Becoming a User Experience (UX) Designer and Digital Marketing Strategist wasn’t something I planned from the start. It was a journey of curiosity, learning, and continuous adaptation. Today, after more than 13 years of experience, I have worked with remittance apps, eCommerce platforms, booking engines, fintech products, and SaaS applications. Along the way, I have helped businesses scale through conversion-driven UI/UX designs, SEO, and paid marketing strategies.
In this article, I will walk you through my journey, the lessons I’ve learned, and how my passion for design, marketing, and freelancing shaped my career.
How It All Started
Like many professionals, I started my career in graphic design, crafting logos, brochures, and business cards. But I quickly realized that design was more than just aesthetics—it was about solving real-world problems. This curiosity led me to User Interface (UI) and UX Design.
At the same time, I started learning about digital marketing to understand how businesses can grow online. I explored SEO, paid ads, and social media strategies, which helped me see the bigger picture:
👉 Great design improves user experience, but marketing brings the right users to experience it.
This mindset shaped my career as a UX Designer and Digital Marketing Strategist, allowing me to merge both worlds effectively.
Breaking into UX/UI Design
In the early days, UX design wasn’t as widely recognized as it is today. I had to self-learn through:
📚 Books – “Don’t Make Me Think” by Steve Krug was a game-changer.
🎥 Online Courses – Platforms like Coursera and Udemy provided practical insights.
📊 Freelance Projects – I started taking small projects to apply what I learned.
One of my first major UX projects was redesigning a remittance platform. The challenge? Users were abandoning transactions midway. After conducting user research, I identified friction points and optimized the checkout flow, increasing conversion rates by 35%.
🚀 Lesson: UX design is not just about making things look good; it’s about making things work better.
Entering the World of Digital Marketing
While working on design projects, I realized that businesses needed more than just great UI/UX—they needed visibility. That’s when I started exploring SEO, PPC, and social media marketing.
I ran Google Ads and Facebook campaigns for eCommerce and fintech businesses, learning how user behavior impacts conversion rates. One of my biggest successes was an SEO project where I:
✅ Optimized a website’s speed (reducing load time by 40%)
✅ Improved keyword rankings, leading to a 3x increase in organic traffic
✅ Redesigned landing pages, which boosted sales by 50%
🚀 Lesson: SEO and UX go hand in hand. A website should not only be optimized for search engines but also for user engagement.
Freelancing & Building a Strong Personal Brand
As I gained experience, I wanted more freedom and flexibility. That’s when I turned to freelancing on Upwork and Fiverr.
My first client was a small business needing a website redesign. I delivered a clean, user-friendly design that improved their conversion rate by 40%. Positive feedback led to more clients, and soon, I was working with businesses across multiple industries.
🛠️ Key Strategies That Helped Me Grow:
✔ Building a portfolio showcasing my best work
✔ Optimizing my Upwork profile with relevant keywords
✔ Networking on LinkedIn to connect with potential clients
Today, I have a 100% success score on Upwork and a Top-Rated Freelancer badge.
🚀 Lesson: Freelancing is a business. To succeed, you need to market yourself just as much as your clients.
My Passion for Travel & How It Inspires My Work
Beyond work, I have another passion—exploring Pakistan on my motorcycle. Riding through mountains, valleys, and deserts, I experience different cultures, colors, and emotions. This love for travel fuels my creativity, influencing the way I design.
For example:
🏍️ Babusar Top’s breathtaking views inspire clean and open UI layouts.
🌄 The cultural richness of Hunza reminds me to add storytelling elements to branding.
🚗 The road trips through Baluchistan teach me the importance of simplicity and efficiency in navigation design.
Traveling refreshes my mind, allowing me to bring fresh perspectives to UX design, digital marketing, and product strategies.
Final Thoughts
My journey as a UX Designer, Digital Marketer, and Freelancer has been a continuous learning process. From designing seamless user experiences to running successful marketing campaigns, every step has taught me valuable lessons.
If you are starting in UX/UI, digital marketing, or freelancing, remember:
✔ Never stop learning – Technology evolves, so should you.
✔ User experience matters – Whether it’s a website or a mobile app, focus on usability.
✔ Marketing drives results – Design alone is not enough; businesses need visibility.
✔ Passion fuels creativity – Find inspiration beyond your work, whether it’s traveling, photography, or anything else.
Want to know more about my work? Let’s connect! 🚀
