"What are you doing that for?"

That’s what my mate David Hakaraia said when I told him I was about to enrol in a Master of Indigenous Studies. I was standing in the faculty office at Victoria University, ready to enrol.

He leaned in. “We need you in tech bro. How about UX design?”

I paused. “What’s UX design?”

What is UX design?

UX Design is short for User Experience Design and it’s all about how it feels to move through a digital space. It’s the architecture, the flow, the wairua (spirit), the intentional design decisions made with aroha, empathy and clarity. It’s about understanding who the user is (I really don’t like the word ‘user’), what they need, and how to help them get there simply, beautifully, and without hōhā (friction).

Here's a bit of my journey and how I found my way into UX Design, or maybe, how it found me.

The pātai that altered the ‘course’

I remember being at Victoria University, eager, ready to sign up for the new Master of Indigenous Studies. I love learning. I bumped into one of the bros, David Hakaraia, a talented industrial designer and lecturer there. I was excited to tell him what I was about to do.

He stopped me and said, "What are you doing that for? We need you in tech. How about UX design?"

I paused. "What’s UX design?"

David smiled. “You know design. You run an agency. You’ve got the marketing background. This is you.”

That was it. I enrolled in the Master of User Experience Design. Nervous. Excited. Not knowing where it would take me.

I walked into that first class. Everyone looked like a graphic designer. I knew my way around the Adobe Suite, but I wouldn’t have called myself a designer. Funny how we do that, aye? Somehow, you just don’t feel legit. I’m the same with photography and even music, probably because I work with incredibly talented mates like Kyra Clarke, Kairau ‘HASER’ Bradley, and Te Rawhitiroa Bosch.

When you step into something new, there’s always ‘that’ taniwha. That uncomfortable space where you’re terrible at something, where nothing clicks, which brings back memories of heading to Victoria University in my 30’s to learn te reo Māori. Anyway, I’d spent years learning how to learn, so I knew there were no shortcuts, the key was to keep showing up. Read everything. Try everything. Ask questions and apply it.

I invested in an iPad and a pen. Figma became my best friend, and worst enemy. My eyes would sting after hours on the screen. But little by little, the tools started to make sense. I wasn’t just translating anymore. I was building. I was shaping. I was finding my voice.

Then came the moment I realised I wasn’t starting from nothing. I had spent years in business, strategy, and design. Without knowing it, I’d already been learning the skills UX demanded. Research felt familiar. Community engagement was second nature. Designing flows, telling stories, understanding audiences, these were things I do.

It felt like an advantage. But more than that, it was a realisation, almost a relief, that I had something real and special to bring. And I knew Mātauranga Māori belonged here too. Not as an afterthought, but as a tūāpapa, a foundation. I wanted UX Design to be underpinned by Te Ao Māori, to serve our whānau, communities, and everyone in Aotearoa, from the very beginning. Not tagged on.

Taking the hōhā out of koha

As I was wrapping up my Masters, my whanaunga, Ngahu Potaka, a kaiako Māori and PhD candidate, messaged me with a simple, powerful pātai (question). “Can we create a platform to help with giving koha?”

I didn’t know the answer. I said, “Let me think on it.”

I started looking at the platforms out there. It was obvious they weren’t made for us. They didn’t reflect our values, our reo, or our ways of giving. So in 2022, Ngahu and I founded Koha, a fintech platform to support whānau, kura, iwi, and hapū to manage koha and donations. We like to say "We’re taking the hōhā out of koha."

From embedding Māori values in our partnership agreements to building bilingual and full reo Māori interfaces, from enabling group giving and video mihi to designing every interaction with care, Koha is UX design from a te ao Māori perspective. Today, Koha is the official fundraising platform for Toitū Te Tiriti and Te Pāti Māori. I'm proud of that and we’re only just getting started!

I’m grateful to be nominated for the Te Matahiko Awards that celebrates Māori excellence in Digitech and Koha has also been nominated as a finalist for the Kaupapa Award celebrates not-for-profit, community, iwi, and social enterprise initiatives.

We do UX design, just ask

At Hemisphere – Big River Creative, UX Design is where data meets creativity, and insight becomes experience. We design with people, not just for them, always aiming to be relational, not transactional. From structuring online child health content for the Ministry of Health, to building digital tools for Suzuki, regional councils, and kaupapa Māori fintech, our mahi spans sectors, but our approach remains grounded, ensuring every experience reflects the people it’s built for.

Today, our approach prioritises community ownership and leadership. Rather than imposing external solutions, we build capacity within communities to identify and address their own challenges. This is evident in our work with the KŌ Kollective, Poutiri Trust, Asian Family Services, My Life My Voice and Pacific Health Services, where we support creating opportunities for communities to gather and share stories, design messages and build capacity at a community level.

And to think that none of this would’ve happened if David hadn’t stopped me that day and asked, "How about UX design?"

Chur, David.

Whether you're building a website or are just curious about what UX could do for your organisation, we're here to support you to shape experiences that align with your values and feel right for your users. UX Design can be easy. Just ask us.