Agnieszka didn’t initially go into the word of design.
With an academic background in Project Management and Accounting/Controlling, she began exploring UX independently. She taught herself the fundamentals, built up practical experience and gradually found her way into the field.
But as her career progressed, she wanted more structure behind what she had learned.
When I began learning UX independently, I gradually built up practical knowledge, but I was looking for a way to structure and deepen what I had learned.
That search led her to the UX Design Institute.
Today, Agnieszka is a UX Designer at ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions. She has completed three UX Design Institute programmes:
- Professional Diploma in UX Design
- Professional Certificate in User Research
- Professional Certificate in Content Design
Together, they’ve helped her turn self-taught knowledge into a broader and more structured understanding of UX.
From self-taught designer to UX professional
Agnieszka started with the Professional Diploma in UX Design, using it to build a solid foundation and bring structure to the knowledge she had already developed independently.
From there, she wanted to go deeper.
The Professional Certificate in User Research allowed her to explore the research side of the UX process in more detail, while the Professional Certificate in Content Design gave her the opportunity to expand into another area of UX.
Across all three courses, the UX Design Institute has helped me move from learning UX independently to developing a more structured, well-rounded understanding of the discipline. And, most importantly, to keep growing as a UX professional.
One of the biggest advantages was being able to connect what she was learning directly to real UX work.
She particularly valued:
- Clear, structured course content
- Real-world UX examples
- Quizzes to reinforce key concepts
- Self-paced, video-based learning
- The flexibility to fit learning around work
The courses go beyond theory and consistently connect concepts to practical, real-world UX scenarios, which made the learning much more engaging and easier to apply in practice.
A career milestone: taking a product from idea to launch
One of Agnieszka’s proudest career moments came when she became the sole designer responsible for a product from the very beginning of its development.
She was involved throughout the entire journey: understanding user needs, defining the experience, designing the product, collaborating with developers and eventually seeing it released.
Seeing a product that I had been shaping from the start finally being used in the real world was an incredibly rewarding experience.
It also gave her the chance to see something every UX designer works towards: how decisions made throughout the design process translate into a real product and a real user experience.
So, what does a day in the life of a UX designer actually look like?
Today, Agnieszka works across two products. One is a mobile application, while the other includes both mobile and web applications. With iOS and Android versions to consider, she regularly moves between different teams and technologies.
And there’s no real “typical” day.
Her mornings often start by checking in with both product teams and working out where her attention is needed most.
From there, her calendar could include:
- A stand-up with the product team
- A discussion with developers
- A stakeholder workshop
- A user research session
Then comes focused design time.
Depending on the stage of a project, Agnieszka might be sketching ideas for a new feature, creating wireframes in Figma, refining designs using an existing design system or working through feedback from users and stakeholders.
For a new idea, that can also mean speaking to users before designing anything at all.
The aim is simple: make sure the team is solving the right problem before designing the solution.
Always learning
Even after three UX Design Institute courses, Agnieszka is still making space to develop her skills.
When she has time, she’ll work through a course or explore new UX ideas, trends and best practices independently.
And that constant variety is exactly what she enjoys about the profession.
No two days are exactly the same, and that is one of the things I enjoy most about being a UX designer.
Her role brings together research, problem-solving, design, communication and collaboration, with one common goal: finding ways to improve someone’s experience with a product.
UX is about much more than creating interfaces. It’s about listening, asking the right questions, explaining the reasoning behind a decision and finding common ground between users, developers and stakeholders.
And her learning journey isn’t finished yet.
I’m looking forward to continuing my education with the UX Design Institute.
