Designing with Impact: How Daniela Built a UX Career That Led to GoDaddy

Since graduating from UX Academy in 2021, Daniela Montanez has steadily built an impressive design career across a range of organizations—starting in agencies and recently transitioning into an in-house product design role at GoDaddy. We caught up with Daniela to learn about her current work, how her Designlab experience helped her get there, and what she recommends for anyone trying to make a similar leap into the UX field.

From Graphic Design Roots to a UX Career

I’d love to start off by just hearing about your background—how did you get involved in design? And what motivated you to start UX Academy?

I’ve been interested in design for most of my life, and back when I had started experimenting with it, we didn’t even really have terms like UX or UI—it was mostly just graphic design. My interest in graphic design led me to studying it in university.

After graduating, I started working at a company in Colombia called RTVC, a government organization responsible for public TV and radio. I was a contractor working on their websites—they had a lot of brands and stations, so I worked on many of their sites, sometimes creating full sites, sometimes just banners.

Eventually, though, I lost the “magic” for design. I still thought of it as graphic design and didn’t realize the field had evolved. I started exploring other options and even tried to become a developer—but I quickly realized coding wasn’t for me. I only made it through HTML and CSS before hitting JavaScript and going, “Nope! I actually do like design.”

That’s when I discovered Designlab while looking at different courses. I also discovered the term “UX/UI designer” and realized that’s what I’d been doing all along! I knew I needed to refresh my skills—I hadn’t used Figma before, just Adobe XD and Photoshop—and I wanted to reconnect with what I loved about design: helping people. UX Academy appealed to me most because of the mentorship component.

How UX Academy Built the Foundation for Real-World Success

Before landing her current role at GoDaddy, Daniela worked on a number of fast-paced, high-stakes projects—including for major clients like Google and Verizon. Her ability to navigate those environments with confidence, she says, traces back to the structure and community she found during the UX Academy program.

I know it’s been some time, but how was your experience in UX Academy? And how do you feel it prepared you to move into the design field?

I still think UX Academy was one of the best experiences I’ve had. I did the program in 2021. The thing I loved most was how close our cohort became. We’re still in touch—we made our own Slack group after graduation and continue to check in with each other. We share updates, job hunting wins and struggles, and advice. It made a big difference, because the program is intense and having that support helped me keep going.

I still think UX Academy was one of the best experiences I’ve had.

It was also great practice for my English! I'm based in Colombia, so joining the group sessions helped build my confidence in explaining my designs clearly.

Do you feel the group sessions and critiques helped your career as well?

Absolutely. At first, I didn’t want to do them—I was like, “What’s the minimum number I need to attend?” But I ended up really appreciating that they’re required. After the program, I started a new job where I had to present my designs to both designers and non-design stakeholders.

[Group crits] taught me how to explain my decisions clearly and confidently—something I use in my job every day.

Having that presentation practice was incredibly helpful. It taught me how to explain my decisions clearly and confidently—something I use in my job every day. With group crits, you have that practice, but no one’s judging—it’s a good place to build confidence.

How about your mentor—how was that experience for you?

It was great! During the phases of the program, I actually opted to switch mentors, because I wanted to get different perspectives. I had one mentor, Laura Szumylo, who was a freelancer and another, Elizabeth Morello, who had been in the field for 20 years. It really helped me understand the different paths my future could take. I even stayed in touch with my career coach, Rafael Madrid Lacerda, for over a year after finishing. Mentorship and my cohort were definitely the best parts of the program.

Breaking Into the Field—and Quickly Rising

That’s amazing to hear! And what was it like starting your first role?

It was great but also a little scary, because it was a new environment—my first time working at an agency. But I felt prepared thanks to my capstone experience in UX Academy. I was assigned to a big project on design systems and later worked on a health-focused experimental project for Google. I can’t share much, but it involved a lot of UX work, and the pace was fast. Having practiced working that way in my capstone projects helped me keep up.

Finding Her Place at GoDaddy

Today, Daniela works in-house at GoDaddy, where she’s embraced a new chapter of collaboration, ownership, and team support.

What does your career path look like now?

I’ve changed jobs three times since Designlab. After the agency, I went to another agency, where my work was mainly for Verizon. With them, I worked largely with e-commerce, and also got to learn about conversational design. That was super interesting—especially now, with AI becoming more important.

More recently, I wanted to move back in-house and feel more embedded in a team. So I joined GoDaddy about a month ago. It’s been a big shift from agency life, but I love it. Everyone’s open to feedback and really values design. It’s great to feel trusted and to have a supportive team of designers around.

Staying Relevant in a Changing UX Landscape

How do you feel about the UX job landscape now—especially with AI in the mix?

I would say it’s harder for junior designers, especially those without prior design experience. I think it’s important to pick up extra skills that are in demand, like conversational design or understanding how to work with AI. Even if you’re not designing with it, you should at least know how to use it in your workflow.

I’m really thankful to Designlab for giving me back my motivation for design. I want to keep doing UX for the rest of my life.

I’ve been asked in recent interviews how I use AI day to day. So even if you’re not using it to design directly, it’s good to be familiar with it. Despite the economy and competition, there’s opportunity in UX. My perspective is that design isn’t going anywhere. And if you want to specialize, there’s plenty of room to grow. It can feel hard at first, but once you get into the field and realize, “This is what I’ve always wanted to do,” it’s so rewarding.

Do you have any advice for people considering switching into UX?

Learn what’s trending—AI, conversational design, etc. You don’t need to build it, but understand how to work with it. That’s a big opportunity.

Second, be open to change. Before Designlab, I was scared to join because I was comfortable in my job. I wondered, “Why am I doing this?” But stepping out of your comfort zone is worth it. It can be scary, but it pays off.

I’m really thankful to Designlab for giving me back my motivation for design. I want to keep doing UX for the rest of my life.

Check out some more student stories below:

Designing a Career from Scratch: Christina’s UX Academy Journey

‍From Writer to UX Researcher with UX Academy

How Mara Shifted Gears from Graphic Design into UX