My path to UX Design

I'm a translator. And a teacher. And in the past year, I've also been a backpacker, working as a volunteer in different positions and countries. To sum up, I have no fixed job and no fixed address; I've been traveling through Europe since deciding to no longer live in London. But becoming a traveler just happened to me, it wasn’t planned. I moved from Brazil to the UK in 2023, hoping to build a life there, as I’ve always been in love with English culture—hence my decision to graduate in English Language and Literature. Meanwhile, I decided to combine my passion for languages with my desire to create digital solutions for people in a creative way, inspired by some ideas I had for apps from personal needs. So, I started studying UX design and web development while "adventuring" (as some people call it) and looking for a new home (my actual plan).

Summer in Italy amongst stunning mountains and great weather, with occasional visits to Rome and Florence.

Despite the cold, Ireland (both Northern and Southern) is the most magical place I've ever been. Such great nature and people...

I can tell that Greece, with its people, food, history, and vibrant places, has won my heart.

Traveling around Europe has allowed me to meet very interesting people from different places and backgrounds, from local farmers building food forests for sustainable consumption to the owner of a 14th-century mansion aiming to establish a cultural center in a small town in Toscana, Italy. I also hung out with an Argentinian influencer with over 600k followers on Instagram. After being tagged in one of his stories in Florence and receiving a flood of follow requests overnight, I realized that wasn’t the kind of life or profession I was comfortable with. Sharing my routine—what I eat, where I’ve been, and so on—is not my thing. I enjoy connecting with people, but I also value taking my time to fully experience and reflect on places and moments. Only after much self-reflection and exchanging ideas with others do I share what I’ve carefully filtered. What should matter to my audience isn’t my life itself but the ideas it inspires through living it fully and carefreely.

That being said, I focused mainly on my UX studies and the many tasks required in the course, such as conducting research, tests, usability studies, and, of course, designing. All on my own while exploring new places, volunteering, and working remotely. A course that was supposed to last six months ended up taking me 11 months! This wasn’t just due to my hectic life but also because it felt nearly impossible to complete the entire UX design process for three consecutive projects within a semester on my own, especially with so many distractions and challenges. Many times, I had to adjust my mindset and getting in tune with the realities of being a designer and business owner while paralleling the traveler persona. Not easy, but achievable, as you can see. Quality over speed, right?