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I learned to build before I learned to design.

Zair Abbas, UX/UI designer based in Karachi, Pakistan, seated in a black chair against a plain cream backdrop, chin resting on his hand

Now I build products with AI.

Let me show you where it started.

UX/UI and AI product designer in Karachi, Pakistan. 20 years designing and shipping products for global brands and startups.

A short film: Zair gets up from his chair, gets into a time machine, sets the date from 2026 to 2006 and drives back to meet himself at his first desk.

A short film: Zair gets up from his chair, gets into a time machine, sets the date from 2026 to 2006 and drives back to meet himself at his first desk.

Skip the trip

I started by building it myself.

  • HTMLMarkup
  • CSSLayout
  • PHPMy own CMS
  • WordPressCustom themes
Zair in 2006, smiling at his office desk beside a CRT monitor

I like figuring out how things work. That never changed.

Then I learned to design.

Career timeline

  1. 2006BuildWeb designer and developer, Creative Chaos
  2. 2011DesignSenior UX designer and team lead, Creative Chaos
  3. 2014LeadWeb development manager, Creative Chaos
  4. 2017 · 2018EntrepreneurshipCTO, Jambro · Co-founder, Grocode
  5. 2021ProductPrincipal product designer, Creative Chaos
  6. 2026Build againBack to shipping my own products
  7. NowAIDesigning and building with AI

Brands

Some of the brands I've designed for.

  • McDonald's
  • Coke Studio
  • Coca-Cola
  • Luminopia
  • McQueens Flowers
  • Maersk
  • Toyota
  • Unilever
  • Jazz
  • PayFast
  • Sehat Kahani
  • OPTP
  • Engro
  • SadaPay
  • eBay
  • Groupon
  • XStak
  • & many more

Selected work

Work I'd show you first.

All work

Build

calog.cc

Type "daal chawal and chai" and get the calories. My own product, from the first sketch to launch.

Read the case study

Complexity

Luminopia

A parent app and the in-headset experience for a VR lazy-eye therapy for kids. I led two designers.

Read the case study

Scale

McDonald's Restaurant Technology Hub

Release notes written for engineers, rewritten as stories franchise owners read. Shipped inside McDonald's intranet.

Read the case study

A closer look at calog.cc

Everything in it follows one rule.

AI should ask when it isn't sure.

140+ registered users.

  1. You describe a meal in plain words, desi food included.
  2. The AI reads it and scores how sure it is. If it's confident, it logs.
  3. When it isn't sure, confidence lands below 0.7.
  4. So it asks. A review card comes up instead of a silent guess.
  5. You confirm or correct. Then it's logged.
calog.cc logging a food photo of a chicken sandwich, salad and chai, marked 90% confident and logged calog.cc at 50% confidence: it could not identify the food clearly and asks the user to edit the portion before logging
Confidence … Reading the mealSure: loggedNot sure: asks you

How I work

Every screen starts as a decision.

  1. EmpathizeUnderstand the users and the business.
  2. DefineFrame the problem clearly.
  3. IdeateExplore solutions together, with engineering and product.
  4. DesignFlows, prototypes and design systems in Figma.
  5. TestValidate with real users and stakeholders.
  6. DeliverStay close to developers through handoff.
  7. Lead & reflectMentor designers, run critiques, keep improving the process.

Services

How I can help.

I make apps and websites, from the first plan to launch.

  • Product design and UX
  • AI products and MVPs
  • Websites Webflow
  • Fractional design leadership
  1. Discovery sprint

    A short project to work out what to build, before you pay for building it.

  2. Project delivery

    I design and build one thing, from the first call to the day it goes live.

  3. Ongoing partnership

    I stay on as your designer and keep improving your product as it grows.

Get in touchSee the services

Hiring for a senior product role? That's a conversation too.

Zair relaxing in a leather armchair by the studio windows, coffee in hand

Don’t take my word for it.

LinkedIn
“Whenever Zair has said ‘Don’t worry’ it has been that way.”
Sardar Mohkim KhanWorked with me, 2023
LinkedIn

“A problem solver… always ready to put in the hard work.”

Shakir HusainManaged me, 2018
ADPList

“An exceptional designer, leader and mentor.”

Camie WongMentee, 2024
LinkedIn

“The only benchmark I see around him is himself.”

Rumaisa ReemClient, 2010
Zair and three others in front of a presentation screen after a workshop at Habib University
SessionsHabib University
ADPList

“Extremely knowledgeable on the subject of UI/UX.”

Ali SaqibMentee, 2024
LinkedIn

“One of the best guys to learn from and work with.”

Shahzad KhanReported to me, 2009
LinkedIn

“All of them have been completed on time.”

Ali InamWorked with me, 2015
ADPList

“His authority in the field truly shines through.”

Farhan KhanMentee, 2023

Learning

Figma to Webflow

InterviewBuilding calog.cc with AI

Zair speaking into a microphone at a podium, a Figma user flow on the screen behind him
On stageTalks on Figma
LinkedIn

“A unique and irreplaceable contribution to the team.”

Maryam Bandukda, PhDManaged me, 2009
ADPList

“He even explained using real world examples.”

Amrita AlexMentee, 2023
LinkedIn

“I learned a great deal from Zair.”

Abdul Qadir MohiuddinWorked with me, 2010
LinkedIn

“A man of protocols.”

Sameer ul Haque SiddiquiWorked with me, 2009
LinkedIn

“He doesn’t need guidance.”

Muhammad NawazSenior colleague, 2009

Health. Family. Growth.

Life pillars I work on every day.

Zair's Mi Fitness workout summary from the gym: 1 hour 29 minutes of indoor fitness
1 Body and mind, both. I stay active every day and find my balance in music, movement and travel.
Zair with his family in the snow, mountains behind them
2 My family is my anchor and my biggest inspiration. Their love and support shape who I am.
Zair at his desk with a microphone, recording
3 I keep learning, sharpening my skills and taking on new challenges as the tools keep changing.
Close-up portrait of Zair in his studio, looking at the camera

20 years in.Still building.

I design. I build. I lead.

Looking for the next thing worth building.

150+ clients50+ team members hired and managed5+ startups