Core Competency Questions:

Tell Me About Yourself

• Sure! I’m Szymon, a UX Designer with a strong interest in digital product design. I started in business and marketing and I think that shaped my approach to design, giving me a user-centered focus while understanding the needs of businesses.
• Early on, I became fascinated by customer behavior. While studying business, I started leaning into UX as I realized it’s an effective way to solve real-world problems by focusing on user needs.
• This interest led me to transition fully into UX design. I wanted to move beyond strategy and actively create experiences that impact people in a meaningful way.
• I recently completed my MA in User Experience and Service, which gave me hands-on experience with industry projects, focusing deeply on user research, prototyping, and designing intuitive digital products.
• One of the things I’m most passionate about in UX is the iterative process—continuously improving designs based on feedback and testing.
• What excites me about this role is the opportunity to grow further in a field I’m passionate about and apply both my UX skills and business insights to create designs that not only look great but also drive real value for users and the business.

Walk Me Through Your Experience

• Started my career with a foundation in marketing, which has been invaluable for my UX/UI work by giving me a strong grasp of user engagement and strategy.
• As the Marketing Lead for Enactus at De Montfort University, I led Project Smile to promote children’s oral hygiene.
• In my Digital Marketing role at ApnaKey (a small Leicester startup), I boosted social media engagement and led partnership proposals, which supported a smooth service launch. This role taught me the importance of aligning design, branding, and strategy.
• As a Digital Marketing Intern at De Montfort University’s Arts & Festivals Management, I developed a branding strategy and promoted major Art events, growing my skills in audience engagement—skills I now apply regularly in UX.
• Transitioned more fully into UX with my MA in UX and Service Design, where I worked on multiple collaborative projects that deepened my skills.
• Recently, I co-led the design of an e-bike sharing service in Loughborough for industry client Sparck. We used Agile develop a scalable service solution.
• During the Ford Smart Mobility Challenge, I led a team to create Hibe - a circular economy service for repurposing electronics in hibernation using Lean UX methodologies, we secured £5,000 in funding and tested the service at Loughborough Market, setting up a market stall for real life user journey testing. I was responsible for stakeholder communication - we collaborated with council and the Air Ambulance Service.
• For my major project, Unblock, I designed a digital service to help young professionals overcome procrastination, using personalized exercises and an accountability partnership system.
• Overall, my experience combines strategic thinking with engaging, user-centered design—skills I’m excited to bring to this role to create impactful, user-driven solutions.

Why Did You Apply

• It feels like a natural progression for me, combining my passion for creating user-centered experiences with the chance to work in an industry I genuinely care about.