HIRO FUKUSHIMA
Owns end-to-end UX and scales design systems across multi-product suites in environments building design maturity.
Product UX across suiteDesign systemvisual language alignment with hardwareResearchUsability testingIterative prototypingBrand guidelinesMarketing collateralTrade show systemsTokensComponent libraryPattern documentationGovernanceCellarioOS UX and UIFeature designInteraction logicCellarioScheduler redesignHigh ownershipHigh documentationLow meeting overheadProductEngineeringHardwareQAMarketingSalesDistributed teams across time zonesAlignment mechanismsReview cadenceGovernance
English
German
Korean
Japanese
Five years as sole designer building complete brand infrastructure.
Design system with 1,000+ components across six software platforms
Style guide, corporate collateral, presentation templates
Trade show booth design
High-fidelity software prototype delivered in eight days.
First designer and first software hire at the company
Visual language derived from existing hardware
Prototype secured a seven-figure contract
World's first AR television broadcast.
Creative Director for 11 episodes on ProSieben
4 million viewers, number one app in Germany
Set up and directed production team in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
AI-powered email triage for multiple accounts on custom domains.
Research, system design, and full implementation
Dashboard interface for monitoring and management
Chat-based notifications with natural language commands
80% lower cost than commercial alternatives
Workflow ToolsScheduling SystemsPlatform SuitesAdmin SystemsData-Heavy UIsHardware-Software IntegrationHigh-Constraint EnvironmentsAmbiguity with Real StakesCross-Functional DependencyLong-Term System Maintenance
Owned all software UX, design systems, brand, and marketing
Built and maintained design system across three software products
Delivered concept prototype that supported a seven-figure contract retained throughout tenure
Introduced user research and usability testing practices
Led UX and UI for EMG-based smartwatch from concept through product launch
Designed gesture-controlled drone interface for Department of Defense
Developed brand identity and visual systems
Creative Director for world's first AR television broadcast; companion app ranked #1 in German App Store
Directed 200+ projects across motion graphics, AR/VR, and interactive media
Managed distributed teams across multiple time zones
Founded and scaled design agency to 50+ employees and contractors across Europe, Asia, and North America
Led VisualSquad (data visualization for Kantar) and MotionSquad (motion graphics, AR/VR)
Exited prior to U.S. relocation
Designed interactive installations for Fortune 500 executive showrooms
Created gesture-based navigation systems for stage and showroom experiences
Led visual design for corporate events and trade show activations
Produced branding assets for international film festivals
Advertising campaigns and editorial fashion photography
Work published in Vogue
I am a Japanese designer, raised in South Korea, who grew up in Munich, Germany, and resides in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
English
German
Japanese
Korean
Design work centers on systems.
Visual design functions as one execution layer within a broader effort to model behavior, including workflows, states, constraints, and patterns that support long term reliability and use.
Work is situated in environments with real constraints and high ambiguity.
Typical contexts include hardware-coupled products, operational software, and engineering-heavy teams developing software maturity, where design discipline has observable operational impact.
Abstract reasoning, pattern generalization, and systems-level causality.
Preference for frameworks and models over isolated interventions.
Builds design functions rather than inheriting them.
Motivation is not title-driven, but centered on creating systems that are efficient, resilient, and aligned with business reality.
Enterprise workflow software, platform UX, and adjacent regulated domains.
Engineering-heavy, hardware-coupled product ecosystem with a multi-product suite and a need for design systems and shared patterns at scale.
Own UX architecture
Lead end-to-end workflow design.
Build and govern the design system.
Partner with engineering on implementation fidelity.
Translate customer reality into reusable product patterns.
U.S. Permanent Resident
No sponsorship required
Remote preferred
In-person for important meetings and client work
Works within complex, unfamiliar environments with full ownership.
Given a problem and autonomy, establishes structure and systems intended to hold under real conditions rather than isolated use cases.
Approaches new domains through pattern recognition, translating internal logic into design systems that serve product, engineering, and business functions.
User evaluation precedes technical evaluation. Visual form and structural consistency are the first signals a system presents. These signals shape tolerance for technical limitations and influence how functionality is interpreted.
Across consumer and enterprise products, systems that appear intentional are treated as more reliable, even when they are not the most feature rich. Systems with weak visual structure are perceived as fragile, regardless of functional breadth.
Apple is often referenced not for early adoption of technology, but for constraint. Many products historically trailed competitors in features. Differentiation was achieved through visual discipline, hierarchy, and focus. User judgment formed at the level of design before technical capability was considered.
This pattern applies broadly. Users assess systems based on legibility, stability, and perceived control. Design establishes this assessment prior to performance metrics or technical analysis.
UX/UI Design
Design Systems
Prototyping
User Research
Information Architecture
Enterprise UX
Wearable & Gesture Interfaces
AR/VR Design
Brand Identity
Graphic Design
Visual Design
Motion Design
Data Visualization
Photography
Videography
Print & Exhibition
Design Leadership
Product Strategy
Operates across multiple levels of design:
Effective delegation requires direct understanding of the work being delegated. Standards, constraints, and execution realities must be understood at the operational level in order to distinguish between work that must be owned and work that should be entrusted to specialized expertise.
When work falls outside that boundary, responsibility is assigned to specialists and allowed to proceed without interference.
During periods of sustained pressure, leadership is expressed through presence rather than intervention. Stability is maintained by remaining available, managing constraints, and removing friction rather than performing heroics or displacing responsibility.
Under load, the role is to stabilize the system: unblock decisions, protect focus, manage logistics, and remain accountable alongside the team.
Execution under uncertainty produces mistakes. These are accounted for as part of delivery rather than treated as loss.
Time and resources are allocated for correction and adjustment in the same way they are allocated for training or tooling.
Areas of Interest content will go here.
