Born
Born in Nigeria.
This is the story of how a boy from [Ilé-Ifẹ̀](ile-ife) grew up to design for culture.
1 Born in Nigeria (Ile-Ife)
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Age 3 to 5
Sci-fi got to me early.
James Bond had a remote for his car. I imagined I had augmented glasses. Those films showed me a future where technology is everywhere, and that is where my love for it began.
2 Kid in the room
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Growing up
Then the universe.
Growing up, I got curious and read widely, and nothing pulled at me like the universe. I wanted to know how everything works.
3 Then the universe
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School
Engineering was not an option.
I wanted engineering and settled for sociology and anthropology. I did not like it at first. By my third year I was hooked: people, how we interact, and culture.
4 Engineering was not an option (black hole)
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University
I found interaction design.
A post by a fellow sociology student in the US led me to it. I already did graphic design, so I taught myself on the school's internet: the sweet spot between people and design.
5 I found interaction design (hands)
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First job
My first job was in fintech.
I started as a designer at an agency, mostly on fintech products. My first big role was at PalmPay, a Nigerian fintech, and I have designed for fintech ever since.
6 My first job was in fintech (Lagos)
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A year ago
I design for culture.
A year ago I moved across the continent to immerse myself in Africa's cultures. Our technology is mostly imported, built to Western standards, so I design for culture, here and around the world.
7 I design for culture (Africa, globe)
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Now
Homes that think.
Now I am exploring the internet of things: homes in Africa that think for the people who live in them.
8 Homes that think (kitchen)
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Let's build together
Let's build together.
9 Let's build together (portrait)
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Born
Anyone
This story starts in Ile-Ife, one of Africa's oldest cities, with a boy who would grow up to design for culture.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/anyone/born-e6d9672e.mp3
Age 3 to 5
Anyone
At three, he's hooked on spy films. Cars with remotes, glasses that see more. The future, he decides, is full of technology.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/anyone/age-3-to-5-a50b078c.mp3
Growing up
Anyone
Then he looks up. Stars, planets, black holes. He has to know how all of it works.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/anyone/growing-up-c3901362.mp3
School
Anyone
Engineering was off the table, so he studied people instead. And slowly, people became the obsession.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/anyone/school-eec25282.mp3
University
Anyone
Then one post from a friend in America changes everything. A craft that sits right between people and design.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/anyone/university-d44efd31.mp3
First job
Anyone
His first job lands him in fintech. Money, in the hands of millions. He never looked back.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/anyone/first-job-614f0f52.mp3
A year ago
Anyone
A year ago, he crossed the continent, chasing one idea: technology should fit the culture, not the other way round.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/anyone/a-year-ago-6afa162d.mp3
Now
Anyone
And now? Homes in Africa that think for the people who live in them.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/anyone/now-a4e8abc5.mp3
Let's build together
Anyone
That's where you come in. Let's build something together.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/anyone/lets-build-together-9984fa52.mp3
Born
Hiring manager
Before the portfolio, the origin. Ile-Ife, one of Africa's oldest cities, where this designer learned that culture comes first.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/hiring-manager/born-c079ccbb.mp3
Age 3 to 5
Hiring manager
At three, spy films hook him on technology. That early pull never left; it is why he still builds for what comes next.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/hiring-manager/age-3-to-5-ed4e1f64.mp3
Growing up
Hiring manager
He grows up needing to know how things work. It's still how he takes problems apart.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/hiring-manager/growing-up-6da325a1.mp3
School
Hiring manager
Denied engineering, he studies sociology and anthropology. It becomes his edge: designing from how people behave.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/hiring-manager/school-5a49114c.mp3
University
Hiring manager
He teaches himself interaction design on the school's internet. Self-driven from day one.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/hiring-manager/university-928ca701.mp3
First job
Hiring manager
Fintech from the start: an agency, then PalmPay. Years of shipping products where trust matters most.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/hiring-manager/first-job-c7990c59.mp3
A year ago
Hiring manager
A year ago he crossed the continent to design technology that fits local culture, not imported standards.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/hiring-manager/a-year-ago-beb560ad.mp3
Now
Hiring manager
Now he's exploring homes in Africa that think for the people in them.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/hiring-manager/now-7a51dd26.mp3
Let's build together
Hiring manager
