From an Engineer to a Designer

I am an Electrical and Electronics Engineer and so I get asked all the time what I did and what resources I used to become a UI/UX Designer. So, here goes. Hope it helps some of the people who reached out to me.

First, some background about me

Up until 10 months back, I had no idea that someone called a UI/UX/Product/Interaction designer existed. All I knew was that I wanted to work at Facebook.

I started sketching even before I started speaking. Over the course of 13 years, I taught myself how to draw, paint on paper, glass, fabric, and clay, make sculptures, stitch dresses, origami, and carpentry. I wanted to become an Architect or a Fashion designer but like every third Indian, I became an Engineer.

Recognizing your interest and taking a Risk

It is really important to find out if you actually want to be a designer and if it interests you. I always wanted to be a Designer but was oblivious to it. Once I decided I wanted to pursue a career in the design field, I went for it!

Don’t ever think it is too late. It is never too late if that’s what you want to do.

1. My friend told me about Masters in Entertainment Technology at Carnegie Mellon University and Master of Science in Visualization at Texas A&M University. Both were animation and game design schools.
2. I enrolled in Adobe Photoshop and Autodesk Maya 1 day workshops at my University cultural event.
3. I then created some digital art and 3D models using both the tools over a span of 6 months (It is okay if the content looks really bad at first).
4. I put together all my traditional artwork, digital artwork, extra-curricular activities report and a strong Statement Of Purpose.
5. Get a good support group — can be your family or friends. I had a really good one.
6. I applied and got into both the schools.

Figuring out what you are good at

This is the hardest part. After arriving for the Graduate program, it took me 1.5 years to figure this out which I feel is too long.

I was the youngest student in my class and the only one with no design or computer science background and no work experience what so ever. It was very scary and intimidating but I managed to survive.

1. I learned Autodesk Maya, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe premiere pro extensively using www.digitaltutors.com and www.lynda.com. I also got some help from my colleagues. Those 2 paid sites are filled with tutorials and helped me a lot. And then I realized I hate Maya which made me hate animation.
2. I decided to understand coding and found a patient professor who taught me the logic and reasoning behind it. This really got me to start liking programming. I was using Arduino microprocessor and created some interactive art installations.
3. I ripped off HTML and CSS code from page source of the websites that were visually appealing and built my own website. This made me start learning HTML and CSS.
4. I learned CSS, HTML and Javascript from www.w3schools.com. Best site to learn the basics and a little more.
5. I used a simple notepad to run the code and Filezilla (Cyberduck for Mac) for file transfer.
6. I learned how to launch a site from my friend. I used Godaddy for buying a domain name and 000webhosting for hosting the server. The web pages ‘help’ section tell you how to connect the domain name and the server.

Dream of working at Facebook

Since December 2013, I wanted to work at Facebook. I looked up the roles in the career page and realized Motion design Intern role is the closest to my skillset.

Never give up! Never feel dejected and always follow up and keep trying..

1. I applied in Summer 2014 and got a response saying I was rejected. I was disappointed, but I followed up asking why and what I could do to increase my chances. Luckily for me, the recruiter responded saying I need experience in app design.
2. I then enrolled in a Computer science app development course in Fall 2014. It made me learn Android Studio and Eclipse. I learned the basics of Java but it was too hard for me and so I mostly did the frontend part where my teammate did the backend part.
3. I heard about a 3-day start-up program in my school and enrolled in it (I did not make the cut because only 40 students were selected but I sent an email to a lot of people in the selection committee and got in. Yay!). It was a very worthwhile experience because we built an app prototype. I learned Adobe Illustrator from my teammate.

Introduced to the term ‘Product design’

I wanted to try again at Facebook and was looking through the list of design positions and came across the Product design Intern role. I went through the requirements and got excited and started preparing my portfolio.

If you try to bake a 3-tier cake and it falls, don’t fret because atleast now you know to bake some cake. I didn’t get Facebook but I came across other companies that have similar roles.

