Summary
Test Engineer with over 4 years of combined experience in hardware, software, and firmware testing, product development, and engineering. Extensive experience working with electromechanical systems, mobile devices, robotics, consumer electronics, autonomous vehicles, and IoT systems. Hands-on background in R&D, additive manufacturing, soldering, scripting, firmware flashing, sensor integration, robotics hardware, PCBA assembly, actuator systems, and rapid prototyping.
At Neato Robotics, collaborated closely with engineers on sensor integration (LiDAR, bump sensors, cliff sensors), robot states machine, firmware, and hardware design constraints for autonomous vacuum robots. Gained deep understanding of SLAM navigation, robotics hardware, and manufacturing processes.
At HARMAN (a Samsung Company), tested software, hardware, DFU, and FOTA updates for Vertu, Nokia, HTC and other mobile devices. After fully pivoting into UX design role, designed and tested physical interaction experiences for L3/L4/L5 autonomous electric vehicles, connected car devices and consumer electronics.
Over 1.5 years at MERA (Orion Innovation), tested firmware, hardware, and software for GPS navigators, VoIP devices, and headsets for major clients including TCS, Telefonica O2, Verizon, Avaya, Cisco, and Jabra.
Expanding expertise in product development and engineering, specializing in bridging design and technology through 3D and CAD modeling, R&D, rapid prototyping, industrial design, product engineering, testing and validation, manufacturing process design and optimization, additive and subtractive manufacturing. Combining a human-centered approach and design thinking with technical engineering to help businesses develop manufacturable products at small scale.
Additionally, Senior UX Designer with 10+ years of experience leading end-to-end UX and product design across Automotive, AI, Enterprise, Robotics, Mobile and Web domains. Always worked at the intersection of UX design, engineering, hardware and testing. Design QA was always part of my work as a UX designer, essentially System, Unit and Functional Testing in a design context. Now I'm pivoting back to the hands-on hardware testing, product engineering in robotics and automotive industries.
Achievements
✦ Co-led product design and development, engineered components, designed, tested, validated, and optimized small-scale manufacturing workflow using FDM 3D printing, and shipped water dispensing system for Elequatico.
✦ Designed digital and physical human-machine interaction experiences for autonomous electric vehicles, showcased at CES Las Vegas, Geneva Motor Show, Shanghai Auto Show, and Detroit Auto Show.
✦ Discovered a critical security vulnerability where phone credentials (MDN number) were transmitted unencrypted during the client–server handshake, potentially exposing users of CDMA phones to misuse of credentials, relinking device to another account, account takeover, device cloning, carrier billing fraud/cramming, and premium SMS fraud. Detected the issue in the production environment after update rollout, initiated immediate update recall and patching before any fraud occurred.
✦ Published functional design models on Printables.com with more than 330 downloads.
Work Experience
Senior Test Engineer
HARMAN Connected Services (a Samsung Company) • Nizhny Novgorod • 03/2013 - 04/2015
• Tested mobile device connectivity, software, firmware, and hardware for Android-based mobile devices including Vertu, Nokia, HTC, and other OEM devices.
• Performed DFU (Device Firmware Update) and FOTA (Firmware Over-The-Air) testing and validation.
• Developed comprehensive test cases, test plans, and testing procedures for software, hardware, and firmware validation.
• Managed version control using Perforce (P4).
• Performed smoke, system, feature, regression, compatibility, ad-hoc, and performance testing for mobile applications and hardware.
• Executed test cases in compliance with requirements and documented defects.
• Conducted failure mode analysis on mobile device hardware issues, identified patterns in defect data.
• Performed root cause analysis and documented defects with detailed technical reports in JIRA.
• Developed testing process documentation and organized training for other employees.
• Reviewed design specifications and requirements from customers.
• Worked with development teams and customers to clarify design questions and ensure application functionality met requirements.
Test Engineer
MERA (Orion Software) • Nizhny Novgorod • 01/2013 - 03/2013
• Performed firmware and hardware testing for stationary IP telephony devices, USB headsets, and DFU Tools for Avaya, Cisco and Jabra.
• Developed comprehensive test cases, test plans, and testing procedures for software, hardware, and firmware validation.
• Managed version control using Perforce (P4).
• Performed smoke, system, feature, regression, compatibility, ad-hoc, and performance testing for software, firmware, and hardware.
