Curious mind. Holistic thinker. Relentlessly improving.
Hi! I’m Michael, a Dutch product designer based in Tokyo and I am driven by solving complex problems and turning these into simple and easy-to-use solutions.
Currently, I'm a Design Manager at PayPay, one of Japan's fastest-growing fintech companies. Previously, I led design at Japan Travel, a full-stack inbound travel & media agency, and at Cream, a digital agency in Lausanne and Tokyo. Across these roles, I've designed a wide range of digital products – from training platforms to media-rich travel experiences – for diverse audiences and industries.
Working across startups and cross-functional teams has shaped how I move fast, think holistically, and bridge user needs with business goals. I’m passionate about crafting accessible, thoughtful, and delightful experiences that create lasting value.
Outside of work, I start most mornings with a quality cup of coffee. On weekends, you'll often find me reading, exploring cafes, or discovering new places. I also enjoy connecting with Tokyo’s international design community through local UX meetups.
Let’s chat over some coffee. — Michael
Experience
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Lead Designer, Japan Travel
April 2016 - November 2022, TokyoLed design and developed the Japan Travel UGC platform, in addition to 50+ landing pages and websites for companies, local governments and major global brands.
- Increased organic traffic by 662% and customer engagement by 269% through user flow optimizations and creating accessible (WCAG 2.0 compliant) and high-performance user-interfaces for local government destination website.
- Led Japan Travel’s core product redesign and increased conversion rate by 253% through optimizing navigation and implementing modern UX patterns.
- Increased monthly bookings by 400% through redesigning the website of Izumigo.
- Raised customer satisfaction rates by aligning team vision and introducing design impact measurement through outcome focused and evidence based design strategies.
- Significantly improved cross-functional collaboration and rapid iteration by introducing and implementing lean and agile methodologies.
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Product Designer, Cream
September 2014 - September 2015, TokyoDesigned multiple projects for a wide range of industries and major global brands.
- Increased user engagement with product redesign and gamification of BrandAcademy, Cream’s primary SaaS training and engagement platform.
- Contributed to profits through research and interactive design concepts for successful proposals and presentations.
- Created and designed informational assets such as infographics and instruction videos for various brands within BrandAcademy.
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Front End Engineer Intern, Ravonet - Appstore Amsterdam
March 2013 - May 2013, AmsterdamDeveloped CRM templates and websites for clients using HTML, SCSS, Javascript and PHP.
- Expanded client’s product portfolios through design and development of modular email templates.
- Introduced and implemented responsive design for client websites.
- Maintained positive customer feedback loops and relations by facilitating final product hand-offs and providing hands-on training for professional CRM usage.
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Marketing and Communications Intern, TMG - Groupdeal
June 2012 - September 2012, AmsterdamManaged and created commercial stories in addition to providing sales and customer support.
- Increased monthly sales through copywriting commercial stories for a variety of products on the online deal marketplace.
- Contributed to sales by editing and composing creative product photos.
- Maintained high customer satisfaction rates through pre-sale and post-sale inquiry support.
Education
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Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences
August 2011 - April 2015, AmsterdamBachelor of Communication and Multimedia Design GPA 3.94/4.0
Recognition
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Elite Hacker Award
2023 — PayPay Hackathon in Product, Data Science & AI -
CSSDA
2022 — Special Kudos, Innovation, UI, UX -
Golden Dot Awards
2015 — Nominated for best project of the year