Design philosophy
The principles behind my decisions, and how they work in practice.
Product Designer
Making software feel less like software.
I like to make things that make sense. I can understand code and have a life too!
Coming soon
Leave DatesDesign System and core product interfaces
Leave DatesDesign System and core product interfacesComing soon
AureliusDesign System and core product interfaces
(opens in a new tab)AureliusDesign System and core product interfaces
Pixel ParlourI started Pixel Parlour so designers in Sri Lanka could stop learning aloneComing soon
Patterned AIDesign System and core product interfaces
(opens in a new tab)Patterned AIDesign System and core product interfaces
Ascender ClubKnowledge is easy to share and hard to structure. Ascender Club is where I did both.Business comes first. Understand the commercial goal and the cost of change. Find a way forward that respects both the business and the people using the product.
Structure before beauty. Fix the steps, choices, and information before polishing the interface.
Craft is in the details. Refine the feedback, motion, and small decisions that make an experience feel considered.
Design is a process. Explore, learn, and refine. The first version is the beginning of the feedback loop.
Stay curious. Keep learning, stay current, and explore how new tools can improve the way I work.
01 / 04 Business
Keep the customer’s trust. Give the business a chance.
A customer wants to cancel. The business wants to retain them, but a large retention project would take time and money. Making cancellation harder creates another problem.
What I bringStart with a small, honest option: offer an existing pause feature alongside a clear way to cancel. Test whether it helps before investing further.
02 / 04 Structure
Make the choice clear before making it beautiful.
Two paths, clearly explained. Let people choose, show what happens next, and ask for confirmation. No hidden cancellation link, extra survey, or repeated persuasion.
What I bringResolve the sequence and wording first. Both choices get a direct route to completion.
03 / 04 Craft
Now, make every moment feel considered.
The decisions and flow stay the same. I refine selection, transitions, loading, and confirmation so the interface responds clearly and feels reliable.
What I bringUse motion and detail to explain state, preserve context, and make the outcome unmistakable.
04 / 04 Design is a process
The launch is a starting point.
Once people use the feature, analytics and feedback help reveal what still needs work. I look for friction, test an improvement, and check whether it actually helps.
What I bringKeep learning after launch. Balance business results with customer understanding, and make the next change based on evidence.
Subscription settingsThe commercial decision
The business needsA chance to retain the customer.
The customer needsA clear way to stop paying.
Offer a useful alternative. Keep the exit clear.
Reuse the existing pause option at the point of cancellation. People who only need a break can pause. Everyone else can leave.
- A focused change with a smaller implementation scope.
- Two understandable choices, without pressure.
- Check pause uptake, cancellations, and support issues.
Build a whole retention programme?
Personalised offers, new research, and new systems might help. They also take time and investment before the business knows what works.
- More research, implementation, and ongoing maintenance.
- Retention benefits still need to be validated.
- Is there a smaller useful change to try first?
Your subscription1 / 2 · Choose
What works for you?
Take a break, or end your subscription. You can review either choice before confirming.
A month away. Nothing lost.Ready to end your subscription?
Your saved work stays here. Your subscription resumes automatically after the pause.Your subscription won’t renew. Your access continues through the period you’ve already paid for.
- Change
- Pause for one monthCancel renewal
- Next charge
- After the one-month pauseNone
- Saved work
- Kept in your account
Nothing changes until you confirm.
Your subscription is paused.Your subscription is cancelled.
No charges for one month. Billing then resumes automatically, and your saved work stays in your account.You won’t be charged again. Access remains until the end of your current billing period.
- Next step
- Return whenever you’re readyNo further action needed
Prototype only. No account or billing changes were made.
Your subscription stays active.
Nothing has changed. You can return to these options whenever you need.
Visible selection · Specific button labels · Stable loading state · Clear confirmation
Possible signals to investigate
People leave the pause review.
Analytics can show where they leave. Sessions and feedback help explain why.
When will I be charged again?
An example question to look for in support conversations.
A hypothesis, not a conclusion: the restart date may need to be more explicit.
A small change to test
Current wordingBilling resumes after one month.
Your pause, with a clear end date.
- Pause begins
- 22 September
- Billing resumes
- 22 October
Your subscription restarts automatically on 22 October. You can cancel before then in subscription settings.
Illustrative dates. Show each customer’s actual dates in the product.
Did the change actually help?
Check understanding.
Can people explain when billing restarts? Are there fewer questions or unexpected-charge complaints?
Check the product and business.
Compare review completion, pauses, cancellations, and returns. A higher pause rate alone doesn’t prove a better experience.
Keep, adjust, or rethink. Use what you learn to choose the next improvement. Then repeat.
Ship → Observe → Refine → Repeat
Illustrative learning loop. No measured results are claimed.
Illustrative scenario · Local demo
This example assumes pausing already exists in the product. The proposal makes it available here; it doesn’t assume a free backend change.
Things I’ve written
Essays, experiences and passing thoughts from the past few years.