Indir Topcagic

Design Lead

About

What I notice

I notice the details that annoy or delight me. I feel the difference when something is made with care.

Most bad products don’t happen on purpose. It happens when teams stop using what they build, or when small compromises pile up until the product feels heavy and tiring.

I have spent around fifteen years designing products in Stockholm, currently at Volvo Cars working on car and app experiences. Sitting in meetings talking about design without making anything makes me restless.

Outside of work, I spend time with my Leica Q2 and on the mats doing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Currently
Design Lead, Volvo Cars
2019—2023
Staff Designer, Kry
2017—2019
UX Designer, Avanza
2014—2017
Digital Designer, Thinkable
2012—2014
Digital Designer, Syrup
2010—2012
Graphic Designer & Illustrator, OneDrop
Based
Stockholm / Sweden
Elsewhere
LinkedInEmail

Habits

How I work

Habits I’ve picked up over the years.

  1. It is easy to agree on an idea during a meeting. It is only when you put something on a real phone that you see where it falls apart.

    In practiceToday, with AI, there is no excuse not to make that prototype straight in code.

  2. Before adding another setting, button, or explanation, see what happens when you delete something instead.

    In practiceThis page is an example. I removed every close button and relied on existing patterns and our expectations when it comes to navigating a card layout.

  3. Designers often look at mockups all day without using the actual production build. If you do not use it every week, you will not feel the paper cuts.

    In practiceI chose to drive and live with a Volvo BEV, I used Kry when seeking care myself, and I started actively saving long-term with Avanza.

  4. Coming up with ideas is the fun part. The real work is being honest about which ones are unnecessary and letting them go.

  5. People are usually busy and distracted when using software. Keep labels obvious and stop trying to reinvent standard patterns that already work.

  6. If a team is scared of shipping something imperfect, they will only build safe, boring things. You learn much faster by putting rough ideas in front of people.

Work

What I make

A few projects from recent years.

Photography

What I keep

Moments, fragments and feelings.

I walk around with a Leica Q2 and take photos of streets, shadows, and people. It is just for me, with no brief and no deadline.
Visit indirphoto.com

  1. Silhouette of a person against a red wall cut by a hard diagonal shadow
  2. Figure with a hat and bag walking past a narrow gap between walls
  3. Sculpted trees in a city park with a lone person on a bench
  4. Shadow of an outstretched hand on a textured wall in a dark room
  5. Moon above rooftops in fog, black and white
  6. Blue umbrella seen from above against striped paving
  7. Child beside a large pale balloon in a dim room
  8. Spider web strung between a weathered and a yellow fence post
  9. Hand reaching for dark plums on a patterned plate in low light
  10. Bucket of freshly picked apples in evening light