Shajee Aijazi

UX designer, founder of Design Garage

Compiled from 1 recorded interview. Every statement below is drawn from the passage cited beside it.

Shajee Aijazi is a Toronto-based designer and the founder of Design Garage, a design consultancy. He has over 10 years of experience in digital products and design solutions, including senior UX roles at Autodesk and OPENLANE. He holds a Bachelor's in Design from the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture.

Education

Aijazi holds a Bachelor's in Design from the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture. He studied communication design at the school in Karachi and graduated in 2009. [1]

His studies focused on colour theory, typography, illustration, photography and filmmaking. UX and digital design were not yet part of the degree program when he graduated in 2009. [1]

Career

Aijazi has worked in design for about 15 years, and as a UX designer for about 10 years. He previously worked as Sr. Lead UX Designer at Autodesk and as Senior UX Designer at OPENLANE. He has also been a senior lead UX designer for one of the areas of Maya. [1]

He spent a long stretch working full-time as a freelancer. Aijazi is also a UX Design Mentor at the Institute of Emerging Careers. [1]

He visited design teams at many software houses in Pakistan. He received about 200 applications and estimated that perhaps 8 to 10 of those applicants were strong. He said the other applicants focused on very tactical work. [1]

Design Garage

Aijazi is the founder of Design Garage. He left Autodesk and started his own consultancy, Design Garage. [1]

He takes on clients in his private practice and hopes to grow it. He has made one or two hires for Design Garage. He also wants to tap into his old network. [1]

Aijazi has built a network with many startups that are always looking for talent. He wants to connect Pakistani talent with startups in the US and Canada. [1]

Views on talent and work in Pakistan

Aijazi says Pakistan has both really good and really poor design talent. He believes talent exists in Pakistan and the challenge is attracting it. He advises seeking work at companies where nurturing happens. He says autonomy gives people the opportunity to build more mastery in their skill. [1]

He thinks the brain drain narrative about Pakistan is misleading. He says that if every Pakistani who leaves gains global exposure and shares it, he would not call it brain drain. He says a lot of Pakistani tech talent wants to go out of Pakistan. He adds that a major chunk of talent is from India, whether in India or outside it, and that he will not speak at the macro level because it is not his area of expertise. [1]

Views on learning

Aijazi has paid for more than 45 courses, by his own count. He estimates his course spending comes to over $70,000 to $80,000. He says every course he has taken has given him a return on investment. [1]

He says anyone who gives a guarantee of success is a liar. He says that if you stop learning, a machine makes you redundant before another person does. In his view the best mentors are often two or three years ahead of the person they guide, and he suggests finding someone whose experience you want to learn from and following that person. [1]

He says every case study followed the pattern taught in Google's certificate course. He says work in the real world does not happen in a linear way. A portfolio with the same kind of design patterns, he says, will not make you stand out. [1]

Views on UX design

Aijazi defines the UX designer's job as creating an experience that meets user needs. He says the term UX dates to the early 1990s. He describes user research as a completely specialized field within UX, and UI design as a specialized field that covers design systems and component libraries. [1]

His approach is to define the problem first and reach the solution much later. He uses jobs-to-be-done to ask what job a user hires a product to do. He says UX design always comes first, and that a prototype or basic MVP built with a UX designer effectively communicates an idea. [1]

He says aesthetic sense matters in UX because of the aesthetic usability effect. He says people from other backgrounds bring their own strengths into UX, such as research skills from journalism. He says it is still a human who looks at another human and understands the nuances of their behavior, and he advises UX designers to become students of human psychology and behavior to stand out. [1]

Views on AI and creative work

Aijazi says AI can now produce good-looking UI to a certain degree. He says there are tens of thousands of people in Pakistan doing $10 to $20 jobs. He says making Moana once needed a team of 1,000 people and might now need 200 or 300. He says he does not expect a 100% switch, and that the driving seat is still a web designer, a 3D artist or a software developer. [1]

He says AI tools have cut website builds from about a month to about a week. He says lawyers and realtors would still go to a web designer for a website. He says storytelling skills will become more important. [1]

Personal life

Aijazi says his name, Shaji, comes from shujaat, which means courageous. He plans to expand his YouTube channel and coaching work, and to launch coaching programs and courses in future. He wants UX design content to stay free on YouTube and Instagram. [1]

Appearances

DateTitleWhere
2025-05-08 Why Shajee Aijazi left Autodesk to start a design consultancy Thought Behind Things

Frequently asked questions

Who is Shajee Aijazi?

