How Curiosity Shaped My Journey

I didn’t plan to become a Product Designer.

In fact, if you had told me a few years ago that I would build a career around designing digital products, I probably would have laughed. I studied Crop and Environmental Protection at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), graduating in 2024. My journey into design started long before I understood what UI/UX or product design even meant.

Looking back, I think curiosity has been the thread connecting everything.

It Started With Microsoft Paint

One of my earliest memories of designing was sitting with my Basic 6 teacher, Uncle Solo, using Microsoft Paint at a school where my dad worked.

It wasn't exactly what anyone would call a professional design setup, but I was fascinated by the idea that you could create something from a blank screen.

That curiosity eventually introduced me to CorelDRAW. I remember learning about it and listening to the printer who worked on my dad's book explain his design process. He would show my dad different artwork variations for the book cover, and I found the whole process fascinating.

I eventually tried learning CorelDRAW myself.

I also eventually gave up.

And honestly, I still run away from CorelDRAW today because brooooo, that software is tough.

Years later, I started taking design more seriously. I learned through YouTube, eventually paid for my first design class after seeing an Instagram ad, and began learning design theory alongside Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.

Then came the conversation that changed the direction of my career.

How I Discovered UI/UX Design

I was having a random conversation with one of my older brothers, Oguntola Ebunoluwa, who is a developer (He handled the development of this Portfolio). He mentioned UI/UX design and told me he had some videos about it on his hard drive.

I watched them.

Then I watched more on YouTube.

Then came Udemy.

And somewhere along the way, I realized that designing interfaces wasn't just about making things look good.

It was about understanding people.

Why does someone click one button instead of another? Why does a user abandon a process halfway through? How can a product help someone accomplish something with less confusion and friction?

That was the part that hooked me.

My journey into product design became less about pixels and more about problems.

Learning That Design Is Also Business

One of the experiences that shaped how I think professionally happened outside the traditional design world.

I became involved in business strategy and operations at Bangees Café, where I worked closely with a team of more than 20 people and interacted with customers every day.

At first, it might not sound like a design role.

But I began to see something important: good experiences are good business.

We had external customers the guests who came into the café and internal customers, including bar attendants, waiting staff, kitchen staff, delivery personnel, security, and cleaners.

We had to think about how all these people interacted with the business.

We worked on strategic initiatives around pricing, costs, operations, customer experience, staffing, and suppliers. Those decisions contributed to more than a 25% increase in annual revenue while maintaining the quality of service we wanted to deliver.

That experience changed how I think about product design.

UI/UX is often described as understanding users and helping them achieve their goals with as little friction as possible. But businesses have goals too.

The interesting challenge is finding the intersection.

How do you create an experience that works for the user while also creating value for the business?

That is the space I'm increasingly interested in.

The Instagram DM That Changed My Career

Another important chapter began with a simple Instagram message.

I reached out to Bekwa Undie because I admired his work. I told him I wanted to work with him even if it was unpaid because I wanted to learn and gain professional experience.

Interestingly, my timing was almost perfect.

He was looking for an Associate Designer to help with his workload.

That opportunity became one of the most important learning experiences of my early design career. I learned how professional design work actually happens: collaborating with stakeholders, understanding requirements, working through feedback, maintaining consistency, and thinking beyond individual screens while getting paid by him.

His recommendation later played an important role in helping me land my first official design role at CycleBreeze R&D.

At CycleBreeze, I worked in a small design team and took ownership of the design process from concept to execution. I worked with product managers, stakeholders, and developers, using research, design thinking, prototyping, and usability testing to turn problems into products.

Working in a small team taught me something I still value today: you cannot hide behind your job title when you're trying to solve a problem.

You have to think.

So, What Kind of Designer Am I?

I'm still figuring that out.

I know I enjoy product design, but I'm particularly interested in what happens at the intersection of design, business strategy, and user behaviour.

I want to understand not only whether an interface is usable, but whether the product is solving the right problem.

Not just whether users can complete a task, but whether completing that task creates meaningful value.

Not just whether a product looks good, but whether the experience contributes to adoption, retention, conversion, and ultimately business growth.

Maybe there's a perfect title for that intersection.

I'm still looking for it.

For now, I'm happy being a Product Designer who asks a lot of questions.

Beyond Design

Outside of design, I'm naturally curious about how things work, why businesses succeed, how people make money, what strategies business owners use, and what makes certain ideas work while others don't.

I'm from Igbajo in Osun State, although I grew up in Lagos and still live here.

I'm also an unapologetic Arsenal and CR7 fan. I enjoy playing FIFA (and yes, FIFA, not FC), occasionally playing Call of Duty Mobile, listening to Olamide and Davido, watching shows like The Blacklist, Person of Interest, Suits, Peaky Blinders, and SEAL Team, and organizing events with teams to create memorable experiences for young people.

I'm relatively reserved and probably overthink more than I should. I'm still not completely sure whether I'm an introvert or an extrovert. I just know I don't always enjoy being outside, but somehow still need to be outside to maintain appearances.

And yes, one of my biggest motivations is money.

The other is my baby sister.

What's Next?

My journey into product design has been anything but straightforward from Microsoft Paint and CorelDRAW to Photoshop and Illustrator, from studying Crop and Environmental Protection to designing digital products, and from sending a random Instagram DM to working professionally with product teams.

But I wouldn't change the path.

Every experience has added another layer to how I think.

I'm still learning. Still asking questions. Still figuring things out.

But one thing is becoming increasingly clear: I want to build at the intersection of business and design creating products that work for people and create measurable value for the businesses behind them.

And if there's one thing I've learned along the way, it's this:

Keep showing up, work smart, stay curious, and hopefully life finds a way to reward you.