• Performed root cause analysis and documented defects with detailed technical reports in JIRA.
• Analyzed test data and metrics to identify failure patterns and improve product quality.
• Collaborated with software, firmware and hardware engineering teams to resolve defects and implement corrective actions.
Information Technology Engineer
MERA (Orion Software) • Nizhny Novgorod • 10/2011 - 03/2013
• Tested software and hardware for GPS navigation systems for TCS, Telefonica O2, Verizon, and others.
• Used testing tools including SecureCRT, PUTTY, SQLdeveloper, software emulators (Android, RIM BlackBerry, QNX, BREW), hardware emulators (CDMA box, Faraday cage), SDK (Android, Samsung, QNX, BREW).
• Optimized server-side testing procedures for VZ Navigator's 3D Cities feature, reducing testing lead times by 55%, improving accuracy through systematic variation of test parameters and statistical validation of results.
• Developed comprehensive test cases, test plans, and testing procedures for software, hardware, and firmware validation.
• Managed version control using Perforce (P4).
• Performed smoke, system, feature, regression, compatibility, ad-hoc, and performance testing for mobile applications and hardware.
• Performed root cause analysis and documented defects with detailed technical reports in JIRA.
• Designed and executed experiments to validate test procedures and establish pass/fail thresholds for hardware validation, improving test reliability and reducing false failures.
• Analyzed test data and metrics to identify failure patterns and improve product quality.
• Developed testing process documentation and organized training for other employees.
• Collaborated with software, firmware and hardware engineering teams to resolve defects and implement corrective actions.
Related Work Experience
Product Development Engineer
Freelance • San Jose, CA • 06/2024 - Present
• Co-led product design, engineered components, tested, validated and shipped final water dispensing system for Elequatico, commercial product now available on Etsy, Amazon, Shopify storefronts.
• Designed, tested and validated small-scale manufacturing workflow using FDM 3D printing technology.
• Performed structural testing, stress testing, and quality validation of 3D-printed parts to ensure manufacturing reliability. Identified potential failure modes in design and manufacturing process, documented risks, and implemented corrective actions to improve product reliability.
• Performed Gage R&R studies to verify measurement system consistency and dimensional tolerances.
• Hands-on experience with 3D printing, CNC machining, woodworking, resin casting, injection molding tooling and other fabrication methods for small-scale production and rapid prototyping.
• Created production-ready models using CAD software (Autodesk Fusion 360, Shapr3D).
• Designed and manufactured 3D-printable educational board games, and functional products.
• Published functional design models on Printables.com with 330+ downloads.
• Designed 3D printable art models using 3D modeling tools (Blender, Nomad Sculpt).
Maker
Hobby • 10/2015 – Present
• Assembled Prusa MK3S+ 3D printer from a kit, fully customized Anet A8 3D printer including replacing motors, wiring, PSU, mainboard, thermistors, build plate, and tuned motor drivers using digital multimeter.
• Designed and built ESP32 and ESP8266-based sensors for Home Assistant system running on Raspberry Pi, soldered components, wrote and flashed firmware.
• Soldered Raspberry Pi HATs and PCB assemblies for electromechanical projects.
• Built electromechanical music box projects integrating custom 3D-printed parts, gears, Bluetooth speakers PCBs, soldering, and electronics assembly.
• Experience with breadboards, circuit design, and electronics troubleshooting.
• Hands-on experience with 3D printing, resin casting, clay casting, digital art, generative art, sculpting.
Senior UX Designer
Neato Robotics • San Jose, CA • 08/2021 - 01/2022
• Designed and tested robot behavior patterns and human-robot interaction UX patterns, including LED patterns and audible alerts, reduced support tickets by 38%, and increased user satisfaction by 70% in 6 months.
• Gained hands-on understanding of robot states machine, SLAM navigation, sensor integration (LiDAR, bump sensors, cliff sensors), and actuator systems. Exposure to PFMEA, DOE, and End-of-Line testing.
• Collaborated with engineers on hardware and firmware design constraints for autonomous vacuum robots.
Senior Designer
HARMAN Connected Services (a Samsung Company) • Mountain View, CA • 10/2015 - 11/2020
• Designed, tested, and validated digital and physical user experiences for L3, L4 and L5 autonomous electric vehicles, showcased at CES Las Vegas, Geneva Motor Show, Shanghai Auto Show, and Detroit Auto Show.
