From a Small Dream to Becoming a UIUX Designer

When children dream about becoming something in life, many of them have someone to guide them. My journey was different.

My name is Riyaz I am from India, and I am a self-taught Product Designer.

My journey began in 2010 when I joined a design institute. There, I learned the entire Adobe Creative Suite. At that time, I didn't even have my own laptop because my father couldn't afford one. Every new thing I learned felt like a blessing.

In 2013, I got my first job as a Graphic Designer. It was my first real step into the design world. I spent countless hours working in Photoshop and CorelDRAW, learning something new every single day. It wasn't just a job - it was the beginning of my dream.

In 2014, I joined another company as a 2D and 3D Animator. Along with animation, I also worked as a voice artist and helped create educational animated videos. It was a completely new experience, and I enjoyed every moment of it.

After working there for a year, I joined another private company as a Graphic Designer. I designed posters, brochures, logos, character animations, and motion graphics. This was the time when I truly fell in love with creativity.

Because my course covered everything from graphic design to motion graphics and 3D modeling, I became deeply interested in the world of 3D.

Soon, I got selected by one of India's top animation studios. I worked as a 3D Lighting Artist on the popular Indian animated TV show Motu Patlu. My responsibility was to prepare and render lighting for every scene before the final output.

Life wasn't easy.

Every morning, I caught the 5:30 AM train just to reach the studio by 9 AM. I always knew when I was leaving home, but I never knew when I would return. Sometimes we worked for 24 hours without going home. There were days when I slept inside the studio because deadlines were everything.

After spending a year there, I resigned in 2017. Not because I disliked animation.

But because I wanted to build something that could solve real problems for people. One day, I met my friend Imran. He was carrying a book, and I casually asked him where he was going.

He smiled and said, "Office."

I asked him, "What do you do?"

He replied, "UI/UX."

I had no idea what UI/UX meant. When I reached home, I searched for it online.

I was shocked.

I discovered that design wasn't only about making beautiful screens. It was about understanding people, solving their problems, and creating meaningful experiences.

That day changed my life.

I started learning everything I could about UX, user research, user flows, wireframes, prototypes, and interaction design.

In October 2017, I joined my first company as a UI/UX Designer.

For the next three years, I worked on user flows, wireframes, prototypes, motion design, and enterprise products. Every project taught me something new.

Unfortunately, the company eventually shut down because of financial problems. I stayed until the very end because I believed in supporting the team that believed in me.

Then came the COVID lockdown.

During that difficult time, I received an opportunity to work on a ride-hailing app for a company called NextNow in Johannesburg, South Africa.

I was the only designer on the project.

From gathering requirements to designing the complete product, I delivered the entire project in just 40 days.

That experience gave me confidence that I could handle complete products on my own.

In 2021, I joined Dectree as a Product Designer, where I collaborated with clients from the United States.

This role allowed me to use every skill I had learned over the years—UI/UX, product design, website design, branding, logo design, motion graphics, and visual design.

It also pushed me beyond design.

I learned marketing, SEO, collaboration, and how products grow after they are launched.

As my experience grew, I got the opportunity to speak internationally.

I was invited as a keynote speaker in countries including Azerbaijan, Malaysia, and Vietnam, where I shared my knowledge of Figma, AI, and modern product design with designers and students from around the world.

Looking back, I never imagined that the boy who once couldn't afford a laptop would one day teach designers across different countries.

Today, after 14 years of learning, failing, improving, and never giving up, I have spent more than 8 years as a Product and UI/UX Designer.

I am completely self-made.

I don't just design screens.

I understand people's problems, think deeply about their needs, and build products that make their lives easier.

And this...

This is only the beginning.

The best chapters of my story are still waiting to be written.