Life Lessons From 11 Years As A Designer (I Wish I Knew This Earlier)
27.4K views · 2025-11-07
UI DesignInteraction & UX
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This video means a lot to me. It's not my usual tutorial or design tips, it’s something more personal.
After 11 years in design, including my journey to Swiggy, I've realized that life's experiences teach the best lessons. The ones that show you the path ahead and help you avoid the mistakes I made early on.
When I see junior designers now, it takes me back to my early days, those tough, open moments full of uncertainty. That nostalgia reminded me: why not pass on what I've learned, raw and real?
In the next 11 minutes, I'm sharing 8 hard-earned lessons that shifted how I think, work, and live. This isn't theory from books or courses. These are battle-tested insights from real mistakes, real wins, and everything in between.
I also show you how I manage multiple projects without losing my mind, using tools that actually work for designers who juggle client work, side projects, and team collaboration.
If you're just starting your design career or feeling stuck a few years in, this video is for you.
Hope you pick up something valuable from this video.
Share your thoughts in the comments below! 📩
CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Introduction.
01:16 - Lesson 1: Question Everything.
03:21 - Lesson 2: Master Rules, Then Break.
05:06 - Lesson 3: Start Broad
06:44 - Lesson 4: Grow Strong in a Few at Once
08:22 - Lesson 5: Build Skills That Actually Work
10:14 - [ODOO INTEGRATION]
12:00 - Lesson 6: Unfair Times Balance Out
13:23 - Lesson 7: Do It, Ignore the Noise.
15:15 - Lesson 8: Keep Growing, Stay Real
16:40 - Conclusion
Join my community: https://nas.io/sapta
Join my Instagram broadcast channel to never miss an update: https://ig.me/j/AbadG67M--mvwepf/
Get on a call with me: https://topmate.io/sapta
Buy me a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/saptarshipr
-----------------------------------------------
😃 ABOUT ME
This is Saptarshi (a.k.a. Sapta), an engineer turned self-taught Product Designer based out of Bangalore, India. I have worked with some of the very well known startups of India and learned anything and everything that is needed to create amazing experiences for the users. I'm also an active speaker, teacher and community builder, and have delivered over 60 talks, workshops and webinars on design. In this channel, I post videos with tips, strategies, tutorials and general gyaan to scale your career in Design. If you are into it, you may want to subscribe and hit the bell icon to that you don't miss out :)
-----------------------------------------------
📲 SOCIALS
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saptarshiux/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/saptarshipr
Dribbble: https://dribbble.com/saptarshipr
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saptarshipr/
Medium: https://medium.com/@saptarshipr
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💻 📷 🎤 MY GEAR
My Desk: https://bengaluru.featherlitestore.com/product/motorized-height-adjustable-table/
Sony A7iv: https://amzn.to/3KQZ0LM (Primary camera)
Samyang 24-70mm F2.8 lens: https://amzn.to/3qDYHx0
Sony a6300: https://amzn.to/3gIx0v1 (Secondary Camera)
Sigma 16mm F1.4 lens: https://amzn.to/38DFPRR
Sony 50mm F1.8 lens: https://amzn.to/3rufcaB
Samson G-Track Pro condenser mic: https://amzn.to/37Rixsw
Rode Wireless Go 2 : https://amzn.to/3KQXBU0
Boya Lavalier Mic: https://amzn.to/2M0MZI7
Godox SL60w light : https://amzn.to/3HgSU3O
Godox SB-UE 80cm softbox : https://amzn.to/3GdNq8h
DIGITEK DTR 500 BH (60 Inch) Tripod: https://amzn.to/39d1m48
-----------------------------------------------
🎶 MUSIC
The jingles and the background score is composed by Sargam Prakash, an awesome designer and musician. Do check out his channel.
Sargam Prakash: https://www.youtube.com/user/sargampr
-----------------------------------------------
🌟 TAGS
[design career advice,life lessons for designers,swiggy designer journey,ui ux career growth,design career tips 2025,junior designer advice,how to become better designer,designer mistakes to avoid,saptarshi prakash swiggy,real design career advice,design industry insights,ui ux designer tips,ui design,ux design,user experience design,learn ux,web design,ui/ux design india,how to become ui ux designer,sapta,saptarshi prakash]
-----------------------------------------------
🌟 HASHTAGS
#design #lifelessons #uiux #uidesign
This video means a lot to me. It's not my usual tutorial or design tips, it’s something more personal.
