"i can architect UX Design"
stories of former architects and their journey into ux design..
Aditi Saldanha
UX/Product Designer, Iowa State Alumni
architecture to ux design
We had the fortunate opportunity to email questions to Aditi Saldanha in January of 2022.
We asked her questions about her background in architecture, her transition into
UX Design, and her advice.
"I recommend people continue to study architecture because it’s a great education and then go do something else."
Where did you study architecture?
Iowa State University.
Did you ever work as an architect/ work at a firm?
Yes, at Studio O+A in San Francisco where I worked on designing interiors of large tech headquarters.
How long did it take you to realize architecture was what you didn't want to pursue?
I had a feeling in my final year of architecture. I just felt really meh about the work I was doing - I was doing it because I had to not because I enjoyed it and I remember wondering how I’m going to do this for the rest of my life if I feel like this now. But I told myself that I’d give working in industry a shot first because I’d spent way too much time and money on this degree to throw it away without giving it a real shot.
"we never once talked to the people who were actually going to use the spaces!"
What inspired you to make a career switch?
The work I did at my job. I was so unsatisfied. I felt like every decision I was making was so subjective - from choosing random colors to random spatial details all because project leads thought it looked “cool”. We never once talked to the people who were actually going to use the spaces!
The long hours and low pay didn’t help either - it just added to my dissatisfaction. I lived in San Francisco at the time and everybody I knew was in tech… working less hours, enjoying their jobs, and making double or triple the amount I was.
"Architecture is essentially designing a physical user experience while UX is designing a digital user experience."
"...already having a foundation in visual design + being familiar with a design process was super helpful!"
How much do you think an architectural background prepared you for a career in UX design?
A lot! It was a pretty seamless transition because of how transferable my architecture skills were to UX. Architecture is essentially designing a physical user experience while UX is designing a digital user experience. Coming into UX already having a foundation in visual design + being familiar with a design process (both disciplines involve creating design concepts, communicating designs, getting feedback, and iterating) was super helpful! Skills that I wasn’t as familiar with were user research and strategic thinking since those are not present in architecture.
Do you think architecture is a powerful experience and tool to have no matter what career path you take after studying it?
Yes and no. While it was easier to transition from architecture vs. a less related field, I would’ve saved a lot of time and money if I’d started out in UX from the beginning.
"talk to people who have done the transition you want to do and learn about their experience."
What advice do you have for us as students who may be considering an alternative career path?
Talk to people who have done the transition you want to do and learn about their experience. What made them switch? What do they work on now? Are they happy they switched? There’s a ton of architects who’ve switched to UX who are happy to chat and share their journeys.
Did you go through grad school/ training to become a UX designer?
I did a Masters in Human Computer Interaction at Indiana University.
"I can always leave and try something else and always come back to architecture if it doesn't work."
How hard was the transition from architecture to UX design?
Coming from architecture, not too bad. The hardest part was getting my first UX internship. I was competing against people who had more experience than me - I barely had anything on my portfolio since I didn’t have prior UX experience. I faced a lot of rejection, but eventually managed to get an internship at LinkedIn as a product design intern :)
Tell us a little bit about your career now. Where do you work? What do you do?
I’m a product designer at Redfin (a real estate company) in Seattle. I’m on the internal side, which means I design tools for our real estate agents to help them manage and keep track of their customers. My job is basically to design tools that help our agents do their job better, ultimately making our customers happier.
"Keep making connections - you never know who can help you one day :)"
What is the number one thing you have learned in the design industry?
Keep making connections - you never know who can help you one day :)