Welcome to Designing the Future HackerNoon’s Interview series highlighting the works and careers of UI/UX designers the world over.
1. Describe your current role and tell us what you like most about it
I’m a UX/UI Design Lead at appello.co—a company that provides software development services to many clients, from startups to large government enterprises. What I love most is the fast-paced environment—each new client needs a fully working MVP design in a short amount of time. That challenge is what drives me: diving deep into domains like aviation cargo or agricultural drone management within just a couple of weeks to figure out how everything works and then turning that into a functional, user-friendly design.
2. How did you get into UI/UX design?
I initially wanted to work in IT primarily for the flexibility of a remote job, which would allow me to travel. I first tried front-end development, but it wasn’t the right fit. That’s when I discovered UI design and found it fascinating. After a three-month course, I spent about two years doing a variety of freelance projects, including graphic design work like flyers and business cards. While that type of work was easier to land, my end goal was always UI/UX. Over time, I built up my portfolio with more substantial UI projects, which eventually led me to more serious clients and full-time roles.
3. What’s a design project you’re especially proud of, and why?
I’m especially proud of large-scale projects that have thousands of users. It’s exciting to realize that the product you designed is used by so many people—that’s a tangible way to see your impact. Also, the more complicated the project, the more satisfaction I get from truly understanding the client’s business model, structuring everything clearly, and delivering a solution that works.
Some highlights are below, these were complex, domain-specific challenges, and designing the user experience for them was incredibly rewarding:
4. Tell us about a popular design trend you love (or hate)
I believe most trends have their place, but I’m not a fan of Neo Brutalism when it’s taken to the extreme. It often seems to disregard fundamental UX principles, making it tough to guide user attention or establish a clear hierarchy. While it can be visually striking, it’s not always practical for real-world applications, and I feel it’s mostly limited to platforms like Dribbble rather than actual production products.
5. How do you balance creativity and user-friendliness in your projects?
User-friendliness always comes first. People outside of design might be surprised at how little “pure creativity” is involved on a day-to-day basis—so much of our job focuses on creating clear, usable experiences. We have to consider client branding (which can sometimes be restrictive) and collaborate closely with developers to ensure designs are technically feasible. I make sure that every feature I design can be explained to the dev team in their own terms. Within those constraints, there’s still some room for creativity, but user clarity and functionality must take precedence.
6. What’s your favorite tool in your design toolkit, and why?
Since 2023, ChatGPT has been a game-changer for me. It’s extremely helpful at the start of a project for parsing lengthy briefs or user manuals that can be over 100 pages. It saves me hours by summarizing key points so I can quickly understand the client’s business.
Another use case is generating realistic content for mockups—relying on “Lorem Ipsum” everywhere is far less effective than using context-specific text. Realistic copy not only helps the client see you understand their business, but it also clarifies the logic for developers during implementation.
7. Can you describe your design process, start to finish?
Some product designers might be surprised at our rapid timelines, but a typical design flow at our company can take as little as three weeks, from zero to a complete UI prototype:
- Research & Discovery (Week 1):
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Begin with a client brief and notes from our sales team.
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Deep-dive into the client’s field, analyze competitors, and form an understanding of the user flow and information architecture.
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Present this initial user flow to the client for feedback.
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- Wireframing (Week 2):
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Transform the approved user flow into black-and-white wireframes, focusing on core screens and logical structure.
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Share wireframes with the client, gather feedback, and make necessary revisions.
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- UI Design & Prototyping (Week 3):
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Apply the client’s branding (or create one if needed) to the wireframes, polish the details, and design all secondary screens.
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Build a clickable prototype of the final UI that the client often uses to pitch to investors or engage potential users.
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After these three weeks, I continued to support the development team—writing documentation, clarifying design decisions, and tweaking the UI as needed to ensure a smooth build.
8. What’s the biggest mistake you made early in your career, and how did it affect your journey?
I don’t view them as mistakes but rather lessons I could have learned sooner. I wish I had networked more when I was starting out. Meeting people in the industry often leads to new projects or job opportunities. Also, I would have pushed myself to explore more adjacent fields—whether that’s learning more advanced design tools, understanding development constraints, or getting familiar with marketing. That broader knowledge is invaluable.
9. What advice would you give to a designer at the beginning of their Journey?
Always position yourself as a professional. Even if you’re a beginner, back up every design decision with solid reasoning and user-focused logic. This helps prevent endless revisions from clients with their sometimes crazy ideas.
Also, put yourself out there—publish your designs, network, and stay curious. The more connections you make and the more feedback you receive, the faster you’ll grow.
10. On a lighter note, what’s your least favorite font and why?
I really hate Raleway. While it’s popular on Google Fonts, its numbers are inconsistently sized and aligned, which made it a nightmare on a project I once led. After designing everything, I realized the numeric characters were completely off and I had to spend a lot of time replacing the font across the entire project. It was a learning moment—but not a pleasant one!
That’s all!
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