets reviewed, discovered, and discussed.

Before Ratio, I was the founding lead designer at Pluto, helping build the product from 0 to $272M+ in processed transactions and into one of the top 50 fintech products globally. I’ve designed across fintech, AI, science, social platforms, dashboards, and complex systems – especially in 0→1 environments where design has to create clarity, speed, and business value. I also led design for 5+ Y Combinator-backed startups, spearheading design work for NASA, BMW, and McDonald’s. I mentored at Outtalent, a Y Combinator-backed startup, helping intermediate and senior designers reach the next level of their careers and land their dream jobs. I also had co-ops at Ubisoft, the City of Toronto, and more.

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I mentor designers who want to stop being seen as “UI people” and start being trusted as product thinkers.
The market is crowded. Clean screens are not enough anymore. Everyone can say they do wireframes, prototypes, user flows, and design systems. What actually makes designers stand out is product judgment: the ability to structure ambiguity, explain tradeoffs, understand business logic, work with engineers and founders, and make complex systems feel simple. That’s where I help.

I can help you with behavioral interview prep, portfolio and case study storytelling, product design thinking, UX for AI products, complex systems, information architecture, design ops, startup/founding designer skills, and positioning yourself as a strategic product designer.

Most designers lose opportunities not because they are bad designers, but because they don’t know how to communicate their thinking. Their portfolios show screens, not decisions. Their interview answers sound generic. Their process feels copy-pasted. Their work looks nice, but hiring managers still don’t understand why they should trust them.
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My mentorship is direct, practical, and high-signal. No vague advice. No sugarcoating. We’ll find what’s making your work, portfolio, or interview answers feel average – and make it sharper.

Book a session if you want sharper product judgment, stronger storytelling, and the kind of design brain people actually trust.

What you'll have after week one

A clear read

You tell Marzhan your goals before session one, so nothing is guesswork.

A plan built around your goal

Marzhan reviews it and shapes your first week around what you actually need.

Your first concrete steps

You leave session one knowing exactly what to do, and a weekly rhythm to keep it going.

Start your mentorship

Skills

UX Design Product Design Design Thinking UX/UI Design Design Product Strategy User Interface Design Product Launch Decision Making UI Design UX & Design Design System Design Processes DesignOps UX Research UX/UI UX Strategy career planning Growth Strategy Resume Review design review