Olia Birulia

Head of Design at Movemint. Design leadership from 0→1. Helping founders avoid costly early product mistakes. Ex-Facebook, Strava. Founder of Kiwi Fitness.

[Olia Birulia @oliabirulia]

A few weeks ago I turned our entire Q3 roadmap into high-fidelity screens. Two days, on my own.

A few years ago at Meta, that was a week of work for ten designers.

Full piece 👇
https://t.co/mfWN5IYEVe

[Olia Birulia @oliabirulia]

Why can an iPhone be reset in Lost Mode?

My phone was stolen, I turned on Lost Mode immediately, got it back, but all my photos are gone. I thought my data was protected.

@Apple , can someone explain this?

[Olia Birulia @oliabirulia]

Founders: what would make you bring in a design advisor early?

Or why wouldn’t you?

#designadvisor #uxdesign #productdesign

[Olia Birulia @oliabirulia]

Why do startups have sales advisors, fundraising advisors, technical advisors… but almost never a design advisor?

My guess: design is still seen as polish, not a lever for conversion, retention, and trust.

Bad UX doesn’t fail loudly, it just leaks users.

[Olia Birulia @oliabirulia]

-Friction on purpose, checks and structure beat “fast” in key moments

#uxdesign #b2b #b2c

[Olia Birulia @oliabirulia]

Now I’m at a B2B2C company, and the priorities are different.

What B2B needs:

- Reliability, it has to work every time, especially on big days

- Clarity for different roles: admins, operators, and end users

- Confidence under pressure, people depend on it when it matters

[Olia Birulia @oliabirulia]

I spent 10 years designing B2C products.

What B2C taught me:

- Speed matters, people decide fast

- Confusion kills, hesitation usually means they leave

- Feelings drive behavior: trust, delight, frustration

- Friction shows up immediately, feedback is instant

[Olia Birulia @oliabirulia]

Every broken flow I’ve seen came from the same issue:
no one owned the experience end to end.

Founders: who owns that on your team?

#UXDesign #StartupLife #productdesign

[Olia Birulia @oliabirulia]

I’m skeptical of polished UX portfolios at senior levels.

They show taste and storytelling.
They rarely show judgment under constraint.

But that’s the skill that actually matters once things get messy.

[Olia Birulia @oliabirulia]

A friend on Instagram:
“I’m so tired and burned out. My job isn’t bringing me any joy. I don’t need one week off… I need two 😮‍💨 You’ve been there, what did you do?”

Me:
“I have. A longer break helped, like one year off and two years changing disciplines 😂 So… not two weeks.”

[Olia Birulia @oliabirulia]

As Head of Design at Movemint, the biggest challenge hasn’t been building—it’s stopping.

Knowing what not to work on.
Letting v1 be imperfect.

In 2026, I’m resisting the urge to fix everything, and being more intentional about when I don’t.

[Kiwi Fitness @Train_with_Kiwi]

Fire your personal trainer! #fireyourpersonaltrainer

[Justin Thelukai @animated_memory]

If you're a guy in your twenties, get a personal trainer. Go into debt if you have to (but you won't have to, because AI coaches like kiwi Fitness make it 100x cheaper)

[Olia Birulia @oliabirulia]

Excited to be back in person for YC Demo Day! @ycombinator @garrytan

[Olia Birulia @oliabirulia]

Kiwi Fitness is on Product Hunt! Check us out and show your support - help us get to product of the day!

https://t.co/1M7k2Xcdmw

[Kiwi Fitness @Train_with_Kiwi]

Rest Days Count -
Keep the Streak Alive!

[Kiwi Fitness @Train_with_Kiwi]

We are building a form recognition tool and are looking for participants to join our FREE beta. Sign up here: https://t.co/JlxmtruJHZ

[Kiwi Fitness @Train_with_Kiwi]

Unlock the Power of Upper Body Ergometer
https://t.co/epSlB18KXh

[Kiwi Fitness @Train_with_Kiwi]

Understanding Myofascial Pain Syndrome: ICD-10 Classification and Treatment Options
https://t.co/l4b7tOQWbk