mobile.de
Joined as the second in-house UX hire and evolved into Head of UX, building the internal design and research function, introducing structured product discovery, and co-leading the incubation of new marketplace verticals including Direct Sales and Financing.
Apr 1, 2014
COMPANY
mobile.de | ebay Classifieds Group
COMPANY
mobile.de | ebay Classifieds Group
COMPANY
mobile.de | ebay Classifieds Group
Role
Head of UX & Design
Role
Head of UX & Design
Role
Head of UX & Design
SCOPE
Product Design & User Research Leadership
SCOPE
Product Design & User Research Leadership
SCOPE
Product Design & User Research Leadership
Context
Context
Context
mobile.de was Europe’s largest automotive marketplace, operating within a 20-year-old platform and a large technology corporation.
UX capability was minimal and heavily agency-dependent. Product development was delivery-driven rather than discovery-led. Despite marketplace scale, user-centred thinking was not structurally embedded.
The opportunity was not incremental improvement, it was systemic change.
mobile.de was Europe’s largest automotive marketplace, operating within a 20-year-old platform and a large technology corporation.
UX capability was minimal and heavily agency-dependent. Product development was delivery-driven rather than discovery-led. Despite marketplace scale, user-centred thinking was not structurally embedded.
The opportunity was not incremental improvement, it was systemic change.
mobile.de was Europe’s largest automotive marketplace, operating within a 20-year-old platform and a large technology corporation.
UX capability was minimal and heavily agency-dependent. Product development was delivery-driven rather than discovery-led. Despite marketplace scale, user-centred thinking was not structurally embedded.
The opportunity was not incremental improvement, it was systemic change.
Structural Challenge
Structural Challenge
Structural Challenge
No established in-house UX and research capability
Heavy reliance on external agencies
Limited discovery practices across product teams
Marketplace complexity spanning B2C and B2B
Legacy systems within a corporate structure
The challenge was shifting from outsourced execution to embedded product thinking — while operating within the constraints of a mature enterprise environment.
No established in-house UX and research capability
Heavy reliance on external agencies
Limited discovery practices across product teams
Marketplace complexity spanning B2C and B2B
Legacy systems within a corporate structure
The challenge was shifting from outsourced execution to embedded product thinking — while operating within the constraints of a mature enterprise environment.
No established in-house UX and research capability
Heavy reliance on external agencies
Limited discovery practices across product teams
Marketplace complexity spanning B2C and B2B
Legacy systems within a corporate structure
The challenge was shifting from outsourced execution to embedded product thinking — while operating within the constraints of a mature enterprise environment.
Strategic Intervention
Strategic Intervention
Strategic Intervention
Building Internal Capability
Introduced UX research as a core function
Established iterative and continuous user testing
Built and scaled internal UX & research teams (2 → ~20)
Gradually reduced agency dependency while maintaining delivery continuity
Embedded structured product discovery into development workflows
New Business Incubation
In close partnership with the Head of Incubation, I co-led the discovery and validation of two new marketplace verticals:
Direct Sales (vehicle purchasing model)
Financing
We approached both initiatives through structured business and product discovery — aligning user insight, commercial modelling, and operational feasibility before scaling.
Direct Sales evolved into a scalable operation including physical acquisition hubs and reached break-even within 18 months.
Financing became a second strategic pillar, reaching break-even within 24 months.
These initiatives expanded the marketplace from a listings platform into transaction and service layers.
International Leadership
Joined the international Product & Design leadership group
Supported other UX teams globally in establishing structure and standards
Contributed to raising product and design maturity across markets
Building Internal Capability
Introduced UX research as a core function
Established iterative and continuous user testing
Built and scaled internal UX & research teams (2 → ~20)
Gradually reduced agency dependency while maintaining delivery continuity
Embedded structured product discovery into development workflows
New Business Incubation
In close partnership with the Head of Incubation, I co-led the discovery and validation of two new marketplace verticals:
Direct Sales (vehicle purchasing model)
Financing
We approached both initiatives through structured business and product discovery — aligning user insight, commercial modelling, and operational feasibility before scaling.
Direct Sales evolved into a scalable operation including physical acquisition hubs and reached break-even within 18 months.
Financing became a second strategic pillar, reaching break-even within 24 months.
These initiatives expanded the marketplace from a listings platform into transaction and service layers.
International Leadership
Joined the international Product & Design leadership group
Supported other UX teams globally in establishing structure and standards
Contributed to raising product and design maturity across markets
Building Internal Capability
Introduced UX research as a core function
Established iterative and continuous user testing
Built and scaled internal UX & research teams (2 → ~20)
Gradually reduced agency dependency while maintaining delivery continuity
Embedded structured product discovery into development workflows
New Business Incubation
In close partnership with the Head of Incubation, I co-led the discovery and validation of two new marketplace verticals:
Direct Sales (vehicle purchasing model)
Financing
We approached both initiatives through structured business and product discovery — aligning user insight, commercial modelling, and operational feasibility before scaling.
Direct Sales evolved into a scalable operation including physical acquisition hubs and reached break-even within 18 months.
Financing became a second strategic pillar, reaching break-even within 24 months.
These initiatives expanded the marketplace from a listings platform into transaction and service layers.
International Leadership
Joined the international Product & Design leadership group
Supported other UX teams globally in establishing structure and standards
Contributed to raising product and design maturity across markets
Impact
Impact
Impact
The transformation repositioned UX from a service function to a strategic capability within a legacy enterprise environment.
Established sustainable in-house UX and research capability
Embedded structured discovery into marketplace product development
Co-incubated two new business verticals that became sustainable revenue pillars
Elevated user-centred decision-making across product teams
Increased organisational maturity within an international corporate structure
Most importantly, user-centred thinking became part of how the organisation operated — not an external add-on.
What this shaped for me
mobile.de shaped my foundation as a product leader. It taught me that sustainable scale starts with insight, structure, and capability, especially inside complex, legacy systems. It remains the basis for how I approach platforms today:
Build the system first. Growth follows.
The transformation repositioned UX from a service function to a strategic capability within a legacy enterprise environment.
Established sustainable in-house UX and research capability
Embedded structured discovery into marketplace product development
Co-incubated two new business verticals that became sustainable revenue pillars
Elevated user-centred decision-making across product teams
Increased organisational maturity within an international corporate structure
Most importantly, user-centred thinking became part of how the organisation operated — not an external add-on.
What this shaped for me
mobile.de shaped my foundation as a product leader. It taught me that sustainable scale starts with insight, structure, and capability, especially inside complex, legacy systems. It remains the basis for how I approach platforms today:
Build the system first. Growth follows.
The transformation repositioned UX from a service function to a strategic capability within a legacy enterprise environment.
Established sustainable in-house UX and research capability
Embedded structured discovery into marketplace product development
Co-incubated two new business verticals that became sustainable revenue pillars
Elevated user-centred decision-making across product teams
Increased organisational maturity within an international corporate structure
Most importantly, user-centred thinking became part of how the organisation operated — not an external add-on.
What this shaped for me
mobile.de shaped my foundation as a product leader. It taught me that sustainable scale starts with insight, structure, and capability, especially inside complex, legacy systems. It remains the basis for how I approach platforms today:
Build the system first. Growth follows.