Designing digital products people actually want to use.

I'm Michael, a lead UX/UI designer in Sydney working end-to-end across product and design systems. I trained in industrial design, but the work I ship is digital.

What I do

Product first, with a craft background.

Three practices, one eye. Product design is what I do day-to-day. Furniture is where it all started. Painting on the weekends keeps the eye honest.

Product design example: Hello Molly account dashboard.
Practice 01 · Product

Product design (UX/UI)

End-to-end product design: research, journey mapping, interaction, hand-off. It includes the design system work that helps product teams ship faster. Hello Molly, Bed Threads, BWS, Lessy. The day job, and the work I'm proudest of.

See product work
Furniture design example: Bea bench.
Practice 02 · Craft

Furniture & objects

Five considered, multifunctional pieces: Bea, Éxi, Melo, Zee, No.7. Melo was exhibited at Milan Design Week when I was 23. This is the background that trained my eye, and the place where industrial-design discipline became second nature.

See furniture work
Personal art: non-objective abstract painting.
Practice 03 · Studio

Art

Non-objective abstract painting. A weekend practice that feeds back into the rest of the work: colour relationships, composition, and knowing when a piece is done.

See art work
About

A lead product designer, with depth.

Portrait of Michael Papanikolaou.

I lead UX/UI work end-to-end, from research through to dev hand-off, on products that ship at scale. Hello Molly, Bed Threads, BWS, Lessy. Recent outcomes include sign-ups up 25%, support tickets down 20%, and average order value lifted by $128.

Before digital, I trained as an industrial designer and exhibited furniture at Milan Design Week at 23. That's where my eye sharpened, and it's why I care about every aspect of the work I produce. It's an extension of myself and my personality. Outside of work, you'll find me walking the coast with my King Charles cavalier Carmelo, hiking, painting non-objective abstracts, and salsa dancing.

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Lateral thinking

The obvious answer is rarely the best one. I look sideways before I look straight.

Pixel-perfect

If something's misaligned or the brand colour is wrong, I'll spot it. And then I'll fix it.

Creative flair

Beautiful is necessary. Different is what makes you remembered.

Outcomes that count

Sign-ups up, support tickets down, AOV up. The work should lift a number.

Got something in mind?

I'm open to senior product roles, considered briefs, and the occasional commission. If your problem is interesting and the people are kind, I'd love to hear about it.

Send me an email