Thomas
Budiman

Based in
The Netherlands

Email
hi@thebuddyman.com
Email
hi@thebuddyman.com
Email
hi@thebuddyman.com

Scroll to Explore

I turn imagination into something you can click, tap, or experience. I prototype early and code when I need to—even if it’s just smoke and mirrors, Wizard of Oz style, if that’s what it takes to learn fast.

I like to keep things moving. Ideas are great, but action is better. I’m hands-on, quick to test, and always learning. I’d rather ship something small and learn from it than overthink for too long. Progress beats perfection.

I cut through the noise. I shape intent into interfaces. I use design to align vision, teams, and execution—every pixel, every flow, with purpose. I believe in balancing form and function, and I always strive for both.

Designer

Doer

Builder

of things that matter through
the interplay of UX, creativity, and technology.

Designer, Doer, Builder of things that matter through
the interplay of UX, creativity, and technology.

Hey… I know it’s 2025, but honestly, I don’t
have time to optimise for mobile or tablet.

Please check it on your desktop.
Appreciate it.

~ THOMAS

Hey… I know it’s 2025, but honestly,
I don’t have time to optimise for mobile or tablet.

Please check it on your desktop.
Appreciate it.

~ THOMAS

NOW PLAYING ON MY DESK

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NL

01:34 a.m.

Hi, I’m Thomas—a product designer with 15 years of experience and an engineering background. I grew up in Jakarta and now call the Netherlands my second home.


In the first five years of my career, I worked as a freelancer, taking on a wide range of projects for startups. That journey eventually led to lead a design team at Bukalapak, a tech unicorn in Indonesia, where I tackled complex C2C and B2B challenges in e-commerce—creating value for both users and businesses.

Stepping down from the leadership and management ladder, I joined Hanno as an individual contributor at a digital product house, pursuing my craft. I explored diverse industries before the team shifted its focus to digital health. One of the most meaningful projects for me was a wound management app for diabetic patients. It reshaped my perspective on what design can truly achieve: empowering behaviour change, improving lives, and even saving them. That experience strengthened my belief in the purpose and impact of being a designer.


And that led me to the mental health and self-development space, where I worked on Grief Works, a platform supporting people through loss. Listening to people’s stories about how it helped them through their darkest moments made me feel like I was making a real dent in the universe.


Alongside Grief Works, under the same company, we built and launched a product that transformed self-development advice from world-leading authors like Adam Grant, Dan Pink, and many more into practical tools for real-life application.

Today, I’m curious about how intelligent machines will unlock new pathways for intent-driven human-computer interaction—where technology better understands and responds to our deeper goals and needs in this emerging agentic era.


If this resonates, let’s connect and create something meaningful together.

Let’s keep in touch,


FEATURED WORK

Grief Works

The bereavement support app, co-created

with the UK’s leading psychotherapist.

The bereavement support app, co-created

with the UK’s leading psychotherapist.

93%

of people reported feeling better after practice

£1Mln

milestone achieved

Case study is coming soon

Key Contributions & Impact

  • Led design and product development end-to-end, aligning user needs, business strategy, and execution

  • Ran rapid experiments across user journeys—from website and masterclass—validating hypotheses that improved the CAC:LTV ratio

  • Validated pricing and content hypotheses through sales landing pages, helping refine both the monetisation model and messaging

  • Explored and designed a live community feature as a strategic layer of ongoing support, extending product value beyond the course and tools.

  • Evolved the visual language to reflect support, warmth, and empathy—shaping a cohesive brand identity that extended across product and marketing, guiding creative direction for campaigns, landing pages, and community touchpoints.

FEATURED WORK

Illume

Case study is coming soon

Key Contributions & Impact

  • Led rapid prototyping and user testing cycles, validating concepts early and iterating fast based on real feedback.

  • Designed the brand and product from scratch, building a coherent system that expresses our mission across every touchpoint.

  • Aligned product direction with GTM strategy, launching with a key partner to reach highly interested users while lowering acquisition costs on the business side.

Other works

Regene

Designed the visual language for a consumer DNA testing product

Case study is coming soon

Led the UI design for a remote monitoring system for diabetic foot ulcer patients

Skillshare

Explored and designed a community feature for learners to connect and engage

Nakedpress

Designed and launched a pre-scheduled ordering feature to simplify repeat purchases for a Shopify Plus Store

I'm a T-shaped designer who thrives at the intersection of design, strategy, and execution—combining hands-on skills with team leadership and growth-focused thinking.

01 Hands-on Skills

UX & Product Design

User Interface

Rapid Prototyping (Figma, Framer, Rive)

React, Supabase, Vercel, API integrations

Brand Design

Creative Direction

Visual Language

02 Growth & BUSINESS

User journey mapping for conversion

Funnel analysis & optimization

Hypothesis-driven design & Rapid Experimentation

Onboarding optimization

03 Management & Leadership

Team Development

Strategic Planning

Stakeholder Management

My rhythm. My practice. A lifelong loop of making, reflecting, becoming.

01 Newsletter

04. NOW: Mar 12, 2025

Life’s full. I’m currently juggling family, work, and a master's. It’s a lot—but a good kind of a lot. Couldn’t do any of this without my wife. She’s the glue that keeps everything together. Other than that, I’m soaking up the golden moments with my kids. Watching Bluey with my little daughter. Trying to code Minecraft add-ons with my 7-year-old son (he’s the real boss). It’s a good life. I’m enjoying every bit of it.

05. FIND ME ELSEWHERE

NOW PLAYING ON MY DESK

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01:34 a.m.