How do you break into UX, build a thriving career, and even teach the next generation, all without a formal UX degree? Meet Ricardo
In this episode of UX Spotlight Series, Nate sits down with Ricardo Ramirez, a seasoned UX Designer, UX Consultant, and Continuing Education Instructor at York University in Toronto, to explore his self-taught journey into UX and the strategies that helped him succeed.
“You don’t need permission to learn—start where you are.” – Ricardo Ramirez
He shares how he got started, leveraged networking, and embraced mentorship to transition from a software developer to a UX lead and instructor.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
- What led Ricardo to build a career in UX without a formal design degree.
- Why networking is the key to opening opportunities in the field and how to do it right.
- Common challenges UX designers face when selling their point of view to stakeholders
- The power of mentorship and giving back to the UX community
Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Nate Brown
Nate is an accomplished account manager for many large enterprise-level companies in the North American region. With multiple years of experience collaborating with research teams to maximize their research in the Userlytics platform, Nate possesses key insights into why some research projects lack substance and others produce valuable insights. His favorite part about working at Userlytics is building lasting relationships with his clients, even in a remote setting.
Ricardo Ramirez
Ricardo is a Service Designer and UX Consultant with over 10 years of experience driving digital transformation and innovation across diverse sectors, including for-profit, non-profit, and government organizations. His expertise spans Service Design, Human-Centered Design, UX Research, and Strategic Design thinking. Leveraging these skills, he has successfully led multidisciplinary teams to create seamless, end-to-end experiences that prioritize user needs while balancing business and technical constraints.
