A Designer’s Evolution: Turning Obstacles into Opportunities

How navigating unexpected challenges in a web project led me to new skills, creative breakthroughs, and a deeper understanding of design

It was a hot, inconspicuous summer afternoon in Texas. The phone rang. The caller ID revealed Qusay Hussein, an incredibly accomplished man who is a refugee from Iraq, now living in the U.S. after surviving a terrible tragedy.

He didn’t waste time—he asked if I could help him design a website for his .org account. Typically, I wouldn’t have agreed on the spot, but this project intrigued me. It aligned perfectly with my passion for accessible web design.

My friend Heather, an expert in accessible web technologies, had told me about Qusay when he first arrived in Austin. She also shared her struggles with websites that lack accessibility features. I first learned about alt text from her. (Read more about it in my article here: Alt Text and Accessibility Journey.)

The connection between Heather and Qusay is that both are blind. However, it’s crucial to see beyond blindness—it’s just an attribute, not a person’s entire identity. When creating Qusay’s website, I wanted visitors to fully experience his story of tragedy and triumph. Qusay survived a suicide bomb attack in Mosul, Iraq, as a teenager. The blast left him blind and disfigured. https://www.qusayhussein.org/cartoon/

Here were my goals:

• Create a minimalistic yet elegant site.
• Ensure it’s user-friendly and easy to navigate.
• Make it accessible and easy to read.
• Design a secondary “About Me” page using AI-generated cartoons to tell his story visually.

A Page That Needed Reinventing

Qusay’s original story timeline had several issues:

• Images were not integrated with the text.
• Large blocks of text overwhelmed the reader.
• Small photos didn’t effectively tell his story.
• The layout was cluttered.

The “My Story” page needed a complete overhaul—not only to tell a compelling story but also to resolve serious design problems.

Here were the solutions I implemented:

• Improved readability with better content flow and navigation.
• Integrated images and text to enhance storytelling.
• Used a scene-based structure to guide users through Qusay’s timeline.
• Increased font sizes for accessibility and ensured all images had alt text for screen readers.
• Created visual balance with more white space and a modern, clean design, incorporating a subtle color scheme and cohesive font selection.
• Added emotional storytelling elements using cartoon illustrations to strengthen the visual narrative.
• Enhanced responsive design to ensure the site worked well on all devices.

BEFORE

AFTER

My Process

To tell Qusay’s story effectively, I knew images would play a huge role. I created AI images based on an article written by UT students Melinda Billingsley, Jonathan Cramer, Claire Edwards, Helen Fernande, and Madison Hamilton.

At first, the AI-generated images reflected biases—Arab men were depicted in stereotypical ways. By refining my approach and omitting racial indicators, I guided the AI to produce a more appropriate representation. It’s crucial to be strategic when creating prompts for AI to avoid cultural misinterpretations.

I couldn't use ane of these images!

Generated after omitting "Arab Man"

The Next Challenge – The YouTube Channel Page

The YouTube channel page presented unexpected challenges and discoveries. Initially, I hesitated to work on it. The feed functioned, and the videos played. What more could I ask for?

The Problem:

The page didn’t meet basic design standards—it lacked appeal and had vulnerabilities. Adding custom styling created conflicts, and the API exposure felt like leaving the keys to my house under the welcome mat. It wasn’t visible to most, but it posed a security risk.

After nine unsuccessful iterations of code, I realized that the custom solution, though bold, wasn’t practical. A simpler approach provided the security and user experience I needed.

The original Youtube Channel Feed

My App Version with CSS styling

The 3rd party app version

What I Learned

Every misstep brought me closer to understanding, even when the path wasn’t straight. The detours led to a deeper mastery of my craft. That’s the essence of growth—learning to navigate both the challenges and breakthroughs.

I recall a time when people wrote checks at grocery stores. Some, especially older generations, resisted change. Eventually, we adapted to debit cards and ATMs. Web design is similar—fluid and ever-changing. If we don’t adapt to new trends, our designs become outdated.

The more I challenge myself, the more I learn, and the better designer I become. Relying solely on drag-and-drop tools limits freedom and control. Learning simple CSS coding opens up new design possibilities:

• Improving page aesthetics.
• Enabling responsive design.
• Adding unique effects.

A Lesson in Adaptation

When Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone, BlackBerry was at its peak. However, BlackBerry’s CEO, Mike Lazaridis, doubled down on physical keyboards, an already outdated feature. When Jobs launched the iPhone, BlackBerry’s reign was essentially over.

Have you ever found yourself deep in a process, or going down a rabbit hole of ideas? I certainly did with this project, learning things I once thought unreachable for a designer.

When designing a YouTube gallery app, troubleshooting the JavaScript code with AI pushed me to my limits. Eventually, I had to accept that a simpler approach was necessary. Although I wanted to design the app independently, time constraints forced me to pivot. Sometimes the most valuable lesson isn’t in the solution but in recognizing when to adapt.

Closing Thoughts

When Steve Jobs left Apple in 1985, many questioned Apple’s future. His departure forced him into unfamiliar territory, but it ultimately led to his transformation of the animation world with Pixar. Similarly, my own technological journey took me places I never anticipated. The detours became opportunities to expand my toolkit and evolve as a designer.

Have you ever had to change course, only to discover new potential on the other side? I’d love to hear how stepping away from the familiar led you to unexpected success.