UI/UX designer Adi Kurahovic about his work in the Web3 space

User experience and user interface design have a greater impact on the utility and widespread adoption of blockchain. For this reason, the WeOwn team is backed by passionate and experienced professional, UI/UX designer, Adi Kurahovic.

Hey Adi! Happy to have you today. You are for some time with WeOwn, how was your journey?

Well, the journey to work this morning was fast. Joking aside, the overall journey was excellent, the crew is great and the work I do here is amazing 😊 I come from a classic designer background, from which I transitioned at first to User interfaces, then to User experience design.

Sounds like an exciting career path! Could you briefly introduce yourself, what did you do before coming to WeOwn?

I spent most of my working life in the advertising industry. My main work as a graphic designer was related to brand essentials, social media, and logotypes…

That is interesting and how come, that you moved from graphic design to UI/UX? What was your motivation? How did you cope with that transition?

When I look back it was demanding work, but I was fascinated with UX from a young age, so I didn’t mind. I grew up playing video games and would always have ideas about how something should work better, or if a certain game was already better how this could be applied in another. My fascination did not have a name at the time, but as I grew up, I found that this profession existed.

The transition was gradual, from reading and learning about UX and UI in general to more specific topics. I listened to podcasts, read books and articles I could find about it, and eventually, I just took the dive and started applying for positions, confident in my skills and expertise in graphic design.

Your approach looks consistent. How did you exercise that in practice?

I gained one of my first experiences in UI UX in the e-learning industry where we did custom solutions for large companies for onboarding of fresh staff, introducing new features and products to existing clients, etc. After that, I started my journey in the blockchain waters at WeOwn.

And how did you know about WeOwn and what makes you choose us to shape your career with?

I stumbled on WeOwn by pure luck/chance. The blockchain is the “new kid on the block” and the prospect of working there appealed to me from multiple points of view.

What is your role at WeOwn? Tell us more about your daily routine.

My role in WeOwn is UX/UI Designer. Some also like to combine that into a Product designer, which is the same.

A typical day for me is…it varies. Now I am working on a “market” not to reveal the project. 😊 I am responsible for developing the product, i.e., research, concepting, design, and prototyping.

A large part of my role is about creating new concepts. To produce it we must discuss everything together as a team. Look at the insights we have gathered from user research to find viable solutions for the product while keeping business goals and user needs in mind. Since we are designing something that is not our only product, we must look at existing products to see what kind of style was used. We must respect that, so even though it is creative, we do have rules that we need to follow.

I also work with the product owner who needs to approve my designs. It’s all about communicating, getting user stories, and designing in line with their requirements.

In my role as a UX designer, I also work closely with the developers. I’m responsible for designing something that they can build, based on a ticket system. Each ticket has a user story, and each user story describes what the developers must do. This includes providing visual guidance to show them what the screen should look like and how the elements on the screen should behave. Sometimes, as a designer, you miss something, and it’s only brought to your attention during the QA phase.

What helps you to stay sharp in your work? Do you regularly do courses, research, or learn from the daily working experience?

Both, but I would say self-taught courses, daily podcasts and practice are my priority! A hands-on approach usually works the best. Getting in touch with my friends that also work in the UX industry to pitch ideas etc. can be helpful in some cases.

Could you guide and give any recommendations to young professionals looking to start a career in blockchain with UI/UX?

Read more, not just about visual design, but also philosophy, science, psychology, graphic novels — the list goes on. Trust me, reading different subject matters will teach you more than any Dribble or Behance. It will open your mind and help you see different perspectives while creating unique and meaningful experiences.

I appreciate that you have shared your experience and vision with us! Finalizing our talk, let’s play a short Quiz, but answer honestly and quickly!

• The coolest designer in history: this would be a tie for me between Luke Wroblewski and Don Norman.
• The dish you cook to impress: chicken veggie tortillas with my special twist.
• The job you dreamed of when you were a 5-year-old Adi: not too far from my current one — video game designer

Thank you for your honest answers. As a team, we’re happy to have you, Adi!

Interested in joining Team WeOwn? We’d love to hear from you — check out our open positions!