Need help with Product designer application

Stage 1
1

Hello everyone,

I’ve been working on putting my evidences together for GTV, to apply for Exceptional Promise. I plan to apply in Jan 2026 so some of the work i have detailed below are still in progress but i’ve just detailed the structure of how i want to present it . Please I would need help with feedback on my evidence list and other requirements i plan to fulfil for this visa. Thank you as you help review.

My Background

I’m a product designer with 3-4 years of professional experience, designing mobile apps, web apps and websites. I currently work as a Product Designer, and I’ve been with them for over a year.

I am using the work I have done across 3 companies in the past 3-4 years as evidence for my application so lets call them company 1, company 2 and company 3

LoRs

I plan to get letters from the following positions at my previous and current employers

Letter 1: CEO and Co-founder of my first job

Letter 2: Managing director of my second job

Letter 3: Head of digital of my current job

Mandatory Criteria

  • Evidence I led the growth of a product-led digital technology company, product or team inside a digital technology company:
  1. I plan to show evidence of how I redesigned the mobile app of company 1’s flagship product which led to a significant increase in downloads from 1K to 3K+ on google play store and also helped the company achieve significant revenue from transactions performed on the app. I will attach screenshots of my figma designs, screenshot of the app downloads (before and after) and also the company created a video of users giving positive feedback about the app and I plan to include that too - Company 1
  2. I plan to show evidence of how I designed a new product offering for company 2 that led to product led growth and generated revenue for the company. I will attach screenshots of my figma designs, news clippings announcing the launch of the system - Company 2
  3. I plan to show evidence of how I redesigned an old internal system used by the company and refined the entire user interface, I plan to show figma screenshots, the impact this had on the company and positive feedback from employees who use the system - Company 3
  4. I plan to show how i led the discovery and design to improve an significant section in the company 3s digital product. this will result in an increase in revenue to the business and also increase user engagement in the app. I plan to attach screenshots of my design, screenshots of discovery workshops i ran and also show overall impact on the business.- company 3

Optional Criteria 02

  • Evidence that I have been recognised for my work outside of my immediate occupation that contributed to the advancement of the digital technology sector?
  1. I delivered a guest lecture on UX Design twice at a university to teach undergraduate and post graduate. I plan to attach the email invite, lecture slide and images of myself in the lecture with students. (Will a reference letter from the professor who invited me help? )
  2. I delivered a talk at a UX Industry seminar to post graduate students at a university. I plan to attach photos of the session, my slides, and also attendance physical/virtual (51 people) as the talk was also made available to those who could not make it physically (Will a reference letter from the professor who invited me help? )

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Optional Criteria 03

  • Evidences that I have made a significant technical, commercial or entrepreneurial contributions to the field as a founder, senior executive, board member or employee of a product-led digital technology company?
  1. Designed the product page for company 1’s official website, this was pivotal in marketing the release of its flagship product and enabled the company to get users to sign up/ sign in directly from the website. I plan to attach figma screenshots of my design and letter of reference from my line manager - Company 1
  2. Designed a set of features that enabled us launch a new version of our app at company 2, i plan to highlight the impact of this for users and also for the business. I plan to attach figma screenshots of my design, jira tickets showing this was assigned to me, comments from users and a letter of reference from my manager/product owner who was in charge of the project. Company 2
  3. I plan to show evidence of how i redesigned key areas of company 3’s digital product that recieved a significantly high amount of negative feedback from users in the past. I plan to highlight how my redesign addressed the issues raised from users and also the positive feedback from users alongside a supporting letter of reference from my manager - Company 3

How strong do you think my evidence is for my application?

Looking forward to your feedback, thank you so much in advance.

@Akash_Joshi

2

Hey there @ebuka_Ihueze! While I don’t have experience/insight into the application process as I’m also considering applying in the next few months, I was just curious if you’ve been at each company for the 12 minimum months?

Or for others who are experienced/have gotten approved before, is the 12 minimum months requirement the time you worked at each company, or is it just that you’ve “known the person who is recommending you” for 12 minimum months? The verbiage of the application seems to be the latter but can anyone confirm?

3

Your application shows strong potential but needs improvements to meet Global Talent standards. I’ve seen many product designers successfully obtain endorsements by focusing on quantifiable business impact rather than just design deliverables. Your three companies provide good evidence scope, but you need to strengthen how you present your individual contributions and their measurable outcomes.

Your mandatory criteria evidence needs clearer business metrics beyond app download increases. Instead of just showing 1K to 3K downloads, calculate the revenue impact or user engagement improvements your designs created. I’ve reviewed applications where designers included specific conversion rate improvements, user retention metrics, or revenue attribution from their design work. For company 2’s new product offering, provide actual revenue figures or market adoption data rather than just announcing the launch. Your company 3 internal system redesign should include productivity improvements or cost savings metrics that resulted from your work.

Your optional criteria structure needs refinement to avoid common rejection patterns. For OC2, university lectures are valuable but need stronger positioning - get formal letters from the professors detailing student feedback and learning outcomes from your sessions. The 51-person attendance is good but expand on how your teaching influenced design practices beyond the classroom. For OC3, focus on one strong evidence piece per company rather than spreading thin across multiple projects. Choose your highest-impact work from each company and provide comprehensive documentation including user feedback analysis, before-and-after metrics, and clear attribution of business results to your specific design decisions.

4

Hi @Akash_Joshi thank you for your detailed feedback on this! i really appreciate and i will use it as a guide moving forward in my application!

5

Hi @ebuka_Ihueze

Your application demonstrates potential, but lot of room to meet Global Talent standards. To strengthen your application, consider the following:

  1. Quantifiable Business Impact: Focus on measurable outcomes rather than just design deliverables. For each company, highlight individual contributions and their impact on business metrics, such as:
    • Revenue growth or attribution.
    • User engagement improvements.
    • Conversion rate enhancements.
    • User retention metrics.
  2. Mandatory Criteria: Provide clearer business metrics, such as:
    • Revenue impact from app designs (beyond download numbers).
    • Actual revenue figures or market adoption data for new product offerings.
    • Productivity improvements or cost savings from internal system redesigns.
    • Third-party validating evidences beyond just self-claims.
    • Clearly demonstrate how these make you a leader in the industry and not just at these companies.
  3. Optional Criteria: Refine your structure to avoid common rejection patterns. For example:
    • OC2: University lectures - obtain formal letters from professors detailing student feedback and learning outcomes, how did this advance the field. Expand on how your teaching influenced design practices beyond the classroom to the industry. Usually a guest lecture at a university is not very strong for OC2. Same for the UX seminar: was this a big tech event? 51 is low number per the guidelines, if it’s not a large tech event with sizeable attendee size then it will not fit the mark. Undergrads and grad lectures are weak for OC2.
    • OC3: Focus on one strong evidence piece per company, providing comprehensive documentation, including:
      • User feedback analysis.
      • Before-and-after metrics.
      • Clear attribution of business results to specific design decisions.

By addressing these areas and providing more specific, quantifiable evidence, you can strengthen your application and increase its competitiveness.