New hire at UX&I: UX strategist Nikolaus Stemmer joins the Berlin office

From serving as an Executive Creative Director at major digital agencies to running your own company, you’ve already had quite a career. What sets you apart? 

“I originally come from a background in brand communication and served as a UX team leader at companies including Neue Digitale and Aperto. For many years, I’ve supported companies such as TUI, Audi, ZF, and LBBW in developing, expanding, and marketing digital products and platforms.” 

At some point, I became increasingly interested in complex services and applications, especially the human factor: How can technology solve real human problems? I’ve often found that the actual impact of innovation projects is much smaller than the marketing hype surrounding them. For me, though, digital transformation is above all about doing the groundwork, streamlining systems, improving usability, and empowering people and the organizations behind them to work more agilely. That’s why I find B2B and the SME sector so exciting. Here, digital transformation can improve the lives of thousands of people, we see this, for example, in such fundamental areas as education and healthcare.

After 15 years of self-employment, what appeals to you about becoming a permanent member of the UX&I team?

Being a true partner rather than just a cog in the machine, working as part of a large team of experts who specialize in very specific areas, and approaching projects with a strong commitment to user-centered design is a major draw. I want to help shape the future, and I want to do it with talented, experienced people who are ready to roll up their sleeves.

It’s important to me not to take on a traditional team leader role; I don’t want the typical agency titles and hierarchies. Instead, freedom and autonomy are what matter most to me. I’ve introduced my clients to self-organization and agile teamwork, and I want to put that into practice myself within a stable structure. Practice what you preach.

What are your plans with UX&I in Berlin?

With my experience as a UX strategist, I want to help drive the growth of the Berlin office. Since I’ve been in the city for 25 years, I have a strong professional network to draw on. There are many interesting industries to explore, such as the public sector, science and research, and the healthcare sector. There’s still a lot of potential here: digital products can bring about profound improvements in these areas. I’m also particularly looking forward to collaborating with codecentric AG. We can tackle exciting projects hand in hand and create real added value by combining expertise from both worlds. Last but not least: I want to share the momentum I’m experiencing at UX&I with the outside world, so that we achieve the standing that matches our capabilities. Everyone who works professionally with UX should know UX&I.