Hi, I'm Zeynep!
I’m a product designer with 10+ years of experience designing accessible, data-informed digital experiences at the intersection of technology and journalism.
I was born and raised in İzmir, Turkey. After completing my master’s degree in Florence, Italy, I moved to the U.S., which has been home since 2009. Living in different countries and cultures made me more curious and empathetic, and more passionate about building inclusive and human-centered products.
Currently, I’m the Lead Product Designer at The Philadelphia Inquirer, where I focus on improving how we deliver news to our diverse audience. I believe in a free press and deeply care about making journalism accessible to everyone. At The Inquirer, I’ve led over 20 major cross-functional projects, including:
- Creating and scaling design systems and processes
- Redesigning the subscription checkout flow—a mobile-first, accessible experience that increased completion by 68% on mobile and earned us a UserTesting Illumi Award in 2021
- Launching and continuously improving our mobile app
- Reimagining our live blog for real-time news coverage
- Designing internal tools that streamlined newsroom planning and storytelling
I am also proud to be part of the 2023 cohort of the Online News Association Women’s Leadership Accelerator, where I received a year-long, intensive leadership training alongside 25 remarkable women leaders in journalism worldwide.
Outside of work, I enjoy painting, improv comedy (both performing and watching), meditating, and training my cat, Ser Sebastian, who’s almost mastered jumping through hoops.
You can email me at gunbayz@gmail.com, connect with me on LinkedIn or book a mentoring session with me.