Michael Lai

Founding mentor

🌱 First session

UX Architect @ ScienceUX.org

2testimonials Brisbane Australia Sydney (UTC+10) 15+ yrs in design

About

I am a scientist turned UX designer and now I apply my knowledge and skills in areas outside of IT to help solve real world problems. In particular, I enjoy data visualization design and process improvement. I currently work with a number of organizations to upskill and increase their design maturity. Outside of work, I practice origami, I love reading and also playing sports. Suffice to say that I think keeping our mental and physical ready in good shape takes a lot of time and energy.

How I can help

I help designers that want to move into the next stage of their career (junior --> mid --> senior --> lead --> ?), or move across to another area by leveraging their existing knowledge and add to their skillsets (e.g. soft skills, project management, business analysis, etc.). I have taught UX design, worked in many different industries and teams on a variety of projects. I have never felt imposter syndrome myself because I used my science background to develop my own design philosophy and process - I can show you how to beat it too! I am always up for a chat when you are not sure what to do, and want to figure things out (since I've been there myself on more than one occasion).

Ask me about

Pivot into design

Freelance to full-time

Returning from a break

First or only designer

A reorg

Getting passed over

Influence without authority

Stakeholder standoffs

Presenting to execs

Imposter syndrome

Building a design system

First design hires

Craft to strategy

Growing into leadership

Design philosophy

A hard problem I've navigated

Your design philosophy and process is like the needle in the compass of your design career. Along your journey you’ll find various magnets (managers, peers, projects or just life) pulling it in different directions. Building your own robust design philosophy and process ensures that you always point your needle in the right direction. There is no catch or secret or shortcuts, which is why it is generally the thing missing in most designer’s toolkit - and with it comes the uncomfortable feeling of imposter syndrome.

Expertise

Government & Civic

Design Lead

Design Manager

Leadership

Design systems

Product Designer

Nonprofit & Social Impact

UX Designer

UX Researcher

Data Visualization

Selected work

UX Research - Mapping Digital Ecosystems

UX Research - Identifying gaps in existing customer personas

UX Research - Customer website journey mapping

UX Research - Persona analysis

UX Research - Website IA analysis

UX Research - Website content analysis

UX Design - Digital Dashboard redesign

UX Design - Digital Display concepts

UX Design - Design Audit visualization

Queensland Government Design System

Resources I share

UX4All subreddit UX StackExchange NN/Group Articles & Videos Interaction Design Foundation Library Service Design Tools IDEO Design Kit UX Challenges Cognitive Bias Codex Deceptive Design Digital Ethics Compass Toolkit Map UI Patterns Manifesto for Agile Software Development Visual Vocabulary - Designing with Data Career Management Document

Also here to learn

Michael mentors on Hop and is growing too. A bit about their own path right now.

Working on

Be headhunted or recruited based on my expert areas and specialization - data visualization and business intelligence dashboard design. Become known for my expertise and professional development for my specialization.

Could use a hand with

Ethical design practices, inclusive design, accessibility

Testimonials

Michael is a very patient and understanding mentor. He was willing to share some of his experience as a designer with me, while he carefully tried to understand the type of designer I am to be able to know how to guide me in the future. Yep, the initial contact was very nice. I even got some advice for my career in the special environment I live in!
Anaïs · Aug 2026
Mr Michael helped me with my design he was able to show me ways to improve on my design as well as steps, In addition to that he was a very good listener and also he doesn't discriminate from the asians that i met i was met with racism his was different . He was the best teacher. I'm looking forward to another session with him
Okoro · Aug 2026

Sessions

Intro chatFree
30 min
An honest and casual chat about where you are at with your design journey, where you want to go, and how we can get you there :)
What's on your mind - UX Designer dilemmasFree
45 min
This is an informal chat about things that are keeping you up at night, or keeping you from doing the things you really want to do at work. This is not therapy or a rant, just an opportunity to get some things off your chest and maybe find some practical ways to make positive changes.
User Experience Research - Developing your own research method$50
60 min
For junior to mid level UX designers that have been focused mostly on UI work, this is a session that is designed to help you leverage some of your existing work and build a portfolio that will enable you to transition towards research work.
Professional Development - Junior --> Mid$100
60 min
Take control of your professional development and create a curriculum for you to continue your path to a mid-level UX designer. Select topics to fill gaps in your knowledge or skills, or if you are adventurous, see how to improve your UX skills by looking into other fields.
Professional Development - Datavis Masterclass$150
90 min
Find your specialization in this professional development series that will make you stand out amongst your peers. The data visualization masterclass will introduce you to the basics of data-ink ratio, chart and dashboard design, and help you navigate the challenges of designing for Business Intelligence in the workplace.
Design review - data visualization$50
60 min
Professional review of your data visualization design with recommendations and areas for improvement.

English

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