Meet Hannah Munt, Product Designer at 90POE

As a Product Designer at 90POE, Hannah is helping shape OpenOcean STUDIO into a platform that simplifies complexity, without sacrificing functionality. With a background spanning multiple design roles, Hannah brings a thoughtful, user-first approach to solving operational challenges in maritime. 

What does a typical day look like for you as a Product Designer at 90POE, and how does it differ from previous roles you've held?  

It really depends on the stream I’m working in, but most days involve a mix of reviewing tickets, collaborating with developers or product managers, and working through design flows in Figma. A lot of the work begins with questions: What is the actual user need? What’s the current process? What’s technically feasible? 

Because the products are data-heavy and operationally complex, I spend a fair amount of time understanding how things work today before designing anything new. That might involve reviewing historical feature requests, analysing user feedback, or mapping existing user journeys. Compared to previous roles I’ve held, this position is focused on solving practical, often complex problems in ways that make users’ jobs easier. 

Product design in complex, data-driven environments like OpenOcean STUDIO requires balancing clarity with technical depth. How do you approach designing for such a niche audience? 

I think the biggest thing I’ve learned is not to be scared of complexity. The users we’re designing for know their stuff, they’re managing vessels, downtime, compliance tasks, so it’s about making the interface easier to navigate, not stripping out important information. 

Sometimes that means focusing on layout, grouping, or flow rather than trying to change the whole experience. I also try to lean on the people around me, PMs, support teams, even developers, because they often have insight into how people actually use the tools. Getting clarity doesn’t always mean making it simple, sometimes it just means making it understandable. 

Designing for enterprise software often comes with legacy systems and complex workflows. How do you balance simplicity with functionality in your design work? 

This comes up all the time. You want to make things feel clean and intuitive, but there’s often a huge amount of logic, business rules, or legacy quirks under the surface. I try to start by mapping out the current experience, even if it’s messy, just so I can see where the friction is.

From there, I look for the low-hanging fruit. Are there steps we can combine? Can we surface the most important actions first? Is there a smarter way to show the data? And I always check in with our developers, because sometimes what seems simple in Figma is actually a nightmare to build. It’s definitely a balance, but I try to keep the user’s task in focus. What are they actually trying to do, and how do we get them there with as little friction as possible? 

What advice would you give to other designers interested in transitioning into enterprise or maritime tech platforms? 

Be open-minded, especially at the start. Things aren’t always neat or modern, you’ll probably run into legacy features, complex data, and workflows that seem odd until you understand the operational logic behind them. Ask loads of questions. Learn from the people around you. Don’t assume things are wrong just because they’re old, sometimes they exist for a reason. But also, don’t be afraid to challenge when something’s clearly not working for users. And honestly, be patient with yourself. It takes time to get your head around the domain, especially something as niche as maritime, but once it starts to click, it’s incredibly satisfying. You’ll find yourself designing things that make someone’s day genuinely easier, and that’s a great feeling.