1. I learned Adobe Edge Animate and Adobe Dreamweaver using Youtube tutorials and built an Online portfolio to showcase my work.
2. I was an Instructor for an Undergraduate class and so I learned Adobe AfterEffects. Again with the help of Youtube tutorials. There are some really useful tutorials out there.
3. I did freelance work for my University students where I designed posters, logos and websites. This taught me to interact and understand clients.
4. I applied to 100s of User-Interface design Intern roles and got just 2 interviews and bagged an Intern at VisualBI Solutions In Dallas.
5. I was searching for app related courses in my university.
6. I then enrolled in an Undergraduate course called Introduction to Interaction design taught by a phD student. It was a very helpful class as I learned about wireframing, prototyping, interaction principles, research methods, usability testing and data analysis.
7. I also enrolled in a Human-computer Interaction class in the Computer Science department where myself and my team of 5 built an Augmented reality app prototype. This made me learn Unity 3D.

The most fruitful 5 months of my life

June 2015 to October 2015 is when my perspective of UI and UX design changed. I started understanding design and finally realized where I am and what I need to do to get where I want to be.

There was no dedicated Human-Computer Interaction program in my University and there were no UI/UX designers. So, I was doing everything on my own and it never struck me to contact people outside my University. Biggest mistake ever!

Talk to people in the field you want to be. And I can’t stress this enough.

1. I met a hard-working and talented designer during my Summer 2015 Internship. He inspired me and motivated me. I learned about wireframing and prototyping tools. Balsamiq for wireframing, Invision for prototyping and Sketch for designing layouts and logos. Made me design atleast 10 times better.
2. I learned from another friend about Medium and that I need to contact other designers and follow tech news to be able to make it. I started contacting designers on LinkedIn and following tech news on Flipboard, CNET, Medium and Engadget. I make it a point to do this every morning.
3. I was lucky enough to find a Mentor who is a Product designer at Facebook. She guided me and helped me improve so much that I can’t thank her enough. She gave me a really good insight to UI, UX and Product design (It is really important to understand the difference as early as possible and what you want to do). So, find such a wonderful person!
4. Then through other designers, I came across Designernews, sidebar and dribbble. Till date I haven’t got an invite to Dribbble (I have tried and failed. I would be very grateful if someone could send me an invite). Try to get an invite and post your shots to Dribbble. These 3 resources really inspire you and give you ideas on design.
5. I started designing, designing and designing. Creating wireframes, sketching, prototyping, designing layouts and logos for apps and websites. I also started writing on Medium.
6. Always show your work to people and ask for feedback. I joined facebook pages such as HHdesign, UI/UX Designers and Design (UI/UX) to learn what people are doing and also to get feedback.
7. I was a freelance Product designer for a company called www.request.to for 3 months and then I did some other side projects and freelance work. All this gave me a lot of experience and improved my visual design skills.
8. I got an interview at Facebook for full-time Product designer role which made me ditch my Windows laptop and I got myself a Mac and learned Sketch and Origami — A prototyping tool by Facebook. Sketch is the most amazing design tool ever! I also learned Marvel and Pixate —Both are great prototyping tools and are free!
9. My thesis is based on Interactive product design where I created a soft toy that helps relaxation in Children with Autism. I then turned it into a User Experience project by conducting User studies and doing data analysis because I knew it would help me in my Career.
10. After applying to hundreds of companies, giving tons of interviews and contacting too many recruiters and designers on LinkedIn (Thank You LinkedIn Premium) I finally got 2 good job offers as a UI/UX Designer. Whoop!

What I wish I knew 3 years back

It seems like I have done a lot over the past 3 years but it is only because I kept choosing the wrong career path. If you are lucky enough, you will realize that you want to be a UI/UX Designer early on in life and pursue accordingly and do what is required.

1. Pursue an Undergraduate degree in Computer Science or design. Probably a Minor in Computer Science with Major in Art/Design.
2. Pursue a Master’s in Human-Computer Interaction or Interaction design.
3. Enroll in online courses such as Human-centered design and Interaction design in Coursera.com. They are very helpful!
4. You don’t have to do all the above steps, just 1 or 2 out of 3.
5. Surround yourself with people who have similar interest as yours — Not all the time. You need to have a life.
6. Talk about design ideas to people and always ask for feedback.
7. Keep yourself updated with Design and Tech news.
8. Follow Medium and Dribbble.
9. Move to Bay area if you can.
10. I am just starting out as a Professional Designer and I need to achieve all the goals I have set ahead for myself to be able to advise people who approach me, but I will be sure to help you with whatever I know and learn.

Keep learning, Keep designing and Keep trying! Good luck!

If you think this article could be useful for someone, please recommend it. Follow my page on Facebook or on Medium. Thank You!