Shajee Aijazi is a Toronto-based designer and the founder of Design Garage. He has over 10 years of experience in digital products and design solutions.[1]

What does Shajee Aijazi do?

Shajee Aijazi runs Design Garage, a design consultancy, where he takes on clients in his private practice. He is also a UX Design Mentor at the Institute of Emerging Careers.[1]

Where did Shajee Aijazi study?

Shajee Aijazi studied communication design at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture in Karachi. He holds a Bachelor's in Design from the school and graduated in 2009.[1]

What company did Shajee Aijazi found?

Shajee Aijazi founded Design Garage, a design consultancy. He started it after leaving Autodesk.[1]

Where has Shajee Aijazi worked?

Shajee Aijazi previously worked as Sr. Lead UX Designer at Autodesk and as Senior UX Designer at OPENLANE. He has also worked as a full-time freelancer for a long stretch.[1]

Where is Shajee Aijazi based?

Shajee Aijazi is based in Toronto. He is a designer with over 10 years of experience in digital products and design solutions.[1]

What does Shajee Aijazi think about AI and design?

Shajee Aijazi says AI can now produce good-looking UI to a certain degree. He does not expect a 100% switch, and he says the driving seat is still a web designer, a 3D artist or a software developer.[1]

References

  1. Why Shajee Aijazi left Autodesk to start a design consultancy . Thought Behind Things , 2025-05-08.
Show the source passages (68 statements)
  1. Shajee Aijazi is a Toronto-based designer with over 10 years of experience in digital products and design solutions. Joining us today is Shajee Aijazi, a Toronto-based designer with over 10 years of experience crafting impactful digital products and design solutions.
  2. Shajee Aijazi is the founder of Design Garage. As the Founder of Design Garage and with previous experience as Sr. Lead UX Designer at Autodesk and Senior UX Designer at OPENLANE
  3. Shajee Aijazi previously worked as Sr. Lead UX Designer at Autodesk. As the Founder of Design Garage and with previous experience as Sr. Lead UX Designer at Autodesk and Senior UX Designer at OPENLANE
  4. Shajee Aijazi previously worked as Senior UX Designer at OPENLANE. As the Founder of Design Garage and with previous experience as Sr. Lead UX Designer at Autodesk and Senior UX Designer at OPENLANE
  5. Shajee Aijazi is a UX Design Mentor at the Institute of Emerging Careers. Shajee also shares his knowledge as a UX Design Mentor at the Institute of Emerging Careers
  6. Shajee Aijazi holds a Bachelor's in Design from the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture. holds a Bachelor's in Design from the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture
  7. He studied communication design at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture in Karachi. Meri degree jo hai woh communication design mein hai, Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture, Karachi se.
  8. He graduated in 2009. jab maine graduate kiya tha 2009 mein
  9. His studies focused on colour theory, typography, illustration, photography and filmmaking. that was more around, you know, color theory and typography and, you know, illustration and photography bhi, film making aur is tarah ki subjects hamara core focus hote the.
  10. UX and digital design were not yet part of the degree program when he graduated in 2009. us waqt UX design aur digital design to itna zyada iska even degree program ka bhi part nahi tha
  11. He has worked in design for about 15 years. 15 saal se main design ki field se mera talluq hai
  12. He has worked as a UX designer for about 10 years. woh as a UX designer kaam kar raha hoon pichle koi 10 saal se
  13. He was a senior lead UX designer for one of the areas of Maya. So I was in a senior lead UX designer for Maya, one of the areas of Maya.
  14. He left Autodesk about three weeks before the recording. But as of three weeks ago, that I'm no longer with Autodesk and I've actually started my own consultancy called Design Garage.
  15. He started his own consultancy, Design Garage, after leaving Autodesk. But as of three weeks ago, that I'm no longer with Autodesk and I've actually started my own consultancy called Design Garage.
  16. He takes on clients in his private practice and hopes to grow it. To ab basically I'm, you know, taking on clients in my private practice and hoping to grow that.
  17. He has made one or two hires for Design Garage. ab main apni design consultancy ke liye bhi uh maine ek aad hiring ki hui hai.
