You know how sometimes you look back at your life and realise the little things you did as a kid somehow led you exactly to where you are now? That’s me with UX design. It wasn’t always called “UX design” in my head—it started way back when I was about 12 and had a YouTube channel.
At the time, I wasn’t chasing subscribers or trying to go viral. Instead, I got really into making banners, thumbnails, and logos for myself and other people. I’d spend hours on Photoshop, tweaking the tiniest details and loving every second of it. It was just pure joy—creating something that looked good and caught attention. Looking back, that’s where the spark for design first lit up for me.
A Natural Path to Design
In secondary school, my favourite class was always Design and Technology. It felt like a no-brainer to keep going in that direction, so I studied graphic design at college. I learned how to create logos, leaflets, and packaging. It was fun, but the real game-changer was when I designed my first website for a college project. That was when I realised there was so much more to design than just making pretty things. Websites were this fascinating mix of visuals and functionality, and I wanted to know everything about them.
University and the Pandemic Blur
After college, I went to uni to study graphic design. My first year was during the COVID lockdown, which, let’s be honest, was a bit of a weird time. Motivation? Non-existent. I barely scraped by. But in 2022, I decided enough was enough—I was going to step it up. I started focusing on web design, learning how to build websites, and even began freelancing on the side.
Freelancing was a wild ride. It wasn’t just about designing; it was about pitching myself, finding clients (which is so much harder than it sounds), and managing projects. I built websites for family, friends, and their friends. Through it all, I learned that good design isn’t just about looking nice—it has to work. It should be functional, solve problems, and drive results. That’s when I started getting interested in how people actually use the things we design—how they think, what they need, and how to make their experience better.
Falling Down the UX Rabbit Hole
That curiosity about users led me straight into the world of UX design. I did the Google UX course, and suddenly, everything clicked. It was like finding the missing piece of the puzzle. My university also happened to offer a master’s in UX design, so I jumped at the chance to take it. By this point, I knew I didn’t want to be just a graphic designer anymore. I wanted to design products people use. I wanted to understand what makes a product good or bad, the psychology behind user behaviour, and how to make things intuitive and enjoyable.
The UX Design Journey
Since starting my master’s, my perspective on design has completely changed. I’ve worked on incredible projects with people from all sorts of backgrounds, done internships where I applied UX principles to real-world problems, and learned how to collaborate with cross-functional teams. I’ve also learned about the business side of UX—like how to balance user needs with business goals (because, let’s face it, companies want results).
One of the coolest things about UX is realising that design is everywhere. It’s not just websites or apps; it’s in how a product feels in your hand, how a service is structured, or even how we navigate through a physical space. Good design is all about making interactions with the world easier, better, and more enjoyable. And now, I see it everywhere—it’s impossible to turn that part of my brain off!
What’s Next?
So, here I am now, 22 years old, with a master’s in UX design and a head full of dreams. I don’t know exactly where this journey will take me, but what I do know is this: I want to keep designing products that make life better for people. I want to keep learning, collaborating, and exploring how we interact with the world around us.
Design isn’t just something I do—it’s who I am. And honestly? I wouldn’t have it any other way.