Trevor Sporen
Product
Designer
I design the screens and build the systems behind them. Based in Utrecht and open to full-time product design roles.
Recent Projects
LearnSquad
Product Design
A course platform with 100+ discounted courses from four colleges, moved from one-off purchases to a subscription model.
Overview
- Client: Randgo Rewards (Pty) Limited
- Role: Product Designer, from inception
- Team: Product owner, Randgo developer, freelance coder, college-side developer
- Timeline: Original build, then a subscription relaunch in under 2 months
- Platform: Web
- Tools: Figma, FigJam, Webflow, Supabase, PayFast (earlier Shopify and Airtable)
- Status: Live at learnsquad.co.za
Results
- ~50% fewer steps from sign-up to enrolment
- €300+ a month saved in platform costs
- Under 2 months to relaunch on subscriptions
- 100+ courses from four partner colleges
- 3+ partner brands on the same build
The Brief
LearnSquad lets learners build a profile and get discounted rates on courses from partner colleges. The first version sold courses one at a time, with a Webflow front end, Shopify handling payments and an Airtable webhook I built to pass confirmed orders to the colleges. It worked, but every purchase passed through three platforms, each adding cost and another point of failure.
Randgo then decided to move to a subscription model to keep learners in the ecosystem, which was also the chance to take the extra platforms out of the loop.
My Role
I was the product designer from inception and stayed closely involved as the product evolved. On the subscription relaunch that meant scoping the functional requirements and user flows in FigJam, outlining the database and setting up the Supabase tables, consulting the developers on edge functions, updating the Figma designs and building the front end in Webflow.
I also ran all QA (building the lists for developers to work through), wrote all the systems documentation and worked directly with everyone involved - Randgo's product owner and developer, a freelance coder and the developer on the college side.
The Enrolment Flow
This is the part I'm proudest of. For the learner, enrolling should feel like one step. Behind it, the system checks a set of profile flags to work out where the learner is in the process and sends them to the right place - finishing their profile, paying or picking a course. The rules it checks:
- The profile is complete before enrolling
- No duplicate active enrolments
- An active-enrolment limit tied to the subscription tier, with pending enrolments counted
- An abandonment penalty based on course progress, lasting 90 days, with no penalty below a set percentage
The data moves from Webflow (account, login, subscribe, enrol, cancel) to PayFast (payment and payment confirmation), then to Supabase (auth, student and subscription tables, edge functions) and finally to the college's API, where requests are queued, validated and answered.
Less Friction, Fewer Platforms
There wasn't much competitor analysis to draw on, so the goal was simple: remove as much friction from sign-up as possible. Moving from the Shopify checkout to Supabase and PayFast roughly halved the steps from sign-up to enrolment and took Shopify and Airtable out of the stack, saving €300+ a month in platform costs.
I also set up Webflow variables so the platform could be replicated for partner brands, and it has since been set up for 3+ of them.
Challenges
- A short timeframe: the relaunch went from scoping to live in under two months.
- Many hands, several countries: coordinating freelance coders, the college's developer and the Randgo team across countries. None of it became a roadblock, but it shaped how the project was run.
- Subscriptions meet lead capture: the college's system was built around capturing leads, which didn't fit a subscription model, so we built workarounds within the limits of their API.
Outcome
LearnSquad is live with 100+ courses from four partner colleges and 100+ learners, and the product owners were happy with the relaunch. Uptake has been a little slower than under the original pay-per-course model, which I put down to limited marketing around the relaunch.
What I'd Do Differently
I had less database and development knowledge going in than I do now. Today I'd spot the restrictions between the two systems earlier and know which questions to ask before building a flow around them.
eSIM Enterprise Dashboard
Design System
A white-label dashboard for companies buying eSIMs in bulk, rebuilt from Figma Make concepts into a design system the client's team can run themselves.
Overview
- Client: eSimplified
- Role: Product Designer
- Team: CEO, CMO, developers and in-house designers
- Timeline: April to June, small updates since
- Platform: Web Dashboard
- Tools: Figma, Figma Make
- Status: Handed over
Results
- 50+ components in the design system
- 15+ screens fully prototyped
- Within hours - time for the team to brand a pitch version
- ~3 months from concepts to handover
The Brief
eSimplified sells eSIMs to consumers, but had no offering for companies that want to buy them in bulk - to allocate to employees, or to use as a benefit in a rewards scheme. The enterprise dashboard was a new product for their own client base, and it needed to work as a white-label template that could be branded for each prospective client.
Starting Point: AI Concepts
The client came with user flows, requirements and a set of concepts generated in Figma Make. They were a quick way to show what the team had in mind, but the layouts weren't built on anything reusable. I rebuilt them in Figma on a proper design system, with components and variables that update in one place, and iterated on the flows and requirements as I went.
My Role
I was the product designer from April through to handover in June, working with the CEO, CMO, developers and the in-house designer. I iterated on the client's flows, built the design system and the high-fidelity template, and fully prototyped it.
