My professional journey began in 2007 when I entered a small web development laboratory at my university. I was studying computer science as my primary degree, building compilators, and Matlab simulations. Laboratory was optional and offered practice in web development and server administration. I was instantly hooked by the beauty of the Web. CSS Zen Garden and design studios were my infinite source of inspiration. I graduated in 2008 and already had a job as a full-stack web developer.

Although, I rather quickly shifted from full-stack to front-end development. I was perfecting my CSS and JavaScript skills on various sites and applications. With front-end experience came understanding of a basic principles of UX. And frustration when designers ignore these principles. I started to learn more about interfaces and user-centered design.

It took me a while to figure out that I love the design process more than programming. I continued my studies, devouring lists of must-read books on the subjects of user experience, typography, information design, data visualization, editing, and so on. In my evenings and weekends, I practiced designing personal and university projects. Later in 2013, I joined Usethics usability company as a UX designer. There I designed web, mobile, and kiosk applications for their clients. I worked only on the UX part because UI was outsourced.

However, I quickly realized that it is not the best way to separate UI and UX completely. When UI-designer works after UX fellow, she either throws away part of UX and make it from scratch or just change typography and icons. So I started to look for a job where these parts were inseparable. And gain more knowledge in graphic design, typography, and layout. I applied to the Artem Gorbunov design school where I practiced all these things, alongside negotiations, editing, and time management. In 2014 I took an opportunity to join a team of Yandex, Russian internet search company, as a product designer. There I worked on their main page and other projects in the fields of news, search, and entertainment. Later in 2017 I joined Yandex Navigator team and worked on an application for drivers.

2019 was a family year for me. After working for almost five years at Yandex something was missing. We took a sabbatical to ponder on the most valuable things. And it turned out great! My wife and I finally were able to have a baby. I worked part-time and somehow got back to programming. I was overwhelmed and excited about how things had changed in the last few years. Now I'm learning React and d3.js and use it for personal and client's projects. And I'm looking for the opportunity to combine my design and programming skills to make better products.