13 October 2026 · 5 min read

I’m a Ukrainian designer in Britain. Your websites could learn a thing or two from Ukraine

Let’s be honest. You’ve opened a local business website, seen a PDF price list, a “Welcome to our website!” and a contact form that leads nowhere, and closed the tab. So have I. Many times.

I’m a UX/UI designer from Ukraine, and I’ve lived in Britain for a few years. I love it here. The people, the coast, the queues even. But the websites? In Ukraine, half of them wouldn’t survive a month.

This article will annoy some people. Good. Read it to the end, and you’ll know exactly what to fix on your own website tomorrow.

What I saw when I started looking

I recently went through dozens of local business websites near where I live. Real businesses, with great reviews and loyal customers. Here’s some of what I found:

A heating engineer whose homepage still says they’re “temporarily closed until July 2024”. It’s 2026. They’re open. Their website says otherwise.
A flooring shop proudly “celebrating 37 years in business”. They’re at 42. The website stopped counting.
Social media icons that link to the website builder’s Instagram, not the business’s.
A main headline that tells you where to find the opening hours. That’s it. That’s the headline.
Opening hours that are different on the website, on Google and on the sign above the door.

None of these businesses is bad. Their websites just quietly tell customers the opposite.

In Ukraine, bad UX gets you killed. Commercially.

Ukrainians do almost everything on their phones. Banking, documents, deliveries, groceries. Fast. When that’s normal, a clunky website doesn’t get a second chance. People don’t complain. They just open the next app.

So Ukrainian companies don’t compete on “we have a website”. They compete on “you can do it in thirty seconds”.

Here are four I want every British business owner to look at.

1. Monobank: a bank people actually enjoy

Monobank has no branches you need to visit, a cat for a mascot, and more than 8 million active users. Its app is rated around 4.9. Open an account, pay, split a bill, get a card. One screen.

Now think about the last time you enjoyed using your bank.

Do this: find the one thing customers come to your website for. Put it on the first screen. Remove everything that competes with it.

2. Diia: your passport in your phone

Diia is a government app. Yes, a government app. Over 21 million Ukrainians use it for digital documents and dozens of public services. It won a D&AD Pencil in 2022, one of the most respected awards in design.

If a government can make paperwork feel easy, you can make booking an MOT easy. No excuses.

Do this: let people book, order or request a quote online. Not “call us between 9 and 5”.

3. Nova Post: you always know what’s happening

Nova Post is the delivery company every Ukrainian uses. Track your parcel, pick a locker, pay, change the address. You never wonder where your stuff is. Since 2024, it’s in the UK too, so you can try it yourself.

Compare that to sending an enquiry through a small business website. And then waiting. And waiting.

Do this: after someone fills in your form, tell them what happens next and when. “Thanks, we’ll call you tomorrow before 12.” Then actually call.

4. Silpo: a supermarket with a personality

Silpo is a supermarket chain. A supermarket. And its stores are designed like art projects: one inspired by Van Gogh, one by 1920s Odesa, one by esports. That last one won first place for Food at the EuroShop RetailDesign Award 2026.

If groceries can have a personality, so can your plumbing business.

Do this: use your real photos, your real voice, and a bit of humour. Boring is forgettable. Forgettable doesn’t get the call.

And all of this during a war

Power cuts. Air-raid alerts. A full-scale invasion. Ukrainian businesses kept improving their apps and websites anyway. Not because they had huge budgets. Because every interaction had to count.

So when I hear “we haven’t got round to updating the website”, I smile. You have electricity. You have Wi-Fi. You have an afternoon.

“But British customers like things the old way”

Do they?

The same customers use Amazon, Monzo, Deliveroo and the NHS App every week. Nobody compares your website only to the other local plumber. They compare it to the best experience they had yesterday.

And no, that doesn’t mean your site should look like a Silicon Valley start-up. It should look like you. Just modern, fast and easy. I wrote about getting that balance right in modern but familiar.

Your homework

Open your website on your phone. Be honest about what you see.
Put your main action (call, book or order) on the first screen.
Let people do it online.
Tell people what happens after they get in touch.
Make your hours the same everywhere: website, Google, the door.
Add one real photo of you, your team or your work.

Pick one. Do it today. Then the next one tomorrow.

Agree? Disagree? Tell me.

I post real before-and-afters, design breakdowns and rants like this one on Instagram. Designers: let’s raise the bar together. Business owners: if you recognised your website in this article, I’d love to help. Get an instant estimate and a fixed quote on my homepage.

Britain, I love you. Now let’s fix your websites.

Common questions

Why is Ukrainian digital design so strong?

High competition, a mobile-first audience and a culture of doing everything through apps. Companies like Monobank, Diia and Nova Post raised expectations, and everyone else had to keep up.

Do British customers really want modern websites?

They use modern apps every day, so their expectations already come from the best experiences they’ve had. What they don’t want is something unfamiliar. The answer is modern, but recognisably you.

What is the quickest website improvement for a small business?

Put your main action (call, book or order) and your opening hours on the first screen, and make sure the site is fast and easy on a phone.

Do I need an app like Monobank?

Almost certainly not. A fast, mobile-friendly website with online booking or ordering gives most small businesses the same benefits for a fraction of the cost.

Tatiana · UX/UI, web & product designer in the UK with 10+ years across B2B and B2C. I design and build websites, online shops, web products and apps for businesses of every size. Back to the site