May 2025 - Present
Remote
RN Studio
Head of Product
To bring our collective experience into our own vision, I partnered RN Studio with former colleagues, taking on the role of Head of Product.
Lead product strategy and development across multiple verticals including gaming, AI, and e-commerce.
Currently managing the development of:
1 Casual mobile game
2 AI-based Apps
1 E-commerce Platform
RN Studio operates as a fully self-funded startup, driven by hands-on execution and rapid prototyping.
My roles are user experience researcher and designer, product designer, product manager, data analyst, growth analyst and producer.
November 2024 - July 2025
Remote
Go Games
Game Designer & Product Manager
Hyper Casual & Hybrid Casual Puzzle Games
As a Game Designer and Product Manager at Go Games, I focused on hyper casual games, managing the entire game production process from ideation to final release. My role involved extensive coordination across teams, designing game systems, and overseeing product performance to ensure successful launches.
Key Responsibilities:
Analyze and create documentation for hyper casual games, contributing to the transition to the hybrid casual model.
Ideation sessions and collaborations with publisher to refine ideas for new games.
Lead publisher meetings and finalize game concepts, ensuring alignment with business and market needs.
Prepare Game Design Documents (GDD), detailing game mechanics, features, and systems.
Prepare art briefs to guide visual development and ensured design alignment.
Monitor project timelines, ensuring adherence to schedules and facilitating smooth development cycles.
Test game prototypes, implement feedback, and iterate on features to ensure quality.
Manage the entire game lifecycle from finalization to release, ensuring the game met industry standards.
Manage the creation and testing of CPI video scenarios, optimizing them for user acquisition.
Lead testing phases, analyze test data, and provide insights for game optimization.
Oversee the process from initial concept to launch, ensuring each game met player expectations and business goals.
June 2023 - March 2024
Istanbul - TR
Vertigo Games
Senior Product Manager
Projects: Critical Strike & Polygon Arena | Mobile - F2P - Mid core - Shooter - Multiplayer
As I transitioned to the role of Senior Product Manager, I undertake the leadership of the product team, overseeing both Critical Strike and Polygon Arena while contributing to strategic growth and business development. I played a key role in expanding the product team and leading the hiring process for new team members.
Key Achievements:
Led the product team, ensuring efficient operations and collaboration across departments.
Spearheaded business development efforts, identifying new growth opportunities for both titles.
Played an integral part in recruitment, conducting interviews and onboarding new team members to enhance team capabilities.
Took full ownership of localization and QA testing with product team.
Actively contributing to the onboarding and training of new product team members to enhance their know-how and ensure their participation in product development processes.
In this senior role, I combined strategic vision with hands-on leadership to drive product success, while mentoring and growing the product team to achieve their full potential.
March 2021 - June 2023
Istanbul - TR
Product Manager
Projects: Critical Strike & Polygon Arena | Mobile - F2P - Mid core - Shooter - Multiplayer
As the sole Product Manager for Critical Strike and Polygon Arena, I was responsible for overseeing the complete development lifecycle of these mid core action FPS multiplayer games. During my tenure, I handled everything from initial ideation to final release, ensuring seamless coordination between teams and delivering top-quality gaming experiences.
Key Responsibilities:
Led team management & communication to foster collaboration across cross-functional teams.
Managed high-level product planning for directly influencing product direction and success.
Conducted A/B testing to drive data-driven decision-making and improved retention, DAU, playtime, revenue metrics of the games.
Led games UX research & design to enhance player engagement and retention.
Designed game economy to align with business goals and improve monetization.
Conducted competitive analysis and designed game features for exceptional gaming experiences.
Executed and managed live ops and events to ensure continuous player satisfaction and high retention along with revenue increase.
Took full ownership of data analytics and QA testing.
Took on the role of Scrum Master, optimizing agile workflows for the product team.
As the sole product owner, I had complete accountability for the product's success, managing all facets of development and ensuring alignment with market trends and player feedback.
March 2020 - March 2021
Istanbul - TR
Hes Games
UX / UI Designer
Projects: Sabotaj | PC - Shooter - MMOFPS
During my time at Hes Games, I played a crucial role in enhancing the user experience and visual appeal of PC game projects. My responsibilities spanned across UX research, UX design, UI design, and game art, contributing significantly to the overall gameplay and player satisfaction.
Key Responsibilities:
Led UX research to understand player behavior and preferences, ensuring that all design choices were grounded in user insights.
Designed and optimized user flows and wireframes, enhancing the game's usability and accessibility.
Developed UI designs that aligned with both the game's aesthetics and functionality, ensuring an intuitive player experience.
Actively contributed to game art related with UI, collaborating closely with developers and artists to ensure consistency between design and execution.
