I am a highly proficient and passionate self-taught Product UX/UI Designer from NYC who loves creating usable yet visually aesthetic web and mobile product experiences. Right now, I’m designing at UX Cabin, where I help solve real problems and support business goals through thoughtful, collaborative design.
Back before I ever touched a design tool, I was working professionally in the Accounting field. During that time, I was exceptionally skilled and very interested in data-analysis and using Microsoft Excel daily.
While browsing the internet searching for more information about data-analysis, I stumbled upon the web coding terminology HTML and CSS. From there, I also found a UX/UI Designer by the name of Mike Locke who talked about user-centered and user interface design career paths. His talk on his YouTube channel was the spark that greatly inspired me to learn more about UX/UI design.
To learn UX/UI design, I took the following online courses: Learn UX Design, Learn UI Design, and ML UX Academy. The first two online courses Learn UX Design and Learn UI Design are from independent UX designer Erik Kennedy. And the ML UX Academy course is from Mike Locke.
Combined, these courses taught me all of the essential skills needed to confidently design beautiful, simple, and usable apps for both the web and mobile platform.
As a way for me to continue to grow in this industry, I subscribed to Erik Kennedy's design newsletter, YouTube Channel, a design blog, Mike Locke's continuing education courses and many others. I can’t stress enough how invaluable these resources are for me. I’m always learning and staying up-to-date with more modern design best practices.
Lastly, I've also obtained new skills via books, videos, and meetups. In the past, I've attended a couple of design meetups such as Design Prototype and Design X in the NYC region. At these meetups, I've learned about new design tools and methods. Furthermore, I was able to build connections with other designers and hiring managers from different companies.
As I previously mentioned, the UX/UI design courses that I’ve taken have taught me the foundational skills and blueprint to design great-looking interfaces that are both intuitive and easy-to-use for the web and mobile platform. Below are the specific skills that I’ve acquired and the value that I can offer.
Back before I ever touched a design tool, I was working professionally in the Accounting field. During that time, I was exceptionally skilled and very interested in data-analysis and using Microsoft Excel daily.
✓ UX/UI Design Process & Prototyping
✓ Expert in Layer Styles, Text Styles & Advanced Symbols/Reusable Components
✓ Style Guide/Design System
✓ Brainstorm/UX Research
✓ Native Mobile Design
✓ Responsive Design
✓ Webflow (SaaS Website App Builder)
✓ Bubble.io (Visual Web App Programming Platform)
✓ Basic HTML & CSS
✓ Figma
✓ Sketch
✓ Invision Craft
✓ Zeplin
✓ Abstract
✓ Problem Solving
✓ Critical Thinking
✓ Spanish
✓ Video Editing
✓ Concur
✓ Netsuite
✓ Microsoft Excel
While applying for UX design roles, I've been working on personal projects to apply what I’ve learned and strengthen my design skills. These projects help me put into practice the knowledge I've gained so far.
I’ve also been attending design meetups, staying up-to-date with design topics, reading and watching design videos, and learning the business side of digital products (lean UX, growth hacking). If you’re interested in my design work, you can view them anytime and you can also reach me on my contacts page.
Lastly, I'm also working on my own Product Design YouTube channel. On this channel, I will showcase hi-fidelity prototype videos from my portfolio projects, and demonstrate UI design copy work from video game UI to SaaS UI products.
For now, this is the type of contents that I’ll be sharing on my channel. But I’m always open to exploring new ideas that add value and excitement for viewers.
I’m very interested in learning and becoming well versed in design systems and perhaps run design workshops in the future. I really like the idea of systematizing designs because it establishes order, reusability, and clarity. I was first introduced to this concept when I read the book Atomic Design by Brad Frost and it gave me a new viewpoint to designing web and mobile products.
Currently, I’m interested in reading a book called Laying The Foundations by Andrew Couldwell to learn how to create a design system and digital brand guidelines.
As for running design workshops, I love the idea of learning a framework with a step-by-step process for solving any complex problems. Most interesting of all is the fact that it is a team-oriented activity where everyone is working together to solve a problem and make team decisions. To learn this skill set, I’m keeping an eye out on the AJSmart Workshopper website and their book The Workshopper Playbook.
In closing, I think that learning both design systems and running workshops will become essential for creating the best possible products for users and companies. A system that establishes consistency/efficiency, team orientation, organization, focus, and a source of truth, has a better chance of getting things done right.
Back in December of 2020, I finally decided to use a no-code platform to develop my portfolio website. The two platforms that I was debating using were either Webflow or Bubble io. Webflow is an amazing web development platform that allows you to build incredibly detailed, highly responsive, and custom websites using a visual canvas without code. On the other hand, Bubble is a powerful no-code platform that allows you to build fully functioning, data-driven web applications.
