““After a year of searching for a permanent role, Shane found the confidence and skills he needed through UX Tree, and recently landed a UX Designer position at VHI.”

Hi everyone! I’m Shane Dalton, a UX Designer from Bundoran, Co. Donegal, with a background in Music Production and Computer Science. After completing my Computer Science qualification in 2017, I started a freelance web design business.

What began as simple websites for friends and family soon grew into more complex projects, where I had to refine my design process and learn how to balance user needs with client expectations. Over time, I collaborated with agencies and teams, which gave me the chance to focus more deeply on design rather than handling every aspect of development alone.

I signed up for UX Tree Mentorship Program in February 2025 (Round 8).

 

What was your biggest struggle or roadblock before joining the mentorship?

Before joining UX Tree, I had been searching for a permanent UX role for over a year. While some freelance work came in, it wasn’t helping me progress to the next stage of my career. After a few disheartening job opportunities in 2024, I felt uncertain about my next steps.

One of my biggest struggles was trying to build a UX career remotely and on my own. There are plenty of online resources, but what I was missing was real-world experience, guidance, and community. UX Tree filled that gap with 1:1 mentorship, practical projects, and the support of mentors who genuinely care about helping mentees.

 

Why did you decide to join the UX Tree mentorship?

Constant job applications were burning me out, and I felt I was losing touch with the skills I had worked hard to build, so I joined UX Tree to work on a UX project to rebuild some confidence I had lost.  

I also wanted to connect with a wider community of UX Designers, so I wouldn’t feel so isolated in my job search and to better understand how they were navigating their careers to date.

 

What was your experience like during the program?

I had a really positive experience with the program.

I was paired with Peter Mullen, who guided me through the design process and taught me how to build a clear, evidence-based story from start to finish. The regular meetings and Slack discussions over the 16 weeks kept me on track and motivated throughout the project.

I learned how to show a thread of evidence from start to finish of the design process through Peter. This helped me a lot when it came time to present my work during each deliverable stage but also when writing and creating the final case study. 

We had about 5-6 design presentations throughout the mentorship. Each one was facilitated by Valentina and the wider mentor group in a very engaging, friendly and supportive environment. This allowed feedback to be given and received constructively where I felt everyone benefited.

 

Was there a moment where things “clicked” for you?

This is a good question. I think from a research perspective I could see how important tying evidence into the designs was, because it allowed more simplified story telling, which I think is really important in design presentations, particularly with stakeholders or team members who might be unfamiliar with the project being discussed. 

I think it was really important for me also to experience receiving feedback from a group of seasoned UX Designers. These are people who know what they are talking about and who gave me a huge boost in confidence.

 

What did you achieve thanks to UX Tree (new role, project, confidence, skills)?

Thanks to UX Tree I’ve recently joined VHI as a UX Designer! I’m absolutely thrilled and so grateful to receive the role and really excited to work on upcoming projects with a big team. UX Tree gave me the confidence to put myself forward into new potential opportunities and it has really has paid off!

 

How did UX Tree help you prepare for landing your UX role?

Feedback from mentors helped me understand where my strengths lay. I also became more aware of areas of UX that I needed to work on. When I submitted my case study I felt that I had a better idea of the type of designer I was, which helped me to think more critically about how I would approach the job interview process. 

 

What would you say to someone who is considering joining UX Tree, but isn’t sure yet?

Take the jump! Adding to your portfolio will always be an investment in your UX career but you will get so much more out of the mentorship than just that! I think no matter what level you are at UX Tree gives you room and opportunity to grow and be yourself.

 

Any advice for people trying to break into UX?

Reach out for help. I was stuck many times up to this point in my UX career. There are a lot of moving parts in design and you don’t have to know everything!

Try to make projects with impact, and UX Tree can help you with this. Set a deadline for projects but don’t try to cover all aspects of UX in the project. 

Take your time learning and growing and try your best not to get discouraged. I know this is easier said than done! I found myself here many times. 

 

What’s next for you in your UX journey?

Currently I’m working to grow my cross-collaboration, product impact and general UX skills in the current UX role I’m in. I’m working with a large team and it is very inspiring to see how products are researched, designed and developed at this scale. 

I would highly recommend UX Tree Mentorship to anyone who is on the fence about where to go next in their career. It’s a really well run programme – structured but friendly and supportive space to learn and grow!