Hey there!

I’m Michel. UX and photography are two crafts I’ve been honing for the past decade. It all started after I received my civil engineering master’s degree in human-computer interaction.

UX skillset and methodology

As a designer, paying detailed attention to human behavior and needs is crucial. To create truly usable, fun products that actually make a difference, it’s necessary to have a clear understanding of all aspects of the design process.

In my journey as a UX designer, I've dived deep into the world of user research and analysis, primarily focusing on interviews, a tool that never ceases to unveil the user's psyche. Persona development, while it sometimes can feel a bit tideous, helps me empathize with users and design tailored experiences for them. While usability testing is a cornerstone of my process, I always approach it with a touch of caution; after all, test environments differ from real-life scenarios, but it’s always nice to be able to lean back on the fact the just 5 user tests shows me 80% of the usability issues.

Designing the UI is where my passion truly lies, each pixel and component a testament to deep thinking and problem-solving. Interactive prototyping is also one of my favorite aspects of UX, as it adds life to my designs and is the only way of explaining interactions sometimes. Accessibility isn't just an afterthought; with my training in WCAG 2.1 AA, I champion inclusive designs (I also have a family member with special needs, so inclusive design is no joke to me). Design systems, to me, are the DNA of consistent and scalable user experiences. The symphony of a robust design system ensures that every pixel and component sings in harmony, creating experiences that are both delightful and memorable.

My engineering background, while not directly related to coding, arms me with the insight needed for seamless developer collaboration. So what about scope understanding? Let's just say I've danced with the ever-elusive scope creep more than once, but as UX designers, we have our toes on most puddles during projects, so over the years I’ve created a keen sense of when we have a somewhat optimistic timeframe or when we want to do too much at once. While I appreciate the rhythm of agile methodologies like Kanban, I'm no stranger to the waterfall's occasional encore.

To me, great UX is an ensemble, not a solo — collaboration is its lifeblood. After all, at the heart of UX is problem-solving, and that’s best done together with others with adjacent skillsets.

Photography

Just have fun with it. Don’t always adhere to the rules and don’t worry about finding your own style, you’ve already done that by taking your photo.

FAQs

 

  • I love spending hour upon hour polishing concepts in Figma. Trying out different solutions, iterating the designs, creating reusable components, testing the designs with actual users, presenting the progress to the clients, explaining why certain decisions were made.

    I also enjoy talking to the users – interviews provide the right insight, the foundation needed to create products designed for the users, based on their needs and expectations.

    Working side by side with developers is not only fun, but necessary. I always find time to work together with them as it’s the best way to move forward in any project.

  • Why didn’t the shrimp share his treasure?

    Because he was a little shellfish 🤭

  • Nah, not really. I mean, I do OK at it, but there are people who are a lot better equipped than me at things like font, color theory, logo design, that sort of thing.

    It’s like this – I can see when certain colors fit nicely together, or how to make a UI feel a certain way, but I couldn’t tell you why i.e. Garamond is the right font for a specific brand value, or why #77DBC3 is the perfect hue of turquoise to represent, say, the culture of a brand.

    With that being said, if I’m asked to create a design for an app or web service, and there are brand guidelines at hand, I will knock your socks right off! I will whip up the most stunning, user friendly, accessibly design in no time! It’s what I do.

  • Yes! I’m fluent in English, Swedish and Hungarian. I’m conversational in Spanish (took Spanish lessons for 6 months in Barcelona after highschool, and spent another 6 months in Costa Rica living with a family and studying Spanish).

  • Workshops are a great forum to ideate, innovate and reach consensus, but it’s not my favorite part of the UX process. They sometimes seem to go on forever and are not always fruitful in a way that say user interviews or user tests are. I find it especially gruesome when I’m supposed to lead a workshop that someone else has setup. Not fun. However, when I trust the setup and understand exactly why we’re asking the questions we’re asking, then workshops are a great way to reach common ground with colleagues and clients.

  • Yes, and no. If I’m proud of the work I’ve accomplished and I’ve had time to prepare a presentation, then no. However, if I feel my work is so-so and/or I don’t have time to prepare, then yes.

    Spontaneous presentations are fun! It can’t “go wrong” because there’s no template to follow, no preparation to mess up.

  • Home 2 days, office 3 days.

    Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE spending time with colleagues and friends, but sometimes you just need to dig deep, alone, and get s#€t done.

  • Golden age. Duh.

  • I have a fierce forehand (tennis)! But other than that, I don’t fallow soccer, hockey or anything like that.

  • When I’m away traveling, I shoot primarily with a Fujifilm X-T2. When I’m at home in Sweden, I usually bring my beloved X100V with me everywhere. I love that camera.

  • Both! I know the lyrics to most 90’s songs and can probably name every single actor in Hollywood. I watch way too many movies and tv-shows.

  • Tough one. Midjourney image creation (or promptography as I like to call it) and ChatGPT are amazing! But the pace of improvement is also scary. Let’s just hope that The Future of Life institute set the rules for AI so it won’t end up the wrong hands.

  • My son Milo ❤️