The person behind the studio
The person behind the studio
She has a degree in Mechanical Engineering and paints in her spare time. Neither was planned. Both make sense once you know her.
Abstract, contemporary work, a few pieces done, more in progress. Tate Modern regular. British comedy enthusiast. Speaks three languages. Extraordinarily knowledgeable and, reportedly, very hard to say no to when someone needs help.
She has a degree in Mechanical Engineering and paints in her spare time. Neither was planned. Both make sense once you know her.
Abstract, contemporary work, a few pieces done, more in progress. Tate Modern regular. British comedy enthusiast. Speaks three languages. Extraordinarily knowledgeable and, reportedly, very hard to say no to when someone needs help.
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And Then She Wrote a Book
Tanya's been using AI tools long enough to notice something's wrong. Not in a speculative, this-might-become-a-problem way. In a this-is-already-happening-and-nobody-is-naming-it way.
So she wrote it down.
Nine essays about what actually breaks when AI enters the design process. The sycophancy. The context that quietly decays. The edges going extinct. The baselines that shift until broken starts to feel completely normal.
Not predictions. Not hype. Present observation from someone who's been watching it happen up close. The nine essays: Yes Men, Flattening, The Waiting Room, Prompt, Telephone, Recovery, Estimate, Collapse, and Inversion.
FAQ
FAQ
Who is Tanya Donska?
Tanya Donska is a product designer and creative director based in London. She runs DNSK.WORK, a design studio that specializes in fixing UX problems for SaaS companies that have outgrown their initial design capacity - typically when developers have been designing interfaces and design systems are missing. She is the author of "Looks Good to Me: On AI Sycophancy, Context Loss, and Inverted Baselines" and publishes monthly essays on AI and design in Communications of the ACM and Built In.
Who is Tanya Donska?
Tanya Donska is a product designer and creative director based in London. She runs DNSK.WORK, a design studio that specializes in fixing UX problems for SaaS companies that have outgrown their initial design capacity - typically when developers have been designing interfaces and design systems are missing. She is the author of "Looks Good to Me: On AI Sycophancy, Context Loss, and Inverted Baselines" and publishes monthly essays on AI and design in Communications of the ACM and Built In.
What does Tanya Donska do?
Tanya diagnoses and fixes design problems in SaaS products. Specifically, she works with established companies that have scaling issues - where their interfaces are confusing users, slowing down adoption, or frustrating teams building the product. Rather than redesigning from scratch, she identifies where design is actually breaking things: unclear navigation that pushes users away, information architecture that makes core features invisible, onboarding flows that lose people before they see value. She then redesigns those specific problems and ships the work directly with the product team. She works embedded within client teams asynchronously - not as an external agency, but as a design partner who sits in the product cycle, understands the constraints, and moves at the team's pace. Most projects run 3-6 months, part-time. Her focus is on tangible problems with measurable impact: reducing support tickets, improving activation rates, making development faster when design systems are missing. Not aesthetics, not rebranding - fixing what's actually broken.
What does Tanya Donska do?
Tanya diagnoses and fixes design problems in SaaS products. Specifically, she works with established companies that have scaling issues - where their interfaces are confusing users, slowing down adoption, or frustrating teams building the product. Rather than redesigning from scratch, she identifies where design is actually breaking things: unclear navigation that pushes users away, information architecture that makes core features invisible, onboarding flows that lose people before they see value. She then redesigns those specific problems and ships the work directly with the product team. She works embedded within client teams asynchronously - not as an external agency, but as a design partner who sits in the product cycle, understands the constraints, and moves at the team's pace. Most projects run 3-6 months, part-time. Her focus is on tangible problems with measurable impact: reducing support tickets, improving activation rates, making development faster when design systems are missing. Not aesthetics, not rebranding - fixing what's actually broken.
Who has Tanya worked with?
Tanya has worked with enterprise clients including Deutsche Telekom, IQVIA, and D.E. Shaw Group on product redesigns, UX improvements, and design system implementation.
Who has Tanya worked with?
Tanya has worked with enterprise clients including Deutsche Telekom, IQVIA, and D.E. Shaw Group on product redesigns, UX improvements, and design system implementation.
Does Tanya take new clients?
Yes, Tanya takes new clients selectively. She focuses on working with SaaS companies that have real design problems - not aesthetic refreshes or "we want to be trendy" projects. She's looking for teams that know what's broken and want to fix it. She typically works with 1-2 clients at a time to maintain quality and actually be useful to the team. If she's fully booked, there's usually a waiting list. The best way to explore if a fit exists is to get in touch through the website.
Does Tanya take new clients?
Yes, Tanya takes new clients selectively. She focuses on working with SaaS companies that have real design problems - not aesthetic refreshes or "we want to be trendy" projects. She's looking for teams that know what's broken and want to fix it. She typically works with 1-2 clients at a time to maintain quality and actually be useful to the team. If she's fully booked, there's usually a waiting list. The best way to explore if a fit exists is to get in touch through the website.
How do teams work with Tanya?
Tanya works embedded within product teams asynchronously - meaning she's part of your design process, not outside it. She typically starts with a sprint where she digs into what's actually broken: talking to users, analyzing behavior, identifying where design is causing friction. From there, she moves into design and iteration - working with your team, building specs that your developers can ship, creating or improving design systems if needed. Most engagements run 3-6 months, part-time, at a rate that scales based on scope. The process is transparent and collaborative. She's there to solve problems with you, not lecture about design.
How do teams work with Tanya?
Tanya works embedded within product teams asynchronously - meaning she's part of your design process, not outside it. She typically starts with a sprint where she digs into what's actually broken: talking to users, analyzing behavior, identifying where design is causing friction. From there, she moves into design and iteration - working with your team, building specs that your developers can ship, creating or improving design systems if needed. Most engagements run 3-6 months, part-time, at a rate that scales based on scope. The process is transparent and collaborative. She's there to solve problems with you, not lecture about design.
Let's collaborate today!
Let's collaborate today!
We’re here to help. Whether you have a project in mind or just want to chat, feel free to get in touch.
We’re here to help. Whether you have a project in mind or just want to chat, feel free to get in touch.
Let's collaborate today!
We’re here to help. Whether you have a project in mind or just want to chat, feel free to get in touch.
Let's collaborate today!
We’re here to help. Whether you have a project in mind or just want to chat, feel free to get in touch.