Michael Hagan

I started my career at a small ad agency in NYC, working across a wide range of disciplines—photography, retouching, web development, print design, iOS development, back-end systems, email design, pitch materials, and paper samples. The work culture was fast- paced and demanding. This was a period of valuable professional growth and my work helped secure millions of dollars in revenue.

Later I started consulting as a UX Designer for a diverse range of clients - life sciences, manufacturing, pharma, insurance, hospitality, fashion, retail, medical devices, etc. I designed work flows and applications from scratch, prototyping and testing usability with client employees, ultimately digitally transforming how companies operated.

I moved to London and took a couple years off from tech to focus on art, renting a studio on Ridley Road and producing a body of work of glass painting. I came back refreshed to work with VMware Tanzu Labs as a Senior Product Designer. I helped teams validate and develop product ideas from 0–1 across multiple industries, while also supporting internal VMware initiatives.

As the sole Senior Product Designer at Pixaera, a health & safety startup, I worked directly with the founders to explore market opportunities and expand product capabilities quickly. I led research, design, and prototyping for features that saved frontline workers’ lives and saved clients large sums of money through avoided incidents. My work also helped secure further investment for Pixaera.

Personally my hobbies span from medium format film photography, playing music, painting and surfing to motorcycles, working on and restoring cars (currently a 1968 Chevy Nova).

I’m now seeking my next role in research and design to help clients create products with lasting impact.