In this role, I combined my skills in UX/UI design and game art to deliver visually engaging and user-friendly game experiences, making significant contributions to the success of the projects.
April 2019 - March 2020
Istanbul - TR
Userspots
User Experience Researcher & Designer
As a UX Researcher & Designer at Userspots, I worked on a variety of high-profile projects across different industries, focusing on improving user experiences through thorough research, analysis, and design. I conducted usability tests, scenario design, user interviews, expert analyses, competitive analyses, wireframe development, prototyping, survey design, information architecture, customer journey maps to enhance both website and mobile app experiences for a diverse range of clients.
Projects:
Sabancı University Website – Conducted usability tests and analysis to improve the user journey and interaction.
Nike Website – Led usability tests and analysis, providing actionable insights for optimizing the site's performance.
Hedef Filo TikTak Mobile App – Designed wireframes and performed usability testing to enhance app usability and functionality.
Vodafone E-shop – Conducted comprehensive usability tests and delivered insights to streamline the online shopping experience.
Cevahir Mall Website & Mobile App – Led usability tests, analysis, research, and wireframe development for both platforms to ensure a seamless shopping experience.
Turkven – Conducted expert analysis using the Baymard Report, delivering high-value insights for improving the performance of the websites.
Setur Website – Engaged in usability testing, research, analysis, and developed wireframes to enhance the online travel booking experience.
MindBehind – Led a 1-day UX workshop to provide actionable design improvements.
JR. UX Designer's Guide to the Galaxy - Heuristics Analysis training for UX training sessions
Koc University Campus Experience – Worked on UX research to optimize the digital and physical experience of the campus.
LC Waikiki – Provided expert analysis with the Baymard Report, offering strategic recommendations to improve the e-commerce experience.
In this role, I combined rigorous research methodologies with practical design solutions, contributing to enhanced user experiences and optimized digital products for a wide array of clients.
November 2018 - April 2019
Istanbul - TR
Outliers Notebook
UX & UI Designer
I contributed to the design and development of user interfaces, ensuring optimal user experiences across various projects. My responsibilities involved collaborating closely with cross-functional teams to refine design elements and implement solutions that align with user needs and business goals. This experience allowed me to hone my skills in creating user-centric designs while maintaining high usability standards.
September 2017 - November 2018
Istanbul - TR
Istanbul Technical University
Visual Designer
At ITU Career Center, I worked part-time for one year as a Visual Designer. My primary responsibilities included managing and updating the career center’s website, ensuring that all visual elements aligned with the university's identity. I also played a key role in designing and preparing all visual content and the overall brand identity for the center’s annual career day events. This included creating promotional materials, digital assets, and ensuring cohesive visual communication across various platforms to engage attendees and represent the career center effectively.
2019 - 2022
Istanbul - TR
Istanbul Technical University
M.Sc. in Game and Interaction Technologies
GPA: 3.5/4.0
Dropped Out - Thesis State
Relevant Coursework: Introduction to Game Design, Human Computer Interfaces, Game Production
2015 - 2018
Istanbul - TR
Istanbul Technical University
B.Sc. in Industrial Product Design
GPA: 3.3/4.0
Capstone Project: "Discoverist" — Designed a board game with a mobile app to connect traditional board game users with mobile game world.
Relevant Coursework: Project Management in Design, Design Theories and Methodologies, Research for Product Design, Human Factors in Design
2014 - 2015
Istanbul - TR
Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University
B.A. in Industrial Product Design
Studied for 1 year and transferred to Istanbul Technical University
Design Skills
#Usability Testing
#User Journey Mapping
#Scenario Design
#User Interviews
#Expert Analysis
#Competitive Analysis
#Low & High Fidelity Prototyping
#Wireframe
#Survey Design
#Information Architecture
#Presentation Design
Gaming Skills
#Games UX Research & Design
#Game Design
#Live Ops
#Localization
#Game Economy Design
#Data & Game Analytics
#A/B Testing
#SQL
#GDD
#User Acquisition
Product Management Skills
#Team Management
#Communication
#Business Development
#Scrum
Tools
#AI Tools
#Figma
#Excel
#Firebase
#Google Analytics
#Appstore Connect
#Google Play Store
#Tableau
#Unity
#Keynote
#Photoshop
#Illustrator
The Complete Games User Research Fundamentals
Steve Bromley & gamesuserresearch.com
2025
Completed the comprehensive "Games User Research Fundamentals" course, gained practical skills in:
Designing and conducting moderated playtests and usability studies
Recruiting appropriate participants and creating effective study plans
Observing player behavior and identifying usability issues
Analyzing qualitative and quantitative playtest data
Creating and distributing effective player surveys
Communicating research findings to development teams
Applying research techniques to a real game
Conducted full research cycle on a tower defense game, including code screening, study design, moderation, data collection, analysis, and reporting. Identified key usability issues affecting player experience and provided actionable recommendations for improvement.
