Mauricio Paulino

Where are you from? Where are you based as a UX/UI Designer?

I'm currently based in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay 🇺🇾. A small country with a big passion for football.

Here's a sunset in the Rambla of Montevideo 👇

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What led you into UX/UI design?

I started my career studying Software Engineering and later realized wasn't the right path for me — then, started to study Graphic Design and fell in love 🖤. With a background in development, I realized I had an opportunity to mix the visuals I liked so much and the logic from coding that I was used to.

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What inspired you to pursue UX/UI and become a Designer?

It sort of started naturally — my first job was as a Front-end developer / UI Designer. From there, I continued trying to focus on the areas that would allow me to keep growing as a professional. I also had a great Design Leader that really inspired me and gave me the foundation to keep going.

What does a typical day look like for you?

The first thing for me is to have a nice breakfast; usually an Avo toast with a hot cup of coffee or tea. I then like to go for a walk with my dog and have recently started to meditate in the mornings.

Before jumping into the computer, I like to review my notes from the previous day and then start to plan my day as I check the landscape of meetings I have ahead.

After work, I like to grab my bike and go for a ride, meet with friends or just hang around and play the guitar or watch a movie.

As I work 100% remotely, I also like to explore and spend some time in coffee shops.

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And your work station setup across devices?

My must have apps: Spotify, Figma, Slack, Miro, and Shazam.

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What challenges do you face as a UX/UI Designer?

A challenge is to correctly manage expectations. From my experience, when stakeholders/managers/teams are not familiar with the design process — as you all know can be very messy — they idealize outcomes, which makes expectations tricky. So, syncing in each step on how the product grows from an idea, to a sketch, to a wireframe, to a prototype, is a good way for everybody to be aligned.

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What's the most exciting part of being a UX/UI Designer?

To create things — I love to explore new ideas and materialize them. Nowadays, with all the opportunities, resources, and tools available in the market, it's just the best time to be a designer.

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What work or project are you most proud of?

I liked the outcomes we accomplished as a team in this project below, which was to evaluate and create a platform for a company struggling with a current tool they were using it. Specifically, to help the HR department to make decisions based on data.

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What (digital or physical) product recently blew your socks off?

Shazam always gives me that rush when they find a song I really want to know about. But, recently, I was at a bar and Shazamed a song that was playing and the app couldn't catch it. Somehow, a couple of days later I received a message they managed to find it 😱 👏.

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What tunes do you listen to while designing/working?

It really depends on the mood or task I want to focus on. My Memorisely playlist shows the kind of balance of my overall musical taste.

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Share three suggestions for budding designers?

1. Be curious — don't be afraid to ask questions. Curiosity is something you can cultivate.
2. Show your work and be open to feedback — constructive feedback is an excellent opportunity to grow.
3. Growth mindset — in this always-evolving industry, it's important to evolve as a professional as the landscape does. Make sure to be prepared for new opportunities.

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