Building The System
The system has 50+ components, with variables handling the brand-level choices so a change flows through every screen. On top of it sit 15+ screens, prototyped end to end, and documentation so the internal team could extend it after I'd handed it over.
The Tricky Part
White-label templates have a habit of looking like every other dashboard. The challenge was giving this one some character while keeping the variables flexible enough for the team to iterate quickly in sales pitches and early concept work.
Outcome
The dashboard was handed over in June, about three months after we started. The client was happy with the handover, and the internal team now makes changes themselves - they can brand a pitch version of the dashboard within hours. I've made small updates since.
What I Learned
Because I was changing parts of a design the client had already seen, I spent more time than usual with their team explaining why - usually to leave room for future adjustments in a template. That time was well spent, because it's what let them take the system over.
It also shaped how I use AI tools. Figma Make got the idea onto the screen fast, and I'm happy to start from that. The work I added was turning the idea into a system someone else can maintain.
KnowRoaming
Mobile App
Buying, installing and managing an eSIM, in one app for iOS and Android.
Overview
- Client: eSimplified
- Role: Product Designer
- Team: CTO and internal development team
- Timeline: 8 - 9 months
- Platforms: iOS and Android
- Tools: Figma, Photoshop
- Status: Live since 2024
Results
- 50K+ downloads
- ~50% fewer steps to buy and install an eSIM
- 100+ screens designed
- 5+ partner brands on the same system
- 200+ countries covered
The Brief
KnowRoaming already sold eSIMs through its web platform, and eSimplified wanted the same experience in a native app - somewhere travellers could buy an eSIM, install it on their phone and keep track of it without going back to a browser. The app had to feel like the same brand as the web platform, follow the conventions of each mobile platform and be easy to re-skin for partner brands.
My Role
I was the product designer on the project for around 8 - 9 months, working directly with the CTO and the internal development team alongside updates to the desktop platform. I scoped the user flows, designed the UI and built the design system in Figma (with Photoshop for imagery), then worked with the developers through the build.
Breaking Down The Journey
Installing an eSIM involves a few technical steps that most people only go through once or twice, so I split the journey into three parts - buying a product, the purchase overview and the user profile - and framed each part around a question the user would ask:
- How do I find the right product?
- How do I activate it?
- How do I get help if something goes wrong?
Each question became a flow, and each flow had to answer its question in as few screens as possible.
A System That Could Travel
The web platform already had a design language, so I carried it across into an atomic design system, with small components building up into larger patterns. That paid off in two ways. Flows could be rearranged quickly when testing showed something needed to change, and the whole app could be adapted for partner brands. It has since been used for 5+ brands, some live and some in pitches.
What Testing Changed
User testing reshaped two key parts of the design:
- Navigation moved to icons paired with labels.
- The buy-and-install flow lost screens and taps, and by the end the steps to get an eSIM running were roughly halved.
Support tickets dropped after launch, which I take as a good sign that more people were getting through installation on their own.
Challenges
- One app, two platforms: the design had to respect iOS and Android conventions while staying one product.
- Desktop to mobile: carrying the web platform's design language into the app without it feeling like a shrunk-down website.
- Purchase to installation: scoping the flow from buying an eSIM through to having it running on the phone.
Outcome
The app launched on the App Store and Google Play in 2024 and has passed 50K downloads. I've recently been consulting with the team on updates.
What I'd Do Differently
I'd push for more time on research and competitor analysis up front, as the timeline didn't leave room for much of it. The lesson I took away was not to overcomplicate the design, because a simpler approach often covers more use cases.
Randgo
Website Migration and Workflow Automation
Two projects for the same client; moving the corporate site to Webflow so the in-house team could run it, then automating how data moves between Airtable and Monday.com.
Overview
- Client: Randgo Rewards (Pty) Limited
- Role: Designer and builder on both phases
- Team: Marketing manager and in-house designer (2023), client team (2026)
- Timeline: March 2023, about a month · 2026, with ongoing support
- Tools: Webflow · Airtable, Make.com, Monday.com
- Status: Webflow · Site live · Automations running
Results
- 50+ pages and CMS items migrated
- ~1 month from WordPress to live on Webflow
- Rankings held after the move
- 1,000+ records synced a month
- 10+ hours of manual exports saved each week
Phase 1: Moving the site to Webflow (2023)
The Brief
Randgo's corporate site ran on WordPress and had been built by an external firm that was no longer involved, which left the in-house marketing team unable to change much themselves. They wanted the site on a platform they could manage on their own, without losing any of the search visibility they'd built up.
What I Did
I worked with the marketing manager and their in-house designer to rebuild the site in Webflow, moving 50+ pages and CMS items in about a month. The brief was a faithful replication with no redesign, which I enjoyed as a challenge - matching an existing site closely on a different platform takes its own kind of care. I kept all the SEO in place and set up the CMS and tools so the team could run the site without outside help.
Outcome
Search rankings held steady through the move, and the client was happy to finally have control of their own platform.
Phase 2: Workflow Automation (2026)
The Brief
The client was moving data from one platform to another by hand, with time-consuming exports that someone had to remember to do. They needed it to happen automatically.
