Chibueze Ughanze

I’m Chibueze Ughanze, a designer and researcher who believes design should do more than look good—it should create connection, dignity, and change. I’m passionate about using digital interaction to open up spaces where voices that are often silenced can finally be heard.

For me, design is a way to question cultural scripts and imagine new ones. Much of my work explores masculinity, vulnerability, and mental health in Nigeria—subjects that are often difficult to talk about. My approach is both creative and research-driven: I love listening, co-creating, and translating insights into interactive experiences that feel familiar, accessible, and culturally rooted.

My MA project, Men Mount: Strong Men, Soft Talks, grew out of a simple but urgent question: why do so many Nigerian men struggle to talk about their emotions? Through surveys, interviews, and cultural research, I uncovered a deep pattern of silence—shaped by expectations of strength, religious interpretations, and stigma.

Men Mount is an interactive platform designed to redefine strength as openness. It offers safe, peer-to-peer “gist rooms,” mentorship connections with trusted role models, and reflective daily prompts to help men share and grow. The design draws on everyday cultural touchpoints—local slang, colours that symbolise calm resilience, and familiar digital behaviours like WhatsApp sharing—so it feels natural and approachable.

What excites me most about this project is its potential to spark conversation. It’s not just an app prototype—it’s a response to a national crisis of silence. By co-creating with Nigerian men, I aimed to design not therapy by another name, but a culturally attuned space where men can see themselves, their struggles, and their potential for resilience.

Looking ahead, my aspiration is to keep exploring how design can address complex social issues and build platforms that don’t just deliver content, but cultivate trust and transformation.