If your team builds for real people in real places, let's talk.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/hiring-manager/lets-build-together-1d1bd02d.mp3
Born
Recruiter
Quick context: a product designer from Ile-Ife, Nigeria, who designs for culture. Here's the path, in under a minute.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/recruiter/born-28dee984.mp3
Age 3 to 5
Recruiter
His love of technology starts at three, with spy films and gadgets. It shows in the work he chooses.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/recruiter/age-3-to-5-fba9bba6.mp3
Growing up
Recruiter
A curious, wide reader who wants to know how everything works.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/recruiter/growing-up-0b10cb0a.mp3
School
Recruiter
His degree is sociology and anthropology: people and culture, the base of his design practice.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/recruiter/school-9aced7c6.mp3
University
Recruiter
He moves into interaction design, building on graphic design he already knew, and teaches himself the craft.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/recruiter/university-857b8b60.mp3
First job
Recruiter
His career is in fintech: agency work first, then PalmPay, and fintech products ever since.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/recruiter/first-job-c6dd16d2.mp3
A year ago
Recruiter
A year ago he moved across Africa to work closer to the cultures he designs for.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/recruiter/a-year-ago-1de9b849.mp3
Now
Recruiter
Today he's also exploring the internet of things: homes that think.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/recruiter/now-edb232d7.mp3
Let's build together
Recruiter
Hiring for product design? The contact link is on this page. He reads every message.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/recruiter/lets-build-together-6c6f8d84.mp3
Born
Fellow designer
Every designer has a first reference. His is Ile-Ife: an old city, a living culture, and a way of seeing.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/fellow-designer/born-2eabe55e.mp3
Age 3 to 5
Fellow designer
At three, spy films sell him on interfaces that don't exist yet. Remote-controlled cars, glasses that see more.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/fellow-designer/age-3-to-5-58d7936b.mp3
Growing up
Fellow designer
Then the universe. He reads everything, chasing how systems work, the same instinct behind good design.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/fellow-designer/growing-up-55dd2681.mp3
School
Fellow designer
No engineering, so sociology and anthropology. By third year, research about people is the part he loves.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/fellow-designer/school-5e8c6512.mp3
University
Fellow designer
A classmate's post from America shows him interaction design: graphic design plus people. He teaches himself the rest.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/fellow-designer/university-599b1891.mp3
First job
Fellow designer
His first job is fintech design. Dense flows, money, trust. He's been sharpening that craft ever since.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/fellow-designer/first-job-2019b856.mp3
A year ago
Fellow designer
A year ago he crossed the continent with one belief: design should fit the culture, not Western defaults.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/fellow-designer/a-year-ago-dba5e5ac.mp3
Now
Fellow designer
Now he's designing homes that think, where the interface is the house itself.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/fellow-designer/now-180c1bc6.mp3
Let's build together
Fellow designer
If you design for culture too, he'd love to compare notes. Let's build something together.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/fellow-designer/lets-build-together-cb13b676.mp3
Born
Supporter
This is the story of a boy from Ile-Ife who dreamed of technology, and the culture that shaped him.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/supporter/born-054f3e49.mp3
Age 3 to 5
Supporter
At three, he watches spy films and imagines a world full of gadgets. He decides he'll help build it.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/supporter/age-3-to-5-b8db3ff1.mp3
Growing up
Supporter
Then he looks up at the stars, and wants to understand all of it.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/supporter/growing-up-72d77865.mp3
School
Supporter
He wanted engineering and didn't get it. He studied people instead, and fell in love with them.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/supporter/school-eaa80733.mp3
University
Supporter
One post from a friend abroad shows him a craft between people and design. He teaches himself, alone.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/supporter/university-2b39b8f1.mp3
First job
Supporter
His first job puts him in fintech, designing money for millions. He never looked back.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/supporter/first-job-200006ba.mp3
A year ago
Supporter
A year ago he left home for the other side of the continent, to design for Africa's cultures.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/supporter/a-year-ago-7d7d6e7f.mp3
Now
Supporter
Now? Homes in Africa that think for the people who live in them.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/supporter/now-f7e664e6.mp3
Let's build together
Supporter
Thank you for listening this far. Follow along; the story isn't finished.
https://va-portfolio-media.victoradedini.workers.dev/voice/story/supporter/lets-build-together-055121d9.mp3
Anyone
Anyone
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Hiring manager
Hiring
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Recruiter
Recruiter
2
Fellow designer
Designer
3
Supporter
Supporter
4
