Starting his journey in industrial design, he found the process enriching but too slow for his taste. Seeking faster-paced, user-centered work, Hakha transitioned to digital product design, where ideas can come to life almost instantly. At CCS, he immersed himself in Integrated Design – a field blending interaction design, business strategy and technology – and discovered his passion for UX design. From working on impactful projects for high-profile brands to nurturing young creatives on his team, Hakha finds his purpose in creating experiences that bring people joy and pushing his skills in a dynamic, fast-evolving field.

The Interview

“One of the joys of my work is when people talk about HBO and Max. I cannot take credit for the actual content, but I have a good feeling when people are happy on Sunday night, you know.” –Hakha Mashayekhi

Did you always know you wanted to go into UX Design?

For my undergrad, I studied Industrial Design, and I worked as a physical product designer for a year. It was very cool, but it was not a perfect match for me because I’m not patient. Industrial design is amazing, but it has a slow process. From when you design something until the moment that you see it in the hands of customers, it could be a year if you’re lucky.

But with digital product design, UX/UI, you can have an idea, and within two hours, you can have an experience available. That’s the main reason I decided to come to CCS.

What does it feel like when you see a product that you worked on coming to life, in the hands or in the homes of everyday users?

It feels really good. One of the joys of my work is when people talk about HBO and Max. I cannot take credit for the actual content, but I have a good feeling when people are happy on Sunday night, you know.

The funny thing is, it hasn’t been like this forever. I have been an in-house designer for five years now. Before that, I was in the consulting and agency world. When you’re a consultant, you just come in, fix the problem and move on. You never have the joy of seeing the product that you’ve created in the hands of a customer. That was actually the main reason that I left the consultancy and agency world and went in-house.

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What do you love most about your job?

My answer now is different compared to two years ago, three years ago.

Three years ago, I was an individual contributor – I was basically a designer. At that time, my only joy was the project I was doing, and if it was a high-impact/high-profile project I was enjoying it, but if it was a very small feature, it was so boring, you know.

So I decided to change my career direction to become a people manager. That was a switch in my entire mindset. Now I’m enjoying my new responsibilities and delivering good work.

I have this designer on my team, who first started out at Max as a project manager, and one day, he said, “Can I be a designer?” We then spent six months training him, making sure he understood design thinking and design tools. We sent him to a bunch of courses and conferences. After that six months, we transitioned him to a product design role. Now, he’s a product designer – and he’s amazing.

These are talented people. I need to be there to support them, be a mentor for them and make sure they have a path to grow. And they are killing it.

Is that something that you’re interested in, nurturing a young creative and helping the next generation?

A part of me is always curious about college, like, “What’s going on? What’s the coolest thing? How are they doing their projects?” Especially now with AI, I’m very curious about how these students are figuring out ways to use AI in their day-to-day work to deliver their projects because they always come up with awesome, original ideas. I’m just curious to see what’s going on at CCS, what’s the coolest, latest thing. The students’ final projects are very inspiring. Especially for a master’s degree, it’s a super passionate project for them, so they go above and beyond. You get to see very cool research, very cool ideas, very cool execution, and awesome prototypes. I’m always surprised when I go to those—whether it’s interviews or thesis advising. I’m definitely into that.

What do you miss most about CCS?

The things I’m missing most about CCS are the things that I didn’t know the value of when I was there.

When I was there it was so intense, you know. There were a lot of projects, and the Chair of our department was so precise about everything, we couldn’t deliver a half-assed project. Everything had to be perfect.

One of the things that I didn’t really enjoy [during that time] was making connections, not only with the students, but with the professors that we had there. There were a lot of great people in different majors, different groups, and now, it’s a regret that I didn’t connect with them. I didn’t use my time to build relationships with them.

If I could go back to that time, I think I would try to balance my time in a way that I could free up time to build more connections.

How do you feel CCS prepared you for your career?

To be honest, Maria Luisa was very specific and she had a lot of experience with real projects. She always was looking through the lens of a professional, not a teacher.

The most important project that I did at CCS was a sponsored project. It was so valuable to get real feedback from working professionals. That’s something that you never get in school. The combination of Maria Luisa and the sponsored projects were the key.

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