• Designed, tested, and validated physical UX interaction patterns for in-vehicle controls including rotary controls, displays, haptic feedback systems and "force field" projection controls using SoftKinetics and Ultrahaptics devices.
• Gained hands-on understanding of CAN tools and IMU Calibration for connected car products.
• Worked on physical UX interaction patterns for portable Bluetooth speakers, connected car devices, and IoT devices.
Other Work Experience
Senior UX Designer (Full-stack)
Freelance • San Jose, CA • 06/2024 - Present
Senior UX Design Specialist
SAP SuccessFactors • Palo Alto, CA • 01/2022 - 06/2024
Senior Designer
HARMAN Connected Services (a Samsung Company) • Nizhny Novgorod • 04/2015 - 10/2015
Designer
Freelance • Nizhny Novgorod • 07/2010 - 03/2013
Education
Master's Degree in Computer Graphics (Partial Completion)
Lobachevsky N.I. State University of Nizhny Novgorod • 2011 - 2012
Bachelor's Degree in Information Technology
Lobachevsky N.I. State University of Nizhny Novgorod • 2006 - 2010
Radiophysics, Hardware and Software of Information Systems and Information Security Tools
Certifications and Courses
Python for Everybody
Rapid Prototyping Using 3D Printing
Patents
US Utility Patent, Application #63/680,853
Patent Pending • 2024
US Utility Patent, Application #63/651,164
Patent Pending • 2024
US Design Patent, US-D875106-S
Fiat Companion App and OnStage Pass UX • 2020
Skills and Tools
Test Engineering: Test Cases Development, Test Plan Development, Black Box Testing, Manual Testing, Automated Testing, Hardware Testing, System Testing, Regression Testing, Smoke Testing, Performance Testing, Ad-hoc Testing, Unit Testing, Triage and Debug, Validation, Bug Reporting, WCAG, Version Control, Statistical Data Analysis, Gage R&R, PFMEA, DOE , End-of-line Testing, Attention to Details, Documentation.
Hardware: Raspberry Pi, Arduino, ESP32, ESP8266, Breadboard, Bambu Lab (A1, A1 Mini), Prusa MK3S+, Automotive Platforms, Robot Vacuum Platforms, Sensors, DFU Tools, UART, Calipers, Soldering, Multimeter.
Software: Autodesk Fusion 360, Shapr3D, TinkerCAD, PrusaSlicer, Bambu Studio, OrcaSlicer, UltiMaker Cura, Adobe CC Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects), Figma, Axure RP, Unity, Gen AI Tools.
Product Engineering: CAD, Design for Manufacturing, Perspective Drawings, Cross-sectional Drawings, Assembly Drawings, Technical Drawings, GD&T, Tolerance Analysis, Additive Manufacturing, FDM/SLA/SLS 3D Printing, Rapid Prototyping, CMF, Manufacturing Process Design, Post-Processing Techniques.
Physical Prototyping: 3D Printing, CNC Machining, Resin Casting, Clay Casting, Sculpting, Woodworking, Foam Core, Cardboard, Modeling Clay, Functional Prototypes, Pen and Paper.
Design Visualization: Product Design, Industrial Design, Sketching, Mockups, Storyboarding, Visual Thinking, Product Thinking, Perspective Drawings, Cross-sectional Drawings, Assembly Drawings, Engineering Drawings, Interaction Design, UX Design, Visual Design, Design Thinking, Motion Design, Animation, Illustration, Storytelling, Color Theory, Typography, Iconography.
Accessibility: Design for Accessibility, Human-centered Design, WCAG Standards.
Research: Design Iteration, Design Validation, Testing Protocols, Data-Driven Design, A/B Testing, User Research, Competitive Research.
Process: Agile, Kanban, 0-to-1 Product Development, Project Management, Cross-functional Collaboration, Mentorship.
Other: JIRA, Confluence, HTML, CSS, JSON, XML, SQL, APIs, JavaScript, Python, Swift, Git.
Awards
Going Extra Mile Award
HARMAN Connected Services • Jan 2014
"We thank you for your remarkable commitment and outstanding contribution." - Tilman Bollmann.