  18. He spent a long stretch working full-time as a freelancer. Iske alawa main ek uh certain point pe uh act yani full-time freelance bhi maine kaafi time guzara hai.
  19. He wants to tap into his old network. Uh toh I'm also wanting to tap into that old network of mine as well
  20. He visited design teams at many software houses in Pakistan. Main yani Pakistan mein jitne bhi software houses hain aur unke unke andar gaya tha unki design team se mulaqat ki.
  21. He received about 200 applications. uske andar mujhe koi agar 200 applications aayi thi, usmein mere khayal mein jo kaam ke log honge woh shayad sirf 8-10 ke kareeb the.
  22. He estimated that perhaps 8 to 10 of those applicants were strong. uske andar mujhe koi agar 200 applications aayi thi, usmein mere khayal mein jo kaam ke log honge woh shayad sirf 8-10 ke kareeb the.
  23. He says the other applicants focused on very tactical work. all of the other ones they they were focused on very tactical work.
  24. He says Pakistan has both really good and really poor design talent. there is really good talent in Pakistan and there is really poor talent in Pakistan as well.
  25. He advises seeking work at companies where nurturing happens. my advice to you would be to seek work in these kind of companies where this kind of nurturing happens
  26. He says autonomy gives people the opportunity to build more mastery in their skill. So autonomy hai uske andar logon ko is baat ki opportunity hai ke woh apni skill mein mazeed mastery hasil karein
  27. He thinks the brain drain narrative about Pakistan is misleading. Pakistan mein humne bada galat narrative diya hua hai of brain drain.
  28. He says that if every Pakistani who leaves gains global exposure and shares it, he would not call it brain drain. if every Pakistani who leaves gets global exposure and transfers that global exposure to 100 other Pakistanis, I don't consider that brain drain, right?
  29. He has paid for more than 45 courses, by his own count. uske andar koi 45 se upar links hain uske andar and these are all courses that I have actually paid for.
  30. He estimates his course spending comes to over $70,000 to $80,000. I think it would come over over a $70, $80,000.
  31. He says every course he has taken has given him a return on investment. So every piece of learning that I have you know taken it has given me an ROI.
  32. He says anyone who gives a guarantee of success is a liar. Anyone who is giving you a guarantee of success is basically a liar.
  33. He says that if you stop learning, a machine makes you redundant before another person does. if you stop your learning you are being made redundant by a machine not even another human being.
  34. He says the best mentors are often two or three years ahead of the person they guide. the best mentors are the ones who are two three years ahead of you
  35. He suggests finding someone whose experience you want to learn from and following that person. To again find someone who you can see ke iska experience is something that I would like to learn from and and you know just follow that person, follow more people.
  36. He says every case study followed the pattern taught in Google's certificate course. woh har case study woh pattern use kar rahi hai jo ke Google ke certificate course mein bataya jaata hai.
  37. He says work in the real world does not happen in a linear way. Jabke actual duniya mein us us linear tareeqe se kaam hi nahi hota.
  38. He says a portfolio with the same kind of design patterns will not make you stand out. agar aapke portfolio mein bhi usi tarah ke design patterns hain that is not going to make you stand out.
  39. He says aesthetic sense matters in UX because of the aesthetic usability effect. even UX design ka ek principle hai which is called the aesthetic usability effect
  40. He says people from other backgrounds bring their own strengths into UX, such as research skills from journalism. log journalism ke background se aa rahe hote hain, to woh jo apni research ki capabilities hain, woh lekar aate hain
  41. He says it is still a human who looks at another human and understands the nuances of their behavior. it is still a human who is looking at another human and understanding the nuances of uh how they are behaving.
  42. He advises UX designers to become students of human psychology and behavior to stand out. apne aap ko human psychology ka student bana lein, human behavior ka student bana lein