Both platforms are superb in their own rights. However, I first settled to build my portfolio website using Bubble io. I was really impressed with the web application capabilities and the cloned web app examples that you could build using Bubble io.
To become proficient as possible, I've studied and learned the fundamentals of Bubble by doing the following:
✓ Completing the interactive Bubble Academy lessons on the Bubble.io website
✓ Developing different kinds of web apps (Task-Management, Marketplace, Upvoting, etc) following Udemy Bubble courses, and a proprietary Bubble Crash Course
✓ Attending a 3-week Bubble bootcamp program from AirDev Agency
✓ Following and receiving expert advice from Bubble developers like Pablo Heredia
✓ Watching several Bubble video lessons on YouTube
Over a few months, I built about 90% of my portfolio website using Bubble. However, I realized later that Bubble may not be the best platform for my portfolio website. Despite its’ great web application features, when it comes to performance, speed, and handling images, Bubble is not the best platform to use. As a result, I switched over to Webflow to build my portfolio website.
To my amazement, Webflow has performed beyond my expectations. The loading speed and web performance were outstanding. In addition, the learning curve to use Webflow was much less steep and more user-friendly than Bubble.
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Overall, I believe both platforms serve their purposes. Webflow is great for building custom and visually aesthetic websites. Bubble is best used for building simple dynamic data-driven web apps. I plan to use both platforms for future projects and I’m very excited to see what will be released in the future.
After years of self-study and applying to UX roles, I was selected from over 700 applicants in September 2021 for a 4-month internship at UX Cabin, a studio focused on research-driven, scalable web and mobile design. The application process was rigorous and included creating an introduction video, which I posted on my YouTube channel, where I shared who I am, what I enjoy, why I wanted to intern at UX Cabin, and wrapped up with a personal conclusion and outro. I was one of only four interns chosen and had the opportunity to work on real client projects, gaining hands-on experience in interface design, design systems, and team collaboration.
Following the internship, I completed a one-month apprenticeship with a senior designer, where I received close mentorship and deepened my understanding of user-centered design. It was an incredible experience that accelerated my growth as a designer and helped me build lasting professional connections.
Once I completed my internship at UX Cabin, I had a 1:1 Zoom call with the founder, Seth Coelen. He was impressed with the work I had done and the dedication I showed throughout the program. My senior designers and mentors also spoke highly of me, which led to an incredible opportunity. Seth offered me a full-time position as a Junior Product Designer.
That moment was the result of a long journey of learning and growth. It was a major milestone in my career, and I’ve never felt prouder or more motivated to keep improving and evolving as a designer.
Working at UX Cabin for over three years has been an exciting journey filled with growth, challenges, and meaningful collaboration. I’ve learned a lot from my teammates and projects, and continue to enjoy the ride every step of the way.
In that time, I’ve gone from intern to lead designer on web and mobile products across industries like healthcare, construction, sports tech, and others. I specialize in design systems, intuitive interfaces, and end-to-end collaboration in remote, cross-functional teams.
Now that we got the business stuff out of the way, let me tell you what I like to do for fun 😁. To be honest, I’m a kid at heart and I love doing exciting things: biking, cosplay in NYCC, kayaking, exploring NYC, eating out, watching movies, playing video games, and many more. I share these experiences with my fiancé, friends, and family members. One of the highlights of 2024 was finally meeting my boss Seth and a coworker, Matias, in person. It was an amazing experience to connect beyond the screen.
On August 8, 2024, I married my wonderful partner, Rosa. To celebrate, I designed and built a playful wedding invitation website in Webflow called Chicken ♾️ Monkey, our fun nicknames for each other. “Chicken” (me) came from Rosa’s love for chicken, and “Monkey” fits her playful energy. The whole wedding journey was a wild, unforgettable ride filled with joy, love, and the people who matter most.
Right now, I’m still working as a Product Designer at UX Cabin, and I truly enjoy being part of the team. It’s been a great place to grow and do meaningful work, so I’m happy to continue here for now.
That said, I’m also excited about what the future might hold. One day, I hope to take on a new adventure at a company that maybe aligns with some of my passions: gaming, entertainment, military tech, e-commerce, or even something emerging like VR or AI. Whatever comes next, I’m staying optimistic and trusting the process, just like I always have from the beginning.
Now that you’ve gotten to know me a little, I’m hoping that we can take it further. If you’re interested in working with me or just chatting, my door is always open. Just go to my contact page and send me a message. Or you can check out my other social media links below 👇 and we can go from there. Thanks for your interest and have a great day 😁.
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