Hi, I’m Christopher Mackin, a UX/UI designer based in Germany. I enjoy digging into problem spaces, building an understanding of people’s needs and pain points, and exploring design solutions from concept to production-ready design. Always present in my journey as an experience designer, is my goal to enrich people’s lives with simple and engaging experiences.
I have been contributing to projects with clients from various industries since 2018, recently focusing more on the health and insurance sectors. As a T-shaped UX generalist, I have knowledge in qualitative research, conceptualizing user-centered design solutions, and expert knowledge in UI and visual design. Through my studies in Virtual Design and my early work experience as an illustrator and graphic designer, I have a keen sense for aesthetic design. Furthermore, I’m characterized by my adaptability based on a wealth of experience in designing software, websites, mobile and web applications, as well as experience in agile and traditional workflows.
In my private life, I love to travel and explore the vast array of history, culture and design. I am a music enthusiast, whom you might bump into on a rock or metal concert and in recent years, I’ve become totally hooked on board games. The latter also feeds into my growing interest in the gamification of products and services.
I’m always interested to hear about any interesting projects and opportunities. If you believe we could be a good fit, please feel free to contact me!
For more information about my experience, please check out my resume.
Throughout the years, I have experienced that every project has its own requirements and constraints. Waterfall, agile, design thinking, lean UX, etc. – whatever process or methodology was chosen, it always turned out helpful to stay flexible as a designer and adapt according to what works best for the team. Having said that, I always advocate understanding the problem space, involving users in the process, continuously evaluating and iterating the design, and trying to address the entire UX.
I enjoy using visual storytelling, particularly through illustrations, as it significantly enhances aesthetic appeal and creates engaging experiences. Beyond that, visual storytelling is a great tool to visualize how users’ experience an interactive system and helps build empathy among the entire team. However, storytelling doesn’t always have to be sequential. In the final design stages a single image or illustration can help to simplify messages and communicate complex ideas and emotions in a compelling way.
Imagine a world where mundane tasks are transformed into playful challenges. This is not just an intriguing thought but a reality that gamification can help us achieve. By utilizing the core motivators of games and applying the right mechanics and techniques, we can significantly boost user engagement in experiences that might otherwise lack appeal. Drawing on my experience as a board game geek, I can assure you that there is a game to suit every personality, preference, and occasion. This diversity is precisely why I believe gamification can be effectively integrated into virtually any context.