  43. He defines the UX designer's job as creating an experience that meets user needs. So essentially ek UX designer ka kaam yeh hota hai ke us experience ko jo us user ki needs hain, usko fulfill karne wala experience banaye.
  44. He says the term UX dates to the early 1990s. UX is technically a term that was, I think, in the early 90s mein derive hui thi.
  45. He says user research is a completely specialized field within UX. but iske andar user research is a completely specialized field.
  46. He says UI design is a specialized field that covers design systems and component libraries. Toh UI design in and of itself bahut specialized field hai kyunki uske andar design systems create kiye ja rahe hote hain
  47. His approach is to define the problem first and reach the solution much later. So my my thought process would be first to hash out the problem and you know the solution solution pe to bahut baad mein aana hai.
  48. He uses jobs-to-be-done to ask what job a user hires a product to do. essentially the idea jobs to be done jo hai woh yeh kar raha hota hai ke what job is the user hiring your product to do?
  49. He says UX design always comes first. So I I I do think ke UX design always does come first.
  50. He says a prototype or basic MVP built with a UX designer effectively communicates an idea. The UX, the prototype, the the the basic MVP that you can put together with a UX designer, that is something that is going to effectively communicate that idea
  51. He says AI can now produce good-looking UI to a certain degree. that is unfortunately or fortunately is something that AI is now capable of doing to a certain degree.
  52. He says there are tens of thousands of people in Pakistan doing $10 to $20 jobs. there are tens of thousands of those in Pakistan right now who are doing those 10, 15, 20 dollar jobs.
  53. He says making Moana once needed a team of 1,000 people and might now need 200 or 300. pehle agar Moana ko banane mein 1000 logon ki team chahiye hoti thi, ho sakta hai ke ab 300 logon ki team chahiye ho ya 200 logon ki team chahiye ho.
  54. He says he does not expect a 100% switch. I don't expect 100% switch ho jayega.
  55. He says the driving seat is still a web designer, a 3D artist or a software developer. But at the driving seat, it's still a web designer, it's still a 3D artist, it's still a software developer.
  56. He says AI tools have cut website builds from about a month to about a week. pehle jo hai woh ek mahina lagta tha ek website banane mein to ab aap ek hafte mein bana ke dein kyunki aapke paas AI tools hain.
  57. He says lawyers and realtors would still go to a web designer for a website. Yani unko unko jab website banwani hai to woh kisi web designer ke paas hi jayenge.
  58. He says storytelling skills will become more important. usmein do you have the storytelling skills? That will become more important.
  59. He says his name, Shaji, comes from shujaat, which means courageous. Yeh Shaji hai shujaat se. So technically means courageous.
  60. He has built a network with many startups that are always looking for talent. ke mera yahan pe ab ek network sa ban gaya hai jis jo ke bahut saare startups hain unse rabte hain aur they are always looking for talent
  61. He wants to connect Pakistani talent with startups in the US and Canada. if there is talent in Pakistan that can be connected to people seeking talent over here in US and Canada that is the best bridge that I feel I can be
  62. He plans to expand his YouTube channel and coaching work. inshallah mera coaching side of things pe irada hai ke main again YouTube channel ko thoda expand karoon.
  63. He plans to launch coaching programs and courses in future. mera kuch irada hai inshallah future mein kuch coaching programs courses wagera launch karne ka.
  64. He wants UX design content to stay free on YouTube and Instagram. But I do want a lot of UX design related content to be free on the YouTube and Instagram
  65. He says a major chunk of talent is from India, whether in India or outside it. major chunk of talent is from India, whether that's in India or outside of India.
  66. He says a lot of Pakistani tech talent wants to go out of Pakistan. what I'm seeing is a lot of tech talent is wanting to go out of Pakistan as well.
  67. He says he will not speak at the macro level because it is not his area of expertise. Main macro level ke upar koi baat nahi karunga because that's not my area of expertise
  68. He believes talent exists in Pakistan and the challenge is attracting it. Again I am hoping that because woh talent exist karta hai Pakistan mein.