Hey there, I'm Hugo! 👋

I started in industrial design, thinking I’d design objects, but quickly realised I was more interested in systems, interfaces, and how people interact with products over time. That shift took me out of university and into digital, where I learned by building, shipping, and sometimes getting things wrong.

Over the years, I’ve moved between in-house teams, client work, and my own ventures. I’ve worked on early-stage products with no roadmap, supported growing teams that needed structure, and helped established products evolve without breaking what already worked. I’ve launched products from scratch, shut some down, sold one, and learned how different contexts demand different design decisions. These experiences shaped how I approach design today, with a strong focus on clarity, trade-offs, and real-world constraints like time, budget, and team dynamics.

More recently, I’ve been learning to code (JavaScript, TypeScript, React). Not to become an engineer, but to better understand the people building what I design, communicate more clearly with developers, and be more hands-on when needed. It also allows me to make small changes myself when it makes sense, which often speeds things up.

Outside of work, I’m a husband, a dad of two, a very proud FC Porto season ticket holder, and someone who enjoys barbecues, good books, and spending time away from screens with my daughters.

For me, what ties everything together is experience rather than theory: building things, seeing them used, and learning what holds up over time. I genuinely enjoy working with people (both the ones using the product and the ones building it).

The only thing I love as much as people is well-designed products. That makes or breaks my day!