Finding Fulfillment in Purposeful Design

With roles ranging from barista to public health, Tulsa describes her career before UX as anything but traditional. We recently caught up with her to chat about how she found a way to integrate her background and interests through UX, and learn more about her new career working with design systems and UI—a role where she’s found both excitement and fulfillment.

Can you tell me a bit more about what you were doing before starting UX Academy?

I have a very mixed background—very non-traditional, as many of us are at Designlab! So I have a degree in public health and worked in that field for a few years. 

I ended up moving from Australia to the States, where I then switched to a tech company working in workplace experience and curating experiences for employees in a newly remote working environment.

I also have a very rich background in hospitality—I've been a barista, I've worked in a bakery, I've worked behind the bar, I've worked in restaurants. So a bit all over the place.

And how did you come to think that UX was the right thing for you to pursue?

I think it was around 2020, which is when many of us had reawakenings or were questioning what we wanted to do with life. And I was definitely part of that—I had moved to the States, and I was having a visa issue. So I was waiting for the right to work. And it was at this time that I started really considering what I wanted to do, and if I wanted to continue on this path of doing jobs that I like, but don’t feel super fulfilled in.

I started looking back at all my jobs to find a common thread of what I liked the most, and I came out with problem-solving. I really loved problem-solving, and how that could help other people. And I am a creative person—I love creating from nothing. So I decided to pursue those things.

I liked that UX was both creative problem-solving and purposeful design.

I actually started out with front-end coding, but found myself more drawn to the Figma designs I was referencing while doing the coursework. That led me to visual design, and eventually UX. And I was like ‘Whoa, this is the perfect intersection that I've been looking for’. I liked that it was both creative problem-solving and purposeful design.

And that’s when you decided to make the leap into UX Academy?

Yes! I did Foundations, because I really wanted to solidify my previous self-directed learning—I could have potentially gone straight into UX Academy, but I’m really glad I did Foundations because it helped me lock down the fundamentals before moving onto the bootcamp.

I thought the curriculum was great, but for me, the accountability with the one-on-one mentorship was just unbeatable. I knew I was going to need that to stay focused, and I had a few different mentors throughout the courses, so I got exposure to different mentorship styles as well.

What else did you find valuable about UX Academy?

Definitely the community. When I was shopping around for different bootcamps I wanted to make sure there was a community hub. I ended up joining a study group with a few other people from my cohort on the side. Growing and building together throughout UX Academy was so valuable.

The connections and the friendships I've created at Designlab have basically formed the foundation of my design network. I can confide in them and ask them questions and they do the same for me.

It’s tough, it’s an intensive program. Of course you have the curriculum, but going to the group crits, having your mentorship, having your opinions challenged, talking to people who are going through the same things—that support was pivotal in my success. 

The connections and the friendships I've created at Designlab have basically formed the foundation of my design network. I’m still in touch with so many of the people today—we still have a group on Discord! 

I can confide in them and ask them questions and they do the same for me. And I think that's so important as a junior designer, or if you're entering the field, to already have your little design network happening. It's so invaluable.

Was there anything you found particularly challenging about the program?

Yeah, Career Services was the hardest for me because you’re really putting yourself out there. It’s a humbling experience, to try and say “yeah, I’m a designer, I swear”! But I was lucky in that I had a very good career coach in Hugh Nettar. 

He was great in supporting me through applications and rejections, and he was so incredibly knowledgeable and supportive. It was great having someone where you could confide in and bounce ideas off of, like “how’s this presentation” or “should I do this”—I don’t think I would have made it without him, to be honest.

And how was the job search process for you?

Being in Australia, it was a bit tough.  I'd say it took me about six months to find the full-time role that I'm in now. However, I was really lucky in that pretty much immediately after graduating UXA, I got an opportunity for an unpaid internship at a very small startup here in Sydney.

There were no permanent designers on the team, but I had the opportunity to immediately apply all the skills and learnings that I had gained from the course. It was a little bit chaotic being a startup, with no other designers to kind of lean on. But I got to work with developers, I got to understand a bit about building products, and making trade-offs. And it was here I was able to dive deep into design systems, which is the type of role that I'm in now.

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That sounds like an awesome experience! And what are you doing in your role now?

I’m an Associate UI Designer, specifically working on building a design system for the company that I'm at, which is really, really fun! 

The company that I work at is called WiseTech Global. They’re a tech company that provides end-to-end logistics software. So the way I describe it, just to keep it really simple, is that the products are designed to support every single step in the movement of global shipments from origin to destination.

Our mission is to create and implement a universal design system and language so that the UX designers and the team have this toolset to be able to build their products and services quickly, consistently, and efficiently. I really like this sort of thing because it’s really tapping into problem-solving. You've got these constraints of the design system you have to work within.

That sounds really interesting, and it’s great to hear that you enjoy it.

It is! Yeah. The design team I'm in is awesome. They're so, so experienced, and very senior, and they’re very heavy on the UX side. And as the design systems team,  we're very heavy in the UI side of things. So we're there to help guide and provide UI support for them while they're actually building the product, which is really cool.

And even as a junior designer, I’ve gotten my own projects as well. I got to take on the icon library at our company, and I’ve been able to kind of treat that like my baby and really uplift that. I’ve gotten to refactor and review all the icons that are currently in there and create a contribution process. So if people want to add icons to the library, I defined that process. 

Get rid of limiting beliefs. If it's something you want to do, don't let those things hold you back.

Part of the design system is also having usage guidelines and making sure people understand how to use the design system in the best possible way..And I found a deep love for crafting very succinct and to the point, but also friendly, copy and usage guidelines. That's been something I've been surprised and delighted by.

It sounds like what you're doing is really multifaceted in a lot of ways! And that’s great you find it rewarding. So do you have any advice for folks who might be thinking about switching into UX/UI as a career or pursuing a bootcamp?

I'd encourage you to connect with as many people as possible, and to push your comfort zone.

Get rid of limiting beliefs. If you think you're too old, get rid of that thought. If you think you can't do it because you don't have a design background, get rid of that thought. If it's something you want to do, don't let those things hold you back. 

I remember when I was in that deciding phase, I thought, “Oh, well, I'm going to be 32 by the time I finish and do the job search thing”. But I was going to be 32 anyway, wouldn’t I? And wouldn’t I rather be a designer than be doing the same thing I’m already doing? 

So yeah, get rid of any limiting beliefs and go for it. If it's something you've decided on, then take the leap.

Check out some more student stories below:

Changing Creative Lanes: Andrew's Journey from Music Production to UX/UI Design

Alumni Spotlight: Yazmin's Journey into UX/UI Design

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