Software Designer · Cotonou, Bénin
Ralph Sena
I have been designing software for ten years. Most of it at Beans, where I joined as the first designer, grew a Shopify loyalty plugin into a full retention platform, then made the case for cutting it back until the core flows were simple again. I led the design team there.
Alongside it I founded Labo Jaune, a tech and AI-native agency, and I own Koin Koin Vélo, a bike rental business in Cotonou that runs on a team of five. I taught at Africa Design School for six years.
Ten years designing software products. Most of them at Beans, where I joined as the first designer, grew a Shopify loyalty plugin into a full retention platform, then made the case for cutting it back to simplicity, and led the design team.
ralphsena.com Cotonou, Bénin French & English
Experience
- Beans Joined at an early stage as the first designer. Grew it from a Shopify loyalty plugin into a full retention platform, then argued for cutting features and rebuilt it around simplicity. Led two junior designers and set up how they were onboarded. trybeans.com ↗
- Freelance Design work taken on between other things, for clients spread across several countries and time zones. The ones worth showing →
- Atelier Paon A design and advertising agency, and where it started. Layout, composition, and the fundamentals I still work from.
- Koin Koin Vélo Bike rental and tours in Cotonou. Digital product thinking applied to a business that runs on people, with a team of five to train and keep sharp. koinkoinvelo.com ↗
Selected projects
All projects →- Taayo Booking and client management for salon owners, built inside the studio and AI-native from the first line. Case study → taayo.app ↗
- Gymnary The same idea aimed at gym owners: memberships, schedules and the day to day of running the floor. Case study → gymnary.com ↗
- Koin Koin Vélo Bike rental and tours in Cotonou, and my test of whether product thinking survives a business made of people, weather and bicycles. Case study → koinkoinvelo.com ↗
- Beans Retention for ecommerce, against Yotpo, Smile.io and LoyaltyLion. I joined as the first designer and stayed six years. Case study → trybeans.com ↗
Details
| Based in | Cotonou, Bénin (GMT+1) |
|---|---|
| Works in | French & English |