How I Fell in Love With UI, Code, and Building Products

I didn't start my journey in tech as a developer.

I started as a designer trying to build things.

My first online product was launched in 2017, and the internet looked very different back then. AI couldn't help you write code, build UI, or generate content. Even writing blog articles was something I had to outsource. I remember paying around 350€ per article.

Looking back, it's crazy how different building an online product was.

But those early projects taught me something important: building a product is not just about code. It's about understanding people — what they want, how they behave, and what makes them trust a product.

Learning by Building

My first company was an online interior design service, where we offered remote design packages to clients.

Around the same time, I also started an e-commerce project with my dad.

Before COVID, that business was doing quite well.

Neither of these projects became massive successes, but I still consider them incredibly valuable. They were my learning playground.

Through them I learned:

• graphic design
• web design
• online marketing
• SEO
• branding
• customer experience

Most importantly, I learned how people interact with products and what makes a brand feel sticky and lovable.

Those lessons became the foundation for everything that came after.

Building a Product Together

In 2020, my husband and I started working on a new product together.

We built a design tool for creating mood boards, which later became:

• Moodboard AI
• MyRoomDesigner.ai

At first it was simply a tool for creating interior design concepts. Growth came slowly, but things changed dramatically once AI image generation became possible.

When we added AI interior design generation, the product suddenly reached a much larger audience.

I was always involved in the UI design process of the product. But there was one big limitation: I couldn't really touch the code.

That meant I could design ideas, but I couldn't always implement them exactly how I imagined.

What you imagine as a design and what finally appears in the product are often two different things.

There is almost always a gap between design and implementation.

Discovering Tailwind CSS

Everything changed for me in October 2024.

That's when I discovered Tailwind CSS.

Before that, I couldn't do much with code. But learning Tailwind felt different. It felt like learning a language of layout and design.

Suddenly I could write something simple and see it become a real interface.

Spacing.
Typography.
Layouts.
Components.

I could redesign parts of our product myself and prepare the structure so my partner could easily integrate it into the application.

For the first time I felt the freedom of designing directly in code.

And I loved it.

AI Changed the Learning Curve

At the same time, AI tools started becoming more powerful.

With AI assistance I could experiment much faster.

I started exploring AI-assisted coding while also learning JavaScript step by step. I'm still learning, but the process itself became incredibly exciting.

Instead of feeling blocked by code, I suddenly felt like I could build and explore freely.

Seeing Products From a Bigger Perspective

One advantage I have is that I don't come from a purely technical background.

I see products from a bigger perspective.

Not just how they are built, but:

• how they reach customers
• how they create trust
• how the experience feels
• what makes a product look professional
• what makes users stay

Designing a UI is not just about aesthetics. It's about understanding how people interact with products.

And that perspective helps when working with code.

AI Builds the Code. Humans Bring the Judgment.

I'm incredibly excited about where AI-assisted development is going.

But I strongly believe that one thing will remain extremely valuable: human judgment.

AI can generate code.

But deciding:

• what should exist
• what should be simplified
• what feels right for the user

— that still requires experience.

The people who understand products, users, and design decisions will be able to use AI as a powerful tool.

Not as a replacement.

Looking Forward

Learning UI and code opened a completely new world for me.

What started as curiosity turned into something I genuinely enjoy doing every day.

I'm excited to keep exploring the intersection between:

• UI design
• product thinking
• AI-assisted development

And I'm looking forward to sharing more of this journey and working on exciting projects in the future.

The tools are evolving incredibly fast.

But one thing still matters most:

building products that people truly enjoy using.