Everyone expects exceptional User experiences in today's fast paced world. The key to my success has been to collaborate, be empathetic (understand ALL stakeholders), design relatable stories and iterate, iterate, iterate!

Aim for continuous improvement, not perfection
Hugo Hellberg
About Me
I'm an innovative and empathetic Product Designer with a unique ability to understand User needs. My diverse life story has given me a creative and problem-solving mindset and exceptional interpersonal skills. I am a calm and collaborative leader who consistently deliver positive results for large and small teams.
About Me

I'm an innovative and empathetic Product Designer with a unique ability to understand User needs.

Through strategic methodologies and thoughtful leadership I craft impactful and delightful

User experiences that increase engagement and revenue. My diverse life story has given me a creative

and problem-solving mindset and exceptional interpersonal skills. I am a calm and collaborative

leader who consistently delivers positive results for large and small teams.

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About Me
Areas of Expertise
Cross-functional Team Leadership
Product Strategy
Collaboration
Stakeholder Engagement
Human-Centered Design
Information Architecture
Design Systems
UX Research
Prototyping
Cross-functional Team Leadership
Product Strategy
Collaboration
Human-Centered Design
Stakeholder Engagement
Information Architecture
Design Systems
UX Research
Prototyping
Cross-functional Team Leadership
Product Strategy
Collaboration
Human-Centered Design
UX Research
Stakeholder Engagement
Information Architecture
Design Systems
Prototyping
Cross-functional Team Leadership
Product Strategy
Collaboration
Human-Centered Design
UX Research
Design Systems
Stakeholder Engagement
Information Architecture
Prototyping

As a digital and creative storyteller I help companies

As a digital and creative storyteller I help companies connect with their audience and grow their business through:

connect with their audience and grow their business through:

Stakeholder
Engagement

Human-Centered
Design

Product
Strategy

What People Say

"Hugo always stood out as a Designer"

Hugo’s is a technical leader with a relentless commitment to building a collaborative culture and serving our users. He involves his peers and stakeholders in his process and gets the best out of them. A true team player. Hugo is a natural leader, with strong values and deep work ethics. I will always cherish our relationship from Disney.

André Bernardi
Manager

"Dependable and amazing partner"

Thanks for being such a dependable and amazing partner! Working with you, I'm not only learning about design but also gaining valuable insights into effective collaboration. Your openness to share expertise and provide support has been invaluable, and I genuinely appreciate the positive impact you've had on the team and our projects.

Yiqi Sun
Lead Designer

"Hugo is a natural leader"

I always look forward to working with Hugo, no matter how big or small the project. Hugo is a natural leader within our team and he always provides great feedback and fresh perspectives. Excited to see what amazing work lies ahead of us!

Gabrielle West
Content Designer II

"Hugo excelled at being the design leader"

During our time working together at Neat, Hugo excelled at being the design leader. At a startup, design plays an important role in both helping the team execute quickly and navigate the murky world of where the product is heading. Hugo did both, getting deep into the work, collaborating closely with engineers, and serving as a partner to product to ensure we had the right priorities and were delivering work that added value.

Alex Jansen
Product Manager

Hugo always stood out as Designer

Hugo’s is a technical leader with a relentless commitment to building a collaborative culture and serving our users. He involves his peers and stakeholders in his process and gets the best out of them. A true team player. Hugo is a natural leader, with strong values and deep work ethics. I will always cherish our relationship from Disney.

André Bernardi - Manager
Disney

Dependable and amazing partner

Thanks for being such a dependable and amazing partner! Working with you, I'm not only learning about design but also gaining valuable insights into effective collaboration. Your openness to share expertise and provide support has been invaluable, and I genuinely appreciate the positive impact you've had on the team and our projects.

Yiqi Sun - Lead Designer
Disney
My Life Story
My most powerful tool in my toolbox is my diverse life story. It has taken me through countless professional and personal adventures. All these success stories and failures have given me many valuable skills.
My childhood
Have fun and learn about different cultures
I spent most of my childhood in Sweden. I also had the pleasure to live abroad for a few years, since my parents traveled quite a bit and worked in different countries. Thanks to this experience I learnt Spanish and had the opportunity to embrace different cultures.
College
Get educated and explore the world
I went to college at the School of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden and got my Bachelor of Science in Business & Marketing. During my college years I spent 1.5 years in Spain as part of a study abroad program.
2006
Web design
I moved to the US and started working with web design. This was before Webflow, Wix Wordpress etc. It was all HTML, CSS and JavaScript from scratch. At this time web design became more of a hobby and side gig, since I also wanted to pursue other opportunities.
2006-2016
Web design
Mktg. & sales
Leadership
Biz. dev
Event mgmt.
Web design
Marketing & sales
Leadership
Web design
Leadership
Marketing & sales
Biz. dev
Event management
Having web design as a side gig, I spent the next decade working for a few different companies in marketing, sales, business development and event management. It was a valuable experience and I gained a deeper understanding of these types of roles. For 5+ years I also had the opportunity to be in different leadership roles, serve on multiple boards and be a mentor.
2012-2021
Entrepreneurship
Leadership
Product Design
Product Design
While I was plugging away with marketing, sales and biz dev I started to explore a more entrepreneurial path and kept expanding my interest for web design and eventually product design. In 2015 I had a business idea that eventually led to launching a software business in 2017. Unfortunately the impact Covid had on our target audience made it impossible to continue pursuing this business. However, starting and running this business was one of the most valuable business and life lessons I have ever had. You can read more about this story in one of my case studies.
EventWaves (d.b.a. Planesty) case study
2020-2024
Leadership
Product Design
For the last 2 years I've been a Product Design Leader for Disney and prior to that I led a smaller design team for a startup. Outside work I regularly mentor new designers and it's so inspiring to share stories with them and be a resource for them.
Conclusion
After all these years working in different industries, I've come to the realization that my true passion is designing valuable and joyful experiences for audiences, and building healthy, productive and happy team cultures.
For more details about my professional career and eduction, please visit: