I've spent 4 years learning what people actually need. Now I design for it.

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Matt Goolsby

About me

I understand people before I design for them.

I’ve been recruiting for just over four years here in Tokyo, and it’s by far the toughest job I’ve ever had. It taught me how to read between the lines, handle objections and pushback, negotiate, and deliver no matter what. Ironically, those exact skills have helped me tremendously in product design. I now have a much sharper understanding of business realities, the humans involved, and how to actually ship things under pressure.

When I’m not designing, you’ll find me playing music, making art, or diving deep into a good book.

Based in Tokyo Japanese speaker Qigong teacher Former acupuncturist 4 yrs recruiting
User research & empathy Trained to surface what people actually need — not just what they say. A skill built across recruiting, teaching, and wellness.
Interaction & product design End-to-end design from research through high-fidelity prototypes, with a focus on mobile-first experiences.
Stakeholder communication Comfortable presenting decisions and advocating for the user. Cross-cultural experience working between Japanese and Western business contexts.
View my work

Skills & tools

What I bring to a product team.

Design

UI & UX design

End-to-end product design from research and wireframes through high-fidelity prototypes, design systems, and developer handoff.

Research

User research

Stakeholder interviews, competitive analysis, usability testing, and synthesizing insights into clear, actionable design decisions.

Tools

Figma & prototyping

Figma, FigJam, Adobe Creative Suite, HTML, CSS, and AI-assisted prototyping workflows.

Thinking

Cross-industry thinking

Background spanning recruiting, wellness, education, and travel. I adapt quickly to any domain and bring perspectives most designers don't have.

Language

English & Japanese

Native English, intermediate Japanese with professional working experience. Based in Tokyo with cross-cultural design and communication experience.

Forward-thinking

AI-assisted design

Actively integrating AI tools into research, ideation, and prototyping workflows. Leveraging the ability to build faster without sacrificing the human element.

Portfolio

Selected work — more case studies in progress.

The Joyful Cherry
Product design Mobile-first Live

The Joyful Cherry

Designing a self-service booking platform for a boutique Japan tour company — turning Instagram DMs into an end-to-end digital experience.

View case study →
Mobile app Wellness Coming soon

Qigong practice app

Designing the app I wish existed as a Qigong teacher — helping students maintain a meaningful practice between in-person sessions.

In progress
UX strategy AI workflows Coming soon

Rethinking the design process with AI

How AI-assisted workflows are changing the way designers research, prototype, and ship — and what that means for the future of UX. A case study built using the very tools it examines.

In progress