How It Works
Data is captured in Airtable, Make.com scenarios filter and manage it, and the results are passed on to Monday.com through webhooks and direct connections. I hadn't used these tools together before, so I taught myself the setup as I went, and I wrote a PRD so the client has a clear record of how it all fits together.
Outcome
The pipeline syncs 1,000+ records a month and saves the team 10+ hours of manual exports every week, and the client reports more productive data capture. I'm still supporting it as their needs change.
Looking Back
Both projects came down to the same thing: giving the client's team control of their own tools, with documentation to back it up.
two-minute ramble
Personal Project
A gaming and pop-culture blog I designed, built and wrote myself, to learn how to ship what I design.
Overview
- Type: Personal Project
- Role: Everything - concept, brand, design, build and content
- Timeline: Live since March 2023
- Tools: Webflow, Photoshop
- Status: Live at twominuteramble.webflow.io
Results
- 112 articles published
- 4 content types on one CMS mode
- 0 templates used
- €0 ad spend, organic traffic only
- 3+ years live
Why I Built It
For years I'd designed things and then waited for a developer to build them. I wanted to learn a new skill and build something end to end myself, so I picked Webflow - a low-code tool where my HTML, CSS and database-structuring experience would carry over - and started from a blank canvas with no templates.
The idea was a blog about the things I enjoy, with posts short enough to read "over a quick cup of coffee in the morning". It also gave me a live project to practise content management, responsive and accessible layout, and SEO.
Building The System
I designed the content model before the pages. Posts come in four types - written pieces, tiny reports, videos and screenshot galleries - and are linked to each other by taxonomy, such as gaming platform or franchise, so franchise pages gather every related post in one place.
On top of that I added the features a real content site needs:
- A review layout where the review overview (score, pros and cons) only appears when a post has a score
- A contributor database with a profile page for each writer
- A finished-games list that links each game to any posts about it
- An e-commerce test, relating media to sample second-hand products to see how a shop would fit into the same data model
- Custom scripting and interactions, including a background on the homepage title that follows the cursor
- SEO and RSS syndication to Flipboard and Pinterest, to bring in organic traffic
Writing It
I've written all 112 posts myself, from tiny reports of around 120 words to longer pieces of 350 or so. Writing the content as well as building the platform meant I was my own first user: any awkward CMS field or missing link showed up the moment I tried to publish something.
Outcome
The site built up modest but growing organic traffic with no ad budget. When work took priority I let the purchased domain lapse, and the traffic history went with it, but the site is still live on its Webflow address and I still post when I can.
Review Overview
In keeping with the site, a quick self-review.
Pros
- Built from a blank canvas, no templates
- Content links itself together by taxonomy
- Layouts only show what's relevant to each post
- I made this
Cons
- Letting the domain lapse took the traffic history with it
- The comments section is still on the to-do list
What It Taught Me
two-minute ramble was a turning point. It was the first thing I built entirely on my own - learning the skills, building the platform and producing the content without relying on anyone else. It also changed how I work with developers. Knowing how a CMS and a build fit together means I hand over cleaner specs, and I can test a prototype idea myself before asking anyone else to.
About Me
I'm Trevor, a product designer in Utrecht who designs the screens and builds the systems that sit behind them.
My path here wasn't a straight line. I spent 16 years in retail, starting on the shop floor of a pop-culture store in Johannesburg and working my way up to co-owner, then co-founding a venue for events and gaming. Along the way I designed the brand, set up the POS and online catalogue and spent a lot of time watching how customers used what we built. Designing those systems with developers is what pulled me towards product design.
Since 2020 I've worked freelance on SaaS platforms, a native eSIM app and a handful of Webflow builds, often as the only designer on the project. I learnt Webflow so I could prototype ideas myself and hand developers cleaner specs, and I build design systems out of habit at this point.
Highlighed Project
two-minute ramble
Outside work I play far too many video games and write about them on two-minute ramble, a blog I designed and built from a blank canvas. I'm now looking for a full-time role with a team that shares what it knows across disciplines - and I'd be just as happy being the first designer in the room.
My Portfolio
My Recent Projects
LearnSquad
A course platform relaunched on subscriptions in under two months, with half the steps to enrol.
eSIM Enterprise Dashboard
A white-label dashboard and 50+ component design system, rebuilt from AI-generated concepts.
KnowRoaming App
A native eSIM app for iOS and Android, now past 50K downloads.
Randgo Website and Automation
A 50+ page move to Webflow with rankings held, then an automation saving 10+ hours a week.
two-minute ramble
A gaming and pop-culture blog I designed, built and wrote from a blank canvas.
Client Feedback
Testimonials
"Trevor has been an incredible asset to Randgo and has played a significant role in helping us streamline and improve various operational processes."
Sara Mienie
Operations Manager at Randgo Rewards
Let's Talk
If you're hiring a product designer, I'd like to hear about it.
- Email: sporent@gmail.com
- Location: Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Right to Work: Dutch citizen, no sponsorship needed.
- Languages: English (native), Dutch (A1)