A designer for 20 years, for the past ten working as a specialist in DesignOps, Design Systems and team leadership
A designer for 20 years, for the past ten working as a specialist in DesignOps, Design Systems and team leadership
Duds Mendes
Duds Mendes
Lead Designer and Specialist
Lead Designer and Specialist
São Paulo, Brazil
Available for work and mentoring
São Paulo, Brazil
Available for work and mentoring
I’m Eduardo Mendes, better known as Duds. Over the last ten years, I have led design teams at fintechs including Grupo Zap, Easynvest, Banco Cora, Mercado Livre and Nubank. I structure DesignOps, build Design Systems from the ground up, and help designers grow. I believe strong processes free teams to focus on what truly matters: creating useful products for people.
I’m Eduardo Mendes, better known as Duds. Over the last ten years, I have led design teams at fintechs including Grupo Zap, Easynvest, Banco Cora, Mercado Livre and Nubank. I structure DesignOps, build Design Systems from the ground up, and help designers grow. I believe strong processes free teams to focus on what truly matters: creating useful products for people.
I’m Eduardo Mendes, better known as Duds. Over the last ten years, I have led design teams at fintechs including Grupo Zap, Easynvest, Banco Cora, Mercado Livre and Nubank. I structure DesignOps, build Design Systems from the ground up, and help designers grow. I believe strong processes free teams to focus on what truly matters: creating useful products for people.
44
Designers in teams I have mentored and led
20%
average savings on design tools
9.4
average eNPS score of the Design operation I led
3
Design Systems built and led
I like thinking about how teams work, beyond what they produce: rituals, tools and, now, where AI really adds value.
Detach! 26
Volunteer Team Lead
2025 → Hoje
Detach! 26
Volunteer Team Lead
2025 → Hoje
Nubank
Lead Designer
2025 → 2026
Nubank
Lead Designer
2025 → 2026
Mercado Livre
UX Tech Leader
2024 → 2025
Mercado Livre
UX Tech Leader
2024 → 2025
Cora
Partner & Design Team Lead
2020 → 2024
Cora
Partner & Design Team Lead
2020 → 2024
Easynvest
Design Specialist · DesignOps
2018 → 2020
Easynvest
Design Specialist · DesignOps
2018 → 2020
Grupo Zap
Visual Designer
2016 → 2018
Grupo ZAP
Visual Designer
2016 → 2018
Skills & Expertise
Team rituals
Tool management
01
DesignOps
Process design, rituals and tools for growing design teams.
Tokens
Component libraries
02
Design Systems
Component, token and documentation governance aligned with development.
Quality standards
Career plans
03
Technical leadership
Delivery reviews, quality standards and career development for designers.
Visual Design
Delivery quality
04
UX e UI Design
Interfaces with strong visual craft, attention to detail and consistent delivery.
Rapid prototyping
Documentation automation
05
AI in the design process
Thoughtful use of AI to automate documentation and speed up high-quality prototyping.
Feedback estruturado
Psychological safety
06
Mentoring
Support for designers through development plans, structured feedback and career growth.
Team rituals
Tool management
01
DesignOps
Process design, rituals and tools for growing design teams.
Tokens
Component libraries
02
Design Systems
Component, token and documentation governance aligned with development.
Quality standards
Career plans
03
Technical leadership
Delivery reviews, quality standards and career development for designers.
Visual Design
Delivery quality
04
UX e UI Design
Interfaces with strong visual craft, attention to detail and consistent delivery.
Rapid prototyping
Documentation automation
05
AI in the design process
Thoughtful use of AI to automate documentation and speed up high-quality prototyping.
Feedback estruturado
Psychological safety
06
Mentoring
Support for designers through development plans, structured feedback and career growth.
