Bart van Asperen
UX & Product Design

In 2019, Elsevier hired me as the first UX designer for Scopus in Amsterdam. Not long after, I became the design lead. Over the past six years, we've shifted the product mindset to focus on human-centered design.

In 2019, Elsevier hired me as the first UX designer for Scopus in Amsterdam. Not long after, I became the design lead. Over the past six years, we've shifted the product mindset to focus on human-centered design.

Company
Elsevier

Product
Scopus

Role
UX Design Lead

Time frame
2019 - Present

Outcomes

Since September 2019, I’ve been serving as Product/UX Design Lead and member of the Scopus Management Team. Scopus, a leading academic research platform used by thousands of institutions in over 150 countries, had grown into a feature-heavy, fragmented experience. We took a step back, reconnected with users, and built the foundation to focus on what truly mattered. Our efforts modernized the experience, elevated UX maturity, and positioned Scopus for future growth, with +21% CSAT, +12 NPS points, and a more engaged product team.

🧩

Building team, culture, and DesignOps

Built and led a UX team of 9 (Design, Research, Copy) in Amsterdam. Introduced scalable DesignOps and launched a robust design system—accelerating development speed by 35% and reducing accessibility issues by 19%.

🎯

Aligning product with real needs

Defined a UX vision tied to a $130M+ roadmap, grounded in extensive user insights. Co-organized and facilitated sprints and empathy workshops to define personas, embed user thinking into teams, and align squads around four shared researcher goals.

🚀

Innovation that drives results

Launched strategic initiatives like ScopusAI, released in just 5 weeks (alpha), achieving 94% CSAT and multimillion-dollar revenue in its first year.

Top highlights at Scopus

Top highlights at Scopus

Building a new design team in Amsterdam

When I joined Scopus, the design team was spread across New York, Dayton (Ohio), and Amsterdam. As Design Lead, I helped transition the team to a single hub in Amsterdam. Together with the UX Director, I built a new team of six designers, two researchers, and a copywriter.

To bring focus and alignment, we introduced weekly kick-offs, twice-weekly design critiques, monthly retros, and workshops to define our product design principles, ways of working, visiontype discussions, and many more.
When I joined Scopus, the design team was spread across New York, Dayton (Ohio), and Amsterdam. As Design Lead, I helped transition the team to a single hub in Amsterdam. Together with the UX Director, I built a new team of six designers, two researchers, and a copywriter.

To bring focus and alignment, we introduced weekly kick-offs, twice-weekly design critiques, monthly retros, and workshops to define our product design principles, ways of working, visiontype discussions, and many more.

Team meetings

Scopus Design Principles

Great memories!

Building a new design team in Amsterdam

Putting users at the heart of Scopus

Scopus is a leading academic research platform used by thousands of institutions in over 150 countries. Since its 2004 launch, rapid growth added features for diverse users—along with complexity. It became unclear which features truly mattered. So we stepped back, reconnected with users, and began simplifying and refocusing the product around real needs.
Scopus is a leading academic research platform used by thousands of institutions in over 150 countries. Since its 2004 launch, rapid growth added features for diverse users—along with complexity. It became unclear which features truly mattered. So we stepped back, reconnected with users, and began simplifying and refocusing the product around real needs.

Journey maps

Storyboards based on journeys

New organization structure based on user research

Design Sprint with one of the squads

Putting users at the heart of Scopus

Scopus, a leading indexing platform, had grown messy and hard to use. It didn’t meet WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards, and its outdated frontend made updates slow. Designers and developers worked separately, using different tools, which caused inconsistency and more accessibility issues.

A new design system solved this—improving collaboration, speeding up development, and making the platform accessible again.
Scopus, a leading indexing platform, had grown messy and hard to use. It didn’t meet WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards, and its outdated frontend made updates slow. Designers and developers worked separately, using different tools, which caused inconsistency and more accessibility issues.

A new design system solved this—improving collaboration, speeding up development, and making the platform accessible again.

Scopus Design System

Scopus AI

Scopus AI started with a simple idea: help researchers make sense of scientific literature faster. Traditional search returned long lists of results, but not real answers. Users needed a smarter, more intuitive way to explore.

We asked: What if you could talk to Scopus in plain language—and get reliable, verified answers based on real papers? That question kicked off the project.

A cross-functional team began exploring how to use generative AI in a responsible, transparent way. The goal wasn’t to replace expert search, but to guide users through complex topics with more clarity and confidence.
Scopus AI started with a simple idea: help researchers make sense of scientific literature faster. Traditional search returned long lists of results, but not real answers. Users needed a smarter, more intuitive way to explore.

We asked: What if you could talk to Scopus in plain language—and get reliable, verified answers based on real papers? That question kicked off the project.

A cross-functional team began exploring how to use generative AI in a responsible, transparent way. The goal wasn’t to replace expert search, but to guide users through complex topics with more clarity and confidence.

Scopus AI

How Scopus User Days transformed our perspective

Every quarter, we hosted a Scopus User Day—a dedicated moment where contributors to Scopus met face-to-face with the people who actually use our product. No filters, no scripts—just honest, open conversations.

Nothing was off-limits. Users could ask anything that was on their mind, and our teams could dive into real-world feedback firsthand. These exchanges sparked new ideas, challenged ongoing initiatives, and, most importantly, deepened our collective empathy for the people we design and build for.

For our users, it was equally valuable. Meeting the actual people behind the product made the experience more human. They felt heard—and we gained insights no research report could replicate.

Design, Impact, and Lifelong Connections

At Elsevier, I had the opportunity to grow into the role of design lead for a multi-million-dollar product. It’s been incredibly rewarding to see how the product has evolved, to help build a strong design team, and to contribute to a mission that supports a better future.




And along the way, I’ve had the privilege of working with people who’ve become lifelong friends.

© Bart van Asperen, 2025

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