From Circuits to Clicks: How My Unconventional Journey Made Me a Powerhouse UX Designer

Journey To UX Design

When I first transitioned into UX design and when applying to UX roles even with professional experience, I was often met with the question: "But you don’t have a degree in design. How do you expect the same pay and opportunities as someone with a formal design education?"

For folks like me who didn’t take the usual “design school” route, breaking into UX can feel like an endless boss battle. Rejections without feedback. Job descriptions that scream, “Only Design Graduates from Ivy-League-Level Institutions Need Apply.” And despite having the skills, the door to big opportunities often stays shut.

Alright, let's talk about something close to my heart – how my unique background has turned me into a powerhouse UX designer, ranging from circuits to code to creative problem-solving.

My Journey Through Electrical & Electronics Engineering – Where It All Began

Back in college, I wasn’t dreaming of pixel-perfect designs—I was elbows-deep in circuit diagrams and hardware-software integration. But here’s the twist: all that geeky electrical engineering stuff laid the technical foundation that powers my UX skills today.

While studying Electrical and Electronics Engineering, I worked with tools like AutoCAD, ECAD, and MATLAB. These didn’t just teach me how to wire a circuit or debug a malfunctioning board—they trained me to think with precision. I got good at drafting designs with razor-sharp accuracy, which translates perfectly into creating pixel-perfect wireframes and layouts.

Using my simulation skills (using tools like Proteus), I tested circuits without physical prototypes, learning how to validate designs and optimize them for real-world conditions, something I now apply to wireframing and prototyping user interfaces. Prototyping was a constant in my engineering work, and today, rapid prototyping in Figma or other tools lets me iterate quickly on design ideas before settling on the final version.

Here’s the kicker: Engineering, just like UX design, follows principles that ensure everything works smoothly. In engineering, we adhere to laws like Ohm’s Law and Kirchhoff’s Laws. Similarly, in UX design, we rely on principles like Gestalt, Fitt’s Law, Hick’s Law, Miller’s Law, the Von Restorff Effect, and the Zeigarnik Effect (that’s a lot of laws!).

These principles are the backbone of creating intuitive, functional designs. Just like an engineer optimizing a circuit, I apply these laws to create UIs that aren’t just visually appealing but also user-friendly. And by aligning my designs with the golden ratio, I make sure they're balanced and consistent at both the component level and the overall screen section level.

My Full-Stack Developer Phase - The Sidekick That Gave Me Superpowers

Fast forward a bit. After my engineering stint and closing down my small scale aquaponics farming venture , I shifted gears and worked as a Full Stack Developer. Yeah, I know what you’re thinking – “But that’s a totally different world from design!” And it is. But here’s the thing: As a developer, I was living and breathing the technical side of things. I spent countless hours building responsive UIs using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and React. This meant I had a deep understanding of the how behind UI functionality.

From writing backend logic with Java, Spring Boot framework to ensuring smooth deployment pipelines with DevOps, I was immersed in problem-solving and collaboration. I wasn’t designing but I was making sure that designs worked. Knowing how the “invisible” part of the app works helps me design systems that don’t just look good but actually work seamlessly.

Entering the UX World – Product Design at an AI SaaS Startup

Here’s where the magic happens. I transitioned to a Product Designer role at Devzery, an AI-powered SaaS startup. This was where my engineering skills really came into play. As a solo designer in a fast-paced environment, I was the one responsible for everything: wireframes, prototypes, visual designs, and, of course user research.

I began by diving deep into user research—conducting in-depth user interviews, surveys, and competitor analysis to validate real user problems. From this, I crafted detailed personas to guide the design process. Next, I iterated on designs, constantly refining them through usability testing to ensure they resonated with users. I streamlined our components, making the design not just more cohesive but also more efficient. Leveraging my engineering background, I applied precision and optimization techniques to ensure the designs were lean, practical, and, most importantly, feasible to build as a scalable software application.

A Journey of Constant Learning and Growth

Since 2021, I’ve spent countless hours upskilling myself in UX design to ensure I’m always at the top of my game. It’s been a journey of dedication, and each certification has played a pivotal role in shaping my design philosophy.

I began with the UX Design Specialization by Google on Coursera, where I learned the core principles of UX design, from user research to prototyping. Following that, I dove into Design System University to deepen my knowledge of building and maintaining design systems—crucial for consistency and scalability.

Recognizing the importance of development in UX, I also completed the Front-End Developer certification by Meta, giving me a solid technical foundation for collaborating seamlessly with engineering teams.

Accessibility became a focus with the Accessibility Specialist certification from Wix, ensuring that my designs are inclusive and usable for all. To round out my understanding of strategic design processes, I earned the Enterprise Design Thinking Practitioner certification from IBM, which enhanced my approach to solving complex business challenges with user-centered solutions.

Currently, I’m honing my expertise in research and design with the UX Scientist (Core UX - Research & Design) program at UXED, where I’m diving deeper into the science behind user behavior and how to create truly impactful experiences.

This journey has been a marathon, not a sprint, and each step has contributed to my ability to create designs that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also functional, inclusive, and user-centered.

Transferrable Skills That Power My UX Design Journey

• Sources Identification & Research Synthesis Derivation: Extract actionable insights from diverse sources to shape user-centered solutions.

• Users Validations for Baselining: Validate design assumptions through user feedback to set clear baselines for functionality.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Bridge the gap between design and engineering, ensuring both creativity and technical feasibility.

• Estimation & Timeline Commitment: Accurately estimate project timelines while balancing ambition with execution.

• Internal Feedback Sessions & Stakeholder Presentation: Present designs clearly to stakeholders and gather feedback for refinement.

• Project Status Reporting: Provide concise, data-driven updates to keep projects on track and stakeholders informed.

So, Why Does My Background Matter?

Here’s the thing: my background might seem unconventional, but it’s the combination of my experiences that makes me who I am as a designer. It’s not just the tools or technical skills; it’s about the mindset of problem-solving, precision, and thinking critically about how every piece fits together. My journey has taught me that being a well-rounded designer isn’t just about following a single path—it’s about taking what you’ve learned along the way and applying it to solve real problems.

And if you’re someone who didn’t take the traditional route into UX design, don’t worry—you’re not alone. Your unique skill set might be the thing that sets you apart and makes you a powerhouse UX designer, just like me.