How I Design Apps Now That I Quit Corporate (+ day in the life)
22.6K views · 2025-06-27
UI DesignInteraction & UX
Designing my first passion project as a freelance designer! Join me as I create Kuma, a cozy book app, from concept to prototype in Figma - all while navigating my new freelance designer life after leaving corporate software engineering.
📱View the full case study: https://www.ceciliakimdesign.com/project/kumabookapp
❤️ Mobbin (my design tool, 20% off):
https://mobbin.com/cecilia
❤️ Anything.com (prototyping tool, 20% off):
https://anything.link/cecilia-kim
❤️ Framer (no-code website building tool, 30% off annual Framer Pro Plan): https://framer.link/cecilia1
code: CECILIA2
✨Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ceciliakimdesign/
✨TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ceciliakimdesign
✨Twitter/X: https://x.com/ceciliakdesign
✨Portfolio: https://www.ceciliakimdesign.com
📣 My husband and I are working on some projects. Check out our apps!
📱 https://www.amyfoodjournal.com/
📱 https://ellieplanner.com/
📱 https://lunabudgeting.com/
In this video, I'm sharing my complete design process including:
✨Competitor analysis (Goodreads, StoryGraph, and more)
✨Wireframing and user flows
✨Building a brand
✨Creating the final UI in Figma
✨Getting feedback and iterating
Plus glimpses of my freelance routine - from morning client calls to coffee shop work sessions to evening design sprints.
🐻 About Kuma: A cozy reading app I designed to solve a real problem - my friend and I were tired of juggling multiple apps just to share book recommendations. Named after one of my dog Luna's many nicknames (which also means "bear" in Japanese), this project combines my engineering background with my rediscovered love for design.
Resources mentioned:
🌱Figma
🌱Figma Community wireframe kits
🌱Canva (for font inspiration)
🌱Pinterest & Dribbble (mood boarding)
🌱Color Hunt (color palettes)
🌱Mobbin (UI patterns)
0:00 Intro - My first design project post-corporate
0:30 Morning routine
0:35 Project backstory
1:47 Gym break
2:01 Competitor analysis deep dive
4:03 Coffee shop break
4:15 Wireframing session
6:49 Dinner time!
6:57 Branding and UI Designing
10:28 Getting comfy at my desk
10:34 Final prototype and thoughts
#UIUXDesign #AppDesign #DesignProcess #FreelanceDesigner #DayInTheLife #FigmaTutorial #ProductDesign #DesignSystem #BookApp #CareerChange #CareerAdvice #DesignWithMe
📱View the full case study: https://www.ceciliakimdesign.com/project/kumabookapp
❤️ Mobbin (my design tool, 20% off):
https://mobbin.com/cecilia
❤️ Anything.com (prototyping tool, 20% off):
https://anything.link/cecilia-kim
❤️ Framer (no-code website building tool, 30% off annual Framer Pro Plan): https://framer.link/cecilia1
code: CECILIA2
✨Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ceciliakimdesign/
✨TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ceciliakimdesign
✨Twitter/X: https://x.com/ceciliakdesign
✨Portfolio: https://www.ceciliakimdesign.com
📣 My husband and I are working on some projects. Check out our apps!
📱 https://www.amyfoodjournal.com/
📱 https://ellieplanner.com/
📱 https://lunabudgeting.com/
In this video, I'm sharing my complete design process including:
✨Competitor analysis (Goodreads, StoryGraph, and more)
✨Wireframing and user flows
✨Building a brand
✨Creating the final UI in Figma
✨Getting feedback and iterating
Plus glimpses of my freelance routine - from morning client calls to coffee shop work sessions to evening design sprints.
🐻 About Kuma: A cozy reading app I designed to solve a real problem - my friend and I were tired of juggling multiple apps just to share book recommendations. Named after one of my dog Luna's many nicknames (which also means "bear" in Japanese), this project combines my engineering background with my rediscovered love for design.
Resources mentioned:
🌱Figma
🌱Figma Community wireframe kits
🌱Canva (for font inspiration)
🌱Pinterest & Dribbble (mood boarding)
🌱Color Hunt (color palettes)
🌱Mobbin (UI patterns)
0:00 Intro - My first design project post-corporate
0:30 Morning routine
0:35 Project backstory
1:47 Gym break
2:01 Competitor analysis deep dive
4:03 Coffee shop break
4:15 Wireframing session
6:49 Dinner time!
6:57 Branding and UI Designing
10:28 Getting comfy at my desk
10:34 Final prototype and thoughts
#UIUXDesign #AppDesign #DesignProcess #FreelanceDesigner #DayInTheLife #FigmaTutorial #ProductDesign #DesignSystem #BookApp #CareerChange #CareerAdvice #DesignWithMe