Google Project Management: Specialization
Google on Coursera
2025
Completed Google's comprehensive project management program covering both traditional and Agile methodologies. Developed practical skills in:
Leading projects through the complete lifecycle: initiation, planning, execution, and closing
Creating essential project documentation including project charters, schedules, budgets, and risk management plans
Applying effective stakeholder management and communication strategies
Implementing Agile frameworks and methodologies for iterative project delivery
Managing project risks, changes, and quality control processes
Utilizing project management tools and software for tracking and reporting
Completed Courses
Foundations of Project Management
Project Initiation: Starting a Successful Project
Project Planning: Putting It All Together
Project Execution: Running the Project
Agile Project Management
Capstone: Applying Project Management in the Real World
Google UX Design: Specialization
Google on Coursera
2025
Completed comprehensive UX design training covering the entire design process from research to high-fidelity prototyping. Developed skills in:
Conducting user research through moderated and unmoderated studies to identify user needs and pain points
Creating effective problem statements, user personas, and journey maps to define design challenges
Implementing ideation techniques and design thinking methodologies
Developing wireframes and low-fidelity prototypes to test early concepts
Designing high-fidelity prototypes using Figma with attention to visual design principles
Building responsive user interfaces for web applications
Conducting usability testing and iterating designs based on user feedback
Completed Courses
Foundations of User Experience (UX) Design
Start the UX Design Process: Empathize, Define, and Ideate
Build Wireframes and Low-Fidelity Prototypes
Conduct UX Research and Test Early Concepts
Create High-Fidelity Designs and Prototypes in Figma
Responsive Web Design in Adobe XD
Design a User Experience for Social Good & Prepare for Jobs
Survey Design for Playtesting & Games User Research
Steve Bromley & gamesuserresearch.com
2024
Completed the specialized "Playtest Survey Design" course, gained practical skills in:
Deciding when surveys are appropriate and turning team goals into clear research objectives
Defining target player segments, writing screeners, and finding players via the right tools
Writing unbiased, non-leading questions and selecting suitable question types
Building, piloting, and launching surveys; managing distribution and response quality
Cleaning data and analyzing text, ratings, and numeric responses; combining qual + quant evidence
Converting findings into concise reports with clear recommendations that drive action
Practicing on real player data and validating skills with a completion certificate
Conducted an end-to-end survey study for a live playtest, including objective setting, screener and instrument design, pilot testing, deployment, data cleaning, statistical analysis, and executive reporting. Identified key satisfaction drivers and confusion points, then delivered prioritized, actionable recommendations tied to UX metrics and KPIs.
Product Analytics Certification
Pendo.io
2023
Completed this course demonstrating practical product analytics skills and using data to drive decisions at every stage of product development, delivering measurable business impact, gained practical skills in:
Customer Success
Data Analysis
Product-Led Growth
Product Management
Product Management Basics Certification
Pendo.io
2023
Completed this course by demonstrating foundational knowledge of the product manager role and best practices across the Product Management Life Cycle, gained practical skills in:
Customer Success
Data Analysis
Product-Led Growth
Product Management
Product Lifecycle Management
Product-led Certification
Pendo.io
2023
Completed this course by putting the product at the center of the customer experience and using it to solve cross-functional business challenges, operating in a product-led way, gained practical skills in:
Customer Success
Data Analysis
Product-Led Growth
Product Management
Product-Led Growth Micro-Certification PLGC ™
Product School
2023
Product Analytics Micro-Certification PAC ™
Product School
2022
Leadership for Product Managers
Product School
2022
January 2019
UX Camp - 2ND Place
Userspots
Participated in UX Camp, a program held twice a year by Userspots for those pursuing a career in user experience design, and completed the process as the 2nd place finalist. Following this, I started my career at Userspots.
May 2018
Vodafone Designathon - Finalist
Vodafone
One of the 20 teams out of 150 who made it to the finals.
Grup Unispots: Eda Tunca & Sinem Bulut
April 2018
Algida Designathon Design Competition - 2ND Place
Unilever, Arçelik, KWORKS, Gixal
Awarded 2nd place in Algida Designathon 2018
Group Solveit: Gözde Özkaraman, Hande Gözen, Sinem Bulut, Tuana Yılmaz
Algida Designathon is a 48-hour product design workshop where Industrial Design students and recent graduates come together to design an 'Ice Cream Sales Unit' for Algida. At the end of the workshop, projects are evaluated by a jury, and the top-ranked designs receive awards. Selected projects are further developed as prototypes at KWORKS and Arçelik Garage.