When Verena Lindner stepped into a senior product design role at Berlin-based fintech company, Europace AG, the change came with new expectations. She was suddenly in a position to influence big-picture product decisions. She was also mentoring other designers and being looked to for guidance. Yet, she felt her UI skillset hadn’t evolved at the same pace as her career.
“I became the most senior designer, which is a little bit scary because I didn’t feel like it fit.”
What Verena was missing was the UI expertise and perspective she needed to guide others and influence the direction of the product. She began searching for a way to upskill and build the confidence to take on her new responsibilities.
That search led her to Designlab’s UI Mastery Certification, an advanced program built for experienced designers to polish their UI skills and strengthen visual decision-making.
Building the UI Expertise She Was Missing
Verena’s background included computer science, a master’s in human-computer interaction, and agency work, all of which gave her broad experience in UX design, but left her without a strong foundation in UI. “It was just learning by doing,” she says.
She knew the best way to be successful in her new role was by strengthening her UI craft, especially in areas that are notoriously challenging in B2B design. One skill stood out in particular: layout and page structure.
I wanted to understand what works and what doesn’t and then be able to express that for myself and for others.
At the same time, her daily work with B2B products gave her limited opportunities to get creative, which left her feeling like she had plateaued.
Verena had several clear goals in mind when she signed up for UI Mastery:
- Move beyond learning by doing and develop a more structured understanding of UI principles.
- Gain the language and frameworks needed to explain design decisions clearly.
- Build the UI craft and system thinking that is expected from someone in a senior position.
- Contribute to higher-level product design conversations.
- Find space to experiment beyond the constraints of daily B2B product work.
Viewing UI Through a More Critical Lens
From the beginning, UI Mastery challenged Verena to look more closely at designs. Through teardowns and critiques with her peers, she began developing a more analytical eye for UI.
In the beginning, you look at something and it seems fine. But then you go deeper—and if you go deeper, and take the time, you will find things.
She also thrived on the program format, which set specific project deadlines and brought the students together in small groups for weekly live critique sessions. These sessions added a layer of accountability that kept Verena motivated while she balanced learning with her full-time job.
Verena also appreciated the intentional instruction which focused on teaching the designers not just how to do, but how to think. Developing this more critical lens gave Verena greater confidence in her ability to explain, defend, and guide decisions at a higher level.
Growth Through Community and Mentorship
One of the biggest highlights of the experience for Verena was her peer group. Every designer worked on the same prompts, making it easy to compare ideas and learn from others.
“Seeing how every person approached the same task differently was really inspiring,” Verena says. “You never really get that in day-to-day work.”
Verena also felt supported by her mentor, Cara Lamason, Product Designer at Facebook, whose feedback was always relevant and helped push her work forward.
The larger projects that Verena and her peers submitted on a biweekly basis throughout the course took her from learning to practice. “And then it all culminated in the capstone project, which I'm really happy about. It was the most fun project I’ve done in a really long time.”
Unlocking Creative Energy Through a Guided Capstone
For her capstone, Verena chose a problem she personally connected with: a multi-venue fitness booking app. She herself used such an app and often felt frustrated by it.
“I really don't like the way it functions,” she says. “To go to my favorite studio, I always have to search for it, and there are some things that are just not well done. So I thought, ‘This could be a nice opportunity to make an app that's better.’”
She began with research, exploring competitor apps, and talking to friends who used similar platforms. From there, she moved into wireframes, visual exploration, and iteration, supported by check-ins with her mentor and peer feedback, which helped her to not get lost and to make the crucial decisions to complete the project.
Like many designers, she admits she experienced moments of doubt mid-project. “This course helped me to understand that this is a natural thing for me in my work, and I just have to keep going.”
By the end, her project didn’t exactly match her initial vision, but, she argues, it became something more—and something she was proud of.
Bringing UI Mastery Back to Work
Coming out of the course, Verena was eager to apply what she’d learned, though she acknowledges that change doesn’t always happen overnight in a product environment.
Still, one impact showed up immediately: leading others. “Working with someone that is looking to you for feedback and giving this feedback,” she says. “I’m practicing it more and it’s becoming more second nature.”
Being able to better critique her own designs has also influenced how Verena shows up in her new role. She has put into practice frameworks from the program that help her assess designs more holistically, from visual details, to structural decisions, to evaluating how a product experience unfolds over time.
I came out of this course with such a high. UI design is fun, and I would like to dedicate time to create really cool things.
A Clearer Career Direction
When it comes to the most valuable aspects of the program, Verena points to two things. First, a renewed sense of excitement and motivation.
“I came out of this course with such a high,” she says. The program reminded her of the things she loved about UI design. “It’s fun, and I would like to dedicate time to create really cool things.”
Secondly, the program gave Verena the opportunity to work in the way she most enjoys: on short, impactful projects. This clarity has prompted Verena to think more about her future in design and the kind of work she wants to create. She is happy about her growth and certain that UI Mastery Certification was the right choice.
“I believe the time that you put in, in the end, is what you get out of it,” she says. “And I’m really happy with this investment.”
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