A Product Designer
living in Stockholm.
I specialize in UX Design and Usability testing
I'm Hello! I’m Michela Thalagala, a Sri Lankan designer now living in Stockholm. I love building products and ideas that will make people’s lives easier and better. I’m a firm believer of doing things I love, and that’s how I graduated as a Software Engineer and became a UX Designer instead. And I truly believe that life needs to be fun, be it work or leisure.
I look for ways to be inspired and to inspire, to make meaning change even if it’s a tiny bit. In my previous life I was a Women Tech Ambassador and a co-organizer of Google Developer Group Sri Lanka for 5 years. (A Rotaract club member for 2 years as well)
Something that I constantly seek for is new perspectives. Trying out new things is a great way to get them!
I’m a cat mom of a biscuit named Oreo and a dragon named Toothless. I also tried my hand at gardening this summer and fell in love! I also love traveling, taking pictures, eating yummy food and reading.
These are the ideal steps but practically the process depends on many factors such as the size and the complexity of the project, business needs, time to market, and the budget. And the process is not a liner one!
Research about the project through stakeholder interviews, user interviews, surveys, statistics, expert reviews and competitor analysis
I analyse the research data to create user personas, Information Architecture, user flows and journeys
This is where I form concepts from the data derived through analysis and draw sketches and low fidelity wireframes. Here I start collaborating with the team and check the feasibility of the solutions
Here I go into the depth and get into detailed design for different paths. Also, you will see high fidelity screens using components from the Design System. And the final screens are a jam of the team's input, in a good way :)
To understand whether I'm solving the right problem, I'll share the screens with the stakeholders, do peer reviews and usability testing. And iterate!
The fully fledged designs are sent over to the developers along with assets and style guides. This could be in sprints or one time depending on the nature of the project
Sometimes I get so many ideas in a rush! And when they do, on rare occasions I pen my thoughts. Hence the blog.
Go to the Blog
