The Interview Portal is hiring: Human Factors & UX Designer Interview in Boston

Creativity is more about solving problems, shaping mindsets and enhancing everyday life, than just Aesthetics!

Leah Alex, our next pathbreaker, works as Human Factors UX Design Engineer at a medical devices company, where she designs digital interfaces that make it easier for doctors and patients to use these devices.

Leah talks to Shyam Krishnamurthy from The Interview Portal about choosing medical design as a career as it is at the intersection of design, biology and human psychology that drives problem solving !

For students, stay curious, work hard and look for ways to solve problems creatively, especially if you want to be a good designer.

Leah, can you share your background with our young readers?

Growing up in Calicut, Kerala, I developed a curious and creative mindset early on. I was always interested in how things work, and I loved solving puzzles or creating things with my hands. In school, I was drawn to English, art, anddesign, as well as subjects like biology and psychology, which helped me better understand how the world works. As for my family, my parents always encouraged me to follow my passions. They taught me to stay curious and work hard. This support helped me explore different areas until I found the path that I felt most passionate about—design.

What did you do for graduation/post-graduation?

I pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Design (B.Des) at the National Institute of Design. During my time there, I majored in Industrial Design, where I learned everything from the principles of design to how to design products that are not only functional but also helpful for people in their everyday lives.

What were some of the key influences that led you to such an offbeat, unconventional and cool career in Medical Design?

I was fortunate to discover my love for sketching very early on—around the age of 2. I wouldn’t say I was ‘good’ from the start; rather, it was a gradual process of developing my skills. My parents noticed my passion for drawing and enrolled me in an art school during summers, where I trained and improved over time. My art teacher encouraged me to pursue design or a career in art, even when it wasn’t a common path. Those early lessons didn’t just teach me to draw; they helped me understand how art could influence the world around us. Sketching became more than just an activity—it was a way for me to see how creativity could solve problems, shape environments, and enhance everyday life.

There were several key influences that shaped my decision to pursue a career in user experience and design:

I was always inspired by products that made life easier for people, whether it was something as simple as a kitchen tool or complex like a medical device. The idea of designing things that could positively impact lives excited me.

I had a few amazing teachers during my college days who showed me how design could solve real-world problems. They mentored me to think critically and creatively. Though I had always thought I would end up being a doctor, somehow I wanted it to merge my love for design with health. I decided to research this field and found out about medical design. It was the perfect match for someone like me. I worked on projects that involved interaction design, system and service design, these helped me understand that maybe it’s something I could try out.

How did you plan the steps to get into the career you wanted?

My career path didn’t follow a strict plan, but I had a general direction of where I wanted to go: I started by taking design lessons for NID aspirants, and also worked as a design researcher while studying, as part of my college project and did some other small scale projects.

At NID, I worked on a supermarket self-checkout mobile application as my first interaction design project. Later, a service design project with Samsung deepened my understanding of user experience and research. Though not directly in medical design, it set the stage for my transition into the field. I secured an internship at Medtronic for my graduation project, where I focused on improving the user experience of a medical monitoring system through responsive design solutions. It was a challenging but rewarding experience, involving user research and testing to enhance product safety and effectiveness. I designed clean, detailed user friendly design mock-ups. This journey taught me that design isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s about solving real problems and making a positive impact on people’s lives, which is essential for young designers to understand.

First internship: While I was in my final year, I started applying to jobs consistently immediately after I narrowed down on a niche. Though it was still a long shot, I got an interview at this company as an intern and that’s how it all started. This gave me the experience I needed to understand how to approach problems in a professional setting.

Eventually, I made a shift as a full time employee at the same place where I interned where I focused on human factors design—understanding how people use softwares and systems and learned more about human computer interaction design. It was similar yet now I was part of something much bigger.

I currently work with larger teams and bigger projects. I also get to do some of my own work within the firm which is all part of the fun and learning.

How did you get your first break?

My first big opportunity came when I was hired as an intern when I was just finishing college. They needed someone to learn and work with the team. I was given a project of my own as a young designer. This was a turning point because it gave me confidence in my ability to solve problems and manage projects.

What were some of the challenges you faced? How did you address them?

Keeping myself up to date with the domain. Being part of the medical field involves refreshing my mind constantly with existing information and learning new things. It’s thefield of biology and my domain is cardiovascular, so there’s so much to learn. It’s something that is not only a challenge but also something I look forward to everyday.

Where do you work now?

I work as a Human Factors UX Design Engineer in Hyderabad.

What problems do you solve?

I help design digital interfaces that make it easier for doctors and patients to use these devices. For this, I need to understand both design and human psychology—how people think and behave when using a product. I gained these skills through my education and work experience.

What is a typical day like?

I work with teams to understand what users need, then design solutions. My day might involve meetings, sketching out ideas, and testing designs with real users.

What do you love about being a designer?

The fact that my work helps improve people’s health and lives, is what I love most about this job. Also, the fact that I get to talk to doctors and clinicians from all over the world to do my research.

How does your work benefit society?

The products I work on help improve the quality of life for people with serious medical conditions. For example, we do our research with our customers and then design devices and software applications that help patients with health conditions to live better lives.

Tell us an example of a specific memorable work you did that is very close to you!

One of my favourite projects was designing a mobile app all by myself. I think the best part was the process of figuring things out, and talking and working with people from multiple backgrounds of expertise. I still get to do all that, but working on my first project was definitely one of those worthwhile experiences.

Your advice to students based on your experience?

Keep exploring your interests and don’t be afraid to take on new challenges. It’s okay to not have everything figured out right away. Stay curious, work hard, and look for ways to solve problems creatively. Also, finding mentors can be incredibly helpful in guiding you through tough times.

Future Plans?

I hope to keep growing in the field of UX design, especially in healthcare, and lead innovative projects that continue to make a difference in people’s lives.