Featured articleBuilding right-to-left into a global banking design system
The SBS design team wrote about how I made Arabic and right-to-left part of the design system from the start, working past Figma's limits and pushing Figma to address them.

From product strategy and user research through UX and UI, to the design systems and documentation that keep it all consistent. 15 years across fintech, banking, gaming and broadcast.
I'm Layal, a Lead Designer based in London. I design end-to-end product experiences for complex financial software, from the first user flows through to the component libraries and governance that hold them together. I care as much about how a system holds up under pressure as how it looks.
I work closely with developers and stakeholders with a strong focus on detail, accessibility, responsive and native behaviour, and the documentation that keeps a system usable after I hand it over. I use generative AI daily to move faster without losing consistency.
Before fintech, I spent seven years designing digital products in gaming and broadcast across the Middle East. I speak English, French and Arabic, so right-to-left design comes naturally to me.
I design dashboards, trading and risk platforms and interactive data visualisation, for responsive web as well as native and hybrid mobile apps.
I design dashboards, trading and risk platforms and interactive data visualisation, for responsive web as well as native and hybrid mobile apps.
I build component libraries, tokens and documentation, along with the contribution rules and ownership that keep a system working long after handover.
I lead internal designers and external agencies, set the creative direction and the briefs, and keep design aligned with product, engineering and senior stakeholders.
I design to meet accessibility standards, and to work for right-to-left as well as left-to-right, where the whole interface flips direction, not just the words.
I run user interviews, usability testing, journey mapping and design sprints, so design decisions come from evidence rather than from opinion.
I create visual identity, brand guidelines and campaign and motion systems, produced quickly by using generative AI as part of the working method.
Where my work has been written about and recognised.
Featured articleThe SBS design team wrote about how I made Arabic and right-to-left part of the design system from the start, working past Figma's limits and pushing Figma to address them.
Chosen by Facebook's product design team from nine teams, for a smart speaker concept that gives each family member their own voice profile and control over their data.
Building a complex product that needs to feel simple? I'd love to hear about it. Drop me a line, and I'll get back to you.