I’m Michael Cattell - though most people call me Mikey.
I’m a Principal Interaction and Service Designer with over 20 years of experience designing complex digital services across government, healthcare and enterprise organisations.
I live in mighty Bradford in a noisy house (read this as two kids), and a cat called Mouse (yep.. that gets confusing quick!).
You’ll usually find me following football, collecting retro games and consoles, educating the kids to songs that are too loud to play during breakfast and watching films that are a little unknown.
Design Leadership
I’m often brought into programmes where clarity is missing and teams need alignment to move forward.
My role is often to help translate complex constraints into workable design direction - aligning product, engineering and stakeholders around solutions that are both practical and user-centred.
I’m comfortable leading design within multidisciplinary teams or acting as the sole design authority on complex programmes.
How I Work
Over the years I’ve built a reputation for helping teams bring clarity to complexity.
I work closely with product managers, engineers and policy stakeholders to translate constraints into solutions that remain both user-centred and deliverable.
My role often involves:
- aligning teams around practical design direction
- facilitating workshops and stakeholder discussions
- mentoring designers and supporting team growth
- balancing strategic thinking with hands-on design work
Experience
I’ve worked with organisations including HMRC, DWP, NHS, FCA and Sky — delivering services used by millions of people across government and enterprise environments.
These environments often involve large user bases, complex policy considerations and high expectations around accessibility, reliability and trust.
I hold SC Clearance and have extensive experience working within secure and policy-driven contexts.
Usually there would be a design quote here,
but all I can think about is Pepsi Max
Product & Entrepreneurship
Alongside my public sector work, I also co-run a family ecommerce brand where I lead product direction, user experience and digital optimisation.
Working in a direct-to-consumer environment keeps me close to customer behaviour, experimentation and measurable outcomes — a useful contrast to large-scale service delivery.
It’s a constant reminder that good design ultimately needs to work in the real world.
Mentoring & Community
Supporting other designers has always been an important part of my career.
I mentor designers navigating public sector and enterprise environments, helping them build confidence, influence stakeholders and grow into leadership roles.
I also co-host a podcast called 1 Pixel Out with senior product and design leaders where we discuss complex delivery, leadership and the realities of building digital services within large organisations.
Much of my work focuses on complex digital services where policy, technology and operational delivery intersect. I’m usually brought into programmes where teams need clarity, alignment and momentum.
