….A personal reflection by GODWIN UDU on transitioning from the technical side of user experience to the creative and strategic realm of design
The Beginning: When Code Met User Experience.
In the early days of my career, I was deep in the trenches of frontend and API integrations. As a UX Engineer, my world revolved around translating design mockups into pixel-perfect, interactive experiences. I lived in the space between design and development, building design systems, creating prototypes, and ensuring that beautiful designs worked in the real world.
I remember the satisfaction of seeing a designer’s vision come to life through clean, semantic code. There was something magical about transforming a static Figma file into a responsive, accessible web application that users could actually interact with. But as time passed, I found myself asking more profound questions: “Why” were we building these interfaces this way?. “What” user problems were we solving? “How” could we create experiences that truly resonated with people?
The Spark: Discovering the “Why” Behind the “How”.
The turning point came during a project for a laboratory management system—not unlike the SlabMan project I see in this workspace. I was implementing a complex dashboard interface when I realized that the beautiful, technically perfect component I had built was actually confusing users. Laboratory technicians were struggling to find critical patient information, despite our elegant navigation system.
That moment of disconnect between technical execution and user needs planted a seed. I started attending design critiques, not just as the person who would implement the designs, but as someone genuinely curious about the research and reasoning behind design decisions. I began reading about user psychology, information architecture, and design thinking methodologies.
The Transition: Bridging Two Worlds.
Making the transition from UX Engineer to UX Designer wasn’t about abandoning my technical background—it was about expanding my toolkit. My engineering experience became a superpower in the design world. I understood constraints that many designers struggled with: browser limitations, performance considerations, accessibility requirements, and the realities of responsive design.
What I Gained from Engineering:
Systems Thinking: Understanding how individual components work together in larger systems.
Constraint-Based Problem Solving: Working within technical limitations to find creative solutions.
Attention to Details: The precision required in code translated perfectly to design consistency.
User Empathy: Experiencing the frustration of unclear requirements helped me appreciate the importance of precise design specifications.
What I Had to Learn:
Design Research Methods: Moving from “how to build it” to “what should we build”.
Visual Design Principles: Typography, color theory, and composition beyond CSS properties
Storytelling: Communicating design decisions through narrative rather than technical documentation.
Facilitation Skills: Leading design workshops and stakeholder interviews.
Strategic Thinking: Understanding business goals and user needs at a higher level.
The Tools Evolution: From IDEs to Design Platforms.
My toolkit underwent a dramatic transformation:
Then (UX Engineer): VS Code, GitHub, and terminal windows, Chrome DevTools for debugging, Storybook for component documentation, and Jest for testing interactions.
Now (UX Designer): Figma for interface design and prototyping, Miro for collaborative workshops and journey mapping, Maze and UserTesting for user research, Principle and ProtoPie for advanced interactions.
The interesting thing is that I never completely left the engineering tools behind. I still use GitHub to version control design files, and my understanding of developer workflows makes collaboration with engineering teams much more effective.
The Mindset Shift: From Problem Solving to Problem Finding.
The most significant change was in how I approached problems. As an engineer, I was given problems to solve—”Make this responsive”, “Optimize this animation”, “Fix this bug”. As a designer, I became responsible for identifying and defining the problems worth solving.
This shift required developing new muscles:
Research and Discovery:
I learned to conduct user interviews, analyze usage data, and synthesize insights from multiple sources. The analytical skills from engineering helped me approach research systematically, but I had to develop empathy and intuition for understanding user emotions and motivations.
Strategic Design Thinking:
Instead of optimizing code performance, I was now optimizing user experiences. This meant understanding business metrics, user journey flows, and the broader ecosystem in which our products existed.
Communication and Collaboration:
While engineers primarily communicate through code and documentation, designers must articulate ideas through sketches, prototypes, and presentations. I had to learn to tell compelling stories about user needs and design solutions.
Current Reality: The Best of Both Worlds
Today, as a UX Designer with an engineering background, I occupy a unique position in product teams. I can:
Design with Implementation in Mind: My designs are informed by technical feasibility without being constrained by it.
Collaborate Effectively with Engineers: I speak their language and understand their challenges.
Prototype Complex Interactions: My coding skills allow me to create high-fidelity prototypes that accurately represent the final experience
Bridge Communication Gaps: I often serve as a translator between design and engineering teams.
Lessons Learned: Advice for Fellow Transitioners.
For other UX Engineers considering a similar transition, here are the key insights I wish I had known:
- Your Technical Background is an Asset, Not a Limitation.
Don’t feel like you need to forget everything about code. Your understanding of technical constraints and possibilities will make you a better designer. Use it to push boundaries and propose innovative solutions that other designers might not consider.
- Invest in Research Skills Early.
The most significant gap to bridge is understanding users deeply. Take courses in user research, practice conducting interviews, and learn to synthesize qualitative data. This skill will differentiate you from designers who focus primarily on visual aesthetics.
- Learn the Language of Business.
Understanding metrics, KPIs, and business objectives is crucial for design success. Your analytical background will help you interpret data, but you need to understand what data matters and why.
- Develop Your Visual Design Skills Gradually.
While visual design is essential, don’t feel pressured to become a visual design expert overnight. Focus first on interaction design, user flows, and information architecture—areas where your systematic thinking will shine.
- Find Mentors in Both Worlds.
Maintain relationships with engineering colleagues while building new connections in the design community. This dual network will serve you well throughout your career.
The Future: Where Design and Technology Converge.
As AI and machine learning become more prevalent in design tools, the boundary between design and engineering continues to blur. Designers who understand technology and engineers who understand users will be increasingly valuable.
The future of UX is inherently multidisciplinary. The complex challenges we’re solving, such as the laboratory management systems I currently work on, require a deep technical understanding combined with human-centered design thinking.
Reflecting on the Journey.
Looking back, the transition from UX Engineer to UX Designer wasn’t about choosing one discipline over another—it was about expanding my ability to create meaningful experiences for users. The engineering foundation provided structure and systematic thinking, while design training added empathy, creativity, and strategic thinking.
Every line of code I wrote taught me about the importance of precise specifications. Every bug I debugged reinforced the value of user testing. Every component I built helped me understand the relationship between individual elements and larger systems.
Now, when I design a laboratory dashboard or a patient interface, I’m not just thinking about how it looks; I’m considering how it will be built, how it will perform, how users will interact with it across different devices, and how it fits into the larger ecosystem of healthcare technology.
The Ongoing Journey
The transition from UX Engineer to UX Designer isn’t a destination—it’s an ongoing evolution. Technology continues to advance, user expectations grow more sophisticated, and the problems we’re solving become more complex.
I continue to code side projects to stay current with web technologies. I read engineering blogs alongside design publications. I attend both developer conferences and design symposiums. This dual perspective has become my professional superpower.
For anyone considering a similar transition, remember that your unique background is precisely what the industry needs. We need designers who understand technology and technologists who understand users. The future belongs to those who can bridge these worlds effectively.
The journey from UX Engineer to UX Designer has taught me that the best experiences come from understanding both the human and technical sides of design. Whether I’m working on a laboratory management system like SlabMan or any other digital product, I approach each challenge with the systematic thinking of an engineer and the empathetic mindset of a designer.
Writer’s Bio:
Godwin Udu is an excellent result-driven professional with experience in crafting innovative and immersive technology experiences in the areas of user experience (UX) design, Extended Reality (VR, AR & MR) and interactive simulation/visualization. He is leading impactful projects, training and mentoring teams.