Hello, I'm Hobbes, a product and interaction designer based in Singapore, with a background in sociology and product marketing — which probably explains why I care less about how something looks and more about why people behave the way they do around it.

I taught myself design after a few years watching well-funded products I was marketing for go nowhere, and decided I'd rather build things that actually get used. I took the leap of faith and applied to Accenture Interactive, where I got my start as an Interaction Designer and learned what actually makes a product good, intuitive, and usable.

My process starts with what people actually say and do — through user feedback, or when direct access isn't possible, secondary research from sources like Nielsen Norman Group. I use these to build a picture of people's mental models: the assumptions and expectations people harbour when they interact with a product, often without realising it. From there, I look for the gap between what users say they want and what they actually need — that gap is usually where the real opportunities for improvement live.

These days, AI has changed a lot about how UX work gets done, but I firmly believe that the fundamentals haven't: understand people first, then design — with empathy and intention.