Hi there!
UX & Graphic Designer, Design Teacher & Researcher
I am a senior user experience designer located in Hong Kong since 2013. I am very passionate about design. So much so that I am almost a PhD in design! I am getting ready to submit my doctoral dissertation in the coming few weeks.
😃😎
Here is what I do!
Creativity
UX & Graphic Design
Trained as a graphic designer, I’ve been taking projects since 2004. In 2013 I made a move towards UX design. Since then, I have been helping SMEs and startups to solve problems by understanding user needs.
Research
PhD Candidate
I am a PhD Candidate, and my PhD topic is about fostering creativity in design education. My main question is “how does a design school teach students how to generate ideas?” I am submitting my thesis this year.
Education
Design Teacher
As a hands-on educator, I have been supporting educational faculty by teaching and assisting media courses at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. As a design teacher, I get to apply my industry expertise to educate students.
Strategy
Design Consultant
As a designer, my main objective is to understand users. As a consultant, my goal is to understand the business objectives and make sure that the design work delivered matches both objectives.
Well-rounded Education
6 Design Schools
in 2 continents
I went to 6 different design schools, about half of which were exchange studies. You can read more about my education here. In short, I have 2 Masters and now doing a PhD in Design.
Over the years,
I worked with:
Startups & SMEs
I have worked with startups and numerous Hong Kong businesses that are founded by western people like myself.
Developers
Working with developers is excellent. Developers are problem-solvers, just like designers, and there is mutual respect. My experience with them has been very smooth, to the point, and in only a few emails, everything is clear to all sides. Sometimes I am wondering why can’t anyone be this easy?
Engineers
Engineers often have a fixed mindset, and they tend to go for the first solution that comes to their mind. Working with them can be challenging, but also very rewarding when the relationship is on good grounds.
Digital Marketers & SEO Experts
SEO experts and digital marketers are crossdisciplinary. They are geeky with an engineering point of view, and they also think a lot about user experience (like designers!). At the same time, they work a lot with data and understand user behaviour statistically (like scientists). Working with them has been joyful and very easy for me. We (sort of) speak almost the same problem-solving language!
Educators
I’ve not only worked with teachers, but I am also a teacher myself. I love teaching, especially when students are interested and engaged. Luckily for me, almost every designer I talked consciously decided to study design, which may explain why all my students are very passionate.
Chinese Designers
I’ve had a fair share of collaborations with Chinese designers, both from the mainland and from Hong Kong. Even though we’re design colleagues and we use the same tools and address the same problems, Chinese designers are -perhaps- more technical and read the brief more thoroughly. They do have a bit more of an engineering mindset than western designers. They are hands-on, efficient and practical people who often work so hard they sometimes forget even to take a break. Sometimes it can be challenging to get their opinion, as they can be incredibly indirect. Of course, not everyone is the same. I am only talking from my experience. Overall, working with Chinese designers has been very positive for me, especially once the roles of the team are clearly defined and well communicated across the board.
Many more
Besides what I mentioned above, I have worked with a range of very different customers and companies. For example, I’ve helped a live seafood importer, a group of investment-visa consultants that help Chinese investors migrate and sustainable cleaning product brands. Perhaps other more unique examples can be a women’s hair wax salon and a dragon boat* festival racing company. To me, the type of client doesn’t matter (as long as their operations are not unethical) but working with people who I can communicate well with, matters a lot more.
*The Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday occurring near the summer solstice.
What’s Mikko?
Mike in Finnish! I lived in a few different countries before landing here, so far, Finland is my favourite! ❤🇫🇮 Mikko is Mike in Finnish, and gr is the country code for Greece (I originally come from Greece). Hence, I the cute name of my site mikko.gr!
Contact
Questions? Projects?
Please reach out to me!
I am open to projects and collaborations. I’d also consider full-time opportunities too if you think I am an excellent match for your team. If you only want to say hello, I’d be more than happy to hear from you!