After 11 years in design, including my journey to Swiggy, I've realized that life's experiences teach the best lessons. The ones that show you the path ahead and help you avoid the mistakes I made early on.
When I see junior designers now, it takes me back to my early days, those tough, open moments full of uncertainty. That nostalgia reminded me: why not pass on what I've learned, raw and real?
In the next 11 minutes, I'm sharing 8 hard-earned lessons that shifted how I think, work, and live. This isn't theory from books or courses. These are battle-tested insights from real mistakes, real wins, and everything in between.
I also show you how I manage multiple projects without losing my mind, using tools that actually work for designers who juggle client work, side projects, and team collaboration.
If you're just starting your design career or feeling stuck a few years in, this video is for you.
Hope you pick up something valuable from this video.
Share your thoughts in the comments below! 📩
CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Introduction.
01:16 - Lesson 1: Question Everything.
03:21 - Lesson 2: Master Rules, Then Break.
05:06 - Lesson 3: Start Broad
06:44 - Lesson 4: Grow Strong in a Few at Once
08:22 - Lesson 5: Build Skills That Actually Work
10:14 - [ODOO INTEGRATION]
12:00 - Lesson 6: Unfair Times Balance Out
13:23 - Lesson 7: Do It, Ignore the Noise.
15:15 - Lesson 8: Keep Growing, Stay Real
16:40 - Conclusion
Join my community: https://nas.io/sapta
Join my Instagram broadcast channel to never miss an update: https://ig.me/j/AbadG67M--mvwepf/
Get on a call with me: https://topmate.io/sapta
Buy me a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/saptarshipr
-----------------------------------------------
😃 ABOUT ME
This is Saptarshi (a.k.a. Sapta), an engineer turned self-taught Product Designer based out of Bangalore, India. I have worked with some of the very well known startups of India and learned anything and everything that is needed to create amazing experiences for the users. I'm also an active speaker, teacher and community builder, and have delivered over 60 talks, workshops and webinars on design. In this channel, I post videos with tips, strategies, tutorials and general gyaan to scale your career in Design. If you are into it, you may want to subscribe and hit the bell icon to that you don't miss out :)
-----------------------------------------------
📲 SOCIALS
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saptarshiux/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/saptarshipr
Dribbble: https://dribbble.com/saptarshipr
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saptarshipr/
Medium: https://medium.com/@saptarshipr
-----------------------------------------------
💻 📷 🎤 MY GEAR
My Desk: https://bengaluru.featherlitestore.com/product/motorized-height-adjustable-table/
Sony A7iv: https://amzn.to/3KQZ0LM (Primary camera)
Samyang 24-70mm F2.8 lens: https://amzn.to/3qDYHx0
Sony a6300: https://amzn.to/3gIx0v1 (Secondary Camera)
Sigma 16mm F1.4 lens: https://amzn.to/38DFPRR
Sony 50mm F1.8 lens: https://amzn.to/3rufcaB
Samson G-Track Pro condenser mic: https://amzn.to/37Rixsw
Rode Wireless Go 2 : https://amzn.to/3KQXBU0
Boya Lavalier Mic: https://amzn.to/2M0MZI7
Godox SL60w light : https://amzn.to/3HgSU3O
Godox SB-UE 80cm softbox : https://amzn.to/3GdNq8h
DIGITEK DTR 500 BH (60 Inch) Tripod: https://amzn.to/39d1m48
-----------------------------------------------
🎶 MUSIC
The jingles and the background score is composed by Sargam Prakash, an awesome designer and musician. Do check out his channel.
Sargam Prakash: https://www.youtube.com/user/sargampr
-----------------------------------------------
🌟 TAGS
[design career advice,life lessons for designers,swiggy designer journey,ui ux career growth,design career tips 2025,junior designer advice,how to become better designer,designer mistakes to avoid,saptarshi prakash swiggy,real design career advice,design industry insights,ui ux designer tips,ui design,ux design,user experience design,learn ux,web design,ui/ux design india,how to become ui ux designer,sapta,saptarshi prakash]
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🌟 HASHTAGS
#design #lifelessons #uiux #uidesign