"I don't know, but I can figure it out" - how being boldly annoying led to design engineering at Mintlify
Founder of lucide-animated.com (6.1k star on Github!) & helpy-ui.com. Design engineer at Mintlify.
How are you?
Good. Took a few days off on Christmas holidays and now back to work.
You started posting actively on 𝕏 in May 2024 - what prompted you to start sharing your work and thoughts publicly?
To be honest, before I started posting, I had a completely different opinion of Twitter. I only saw the “general” side of it, which can be a pretty toxic place to hang out in. I didn’t know the tech side even existed.
One day, after watching @theo streams, I checked out his profile. That was the moment I realized there was a “different” side of Twitter - a normal, productive one. I created an account but didn’t post anything at first; I was just watching and learning from others.
The real turning point was finding @emilkowalski and his course. In the course, he talked about why it’s so important to share what you’re building. That was literally the starting point for everything. I decided right then to post all my UI experiments while I was learning design engineering, mainly to get feedback from people who were into the same stuff.
Over time, I started finding my own style and figuring out what works, and that journey is what keeps me going today.
Thanks to Twitter, I’ve met a ton of amazing people and it actually landed me a few jobs. It has basically become my main social platform to hang out in for the last couple of years.
What’s the story behind getting into coding? What drew you to it initially, and was there a defining moment that made you commit to it?
It was a completely random decision. I was 13, hanging out with friends on a weekend, and there was this guy who needed a simple landing page for a client. He came up to me and asked, “I heard you make websites, want to work?”
The truth was, I didn’t make websites at all. I could barely code a single button in HTML and color it red. I didn’t even know what JavaScript was. But I was curious and I needed the money, so I just said “yes” and didn’t sleep that night - I was busy Googling how to actually build a site. That’s how I discovered WordPress and Elementor, and it all just clicked. I realized you could build things fast.
That first project turned that guy into a close friend, and we spent the next three years hunting for every freelance gig possible. We did everything: sites for tiny villages of 1000 people just because someone wanted to preserve their history, sites for traffic rules, and endless construction or apartment rental pages. I got so deep into the WordPress ecosystem that I even ended up managing a site for a local psychologist - a job I got by randomly cold-messaging a phone number I found somewhere on the internet. We’d go weeks without a gig, then find a few and just grind until they were done. It was a blast, for a kid in school who just needed some pocket money, it was more than enough.
Eventually, I started hitting the limits of WordPress and moved into HTML/CSS and then JavaScript. I even had to deal with jQuery because of Tilda, which made me realize I liked coding way more than just assembling blocks. Then one day, I randomly saw a React tutorial on YouTube. I had no idea what it was, but I liked the name and the logo, so I clicked. Right then, I knew that was it - the syntax just felt right.
When I went looking for my first full-time job, the junior market was a nightmare. I was getting rejected by everyone. Then one day, I woke up to an email from a co-founder of a small agency who messaged me first. It was surreal - usually only seniors get reached out to like that. I went to their office for an interview, sat across from the lead dev, and was terrified. Honestly, looking back, I wouldn’t have hired myself. I was so shaky on the theory. But a week later, they offered me $300 a month. I couldn’t believe it.
After that, my career was a series of lucky breaks and being “boldly annoying.” One company closed, and I was literally handed off to another through a connection. Another time, I got laid off right before Christmas without a real explanation. I sat without a job all winter until I saw a company on LinkedIn with a cool logo. They had no vacancies, but I just emailed the CEO: “Hire me, I’m a great specialist.” He actually replied, saying a role was opening soon, and gave me an offer (though that startup closed 3 months later, lol).
For my next role, I didn’t just send an email - I created a whole Notion doc auditing their platform and showing exactly what I would fix to make it better. I sent that to the CEO, we talked, and I stayed there for two years as the solo dev while starting my Twitter and trying to run an agency on the side.
Looking back, so much of this was just pure luck and the audacity to message anyone. I was never afraid to knock on any door if I knew I could bring value. I think that’s what really made the journey what it is today.
What’s your path of learning coding? Was it clear from the beginning or did you feel a bit lost and overwhelmed by all the resources that are out there?
When I started learning React, there were already tons of resources. I wasn’t overwhelmed by them; I was just absorbing every bit of information I could. I even watched videos in Hindi (I don’t know Hindi, but the videos were cool though). Then I found a course that I decided to buy – the only course I bought at that time. I finished it without any practice, just watching the lessons and tried to build something. Spoiler: It went bad, and I almost burnt out. Then I got furious at myself and decided that I’m not going to sleep until I finish this freaking weather app. And I did it, around 7 am. After that, I rewatched the course, but this time I actually opened VSCode and practiced.
From there on, it was just practice. New job, new tasks, new experiences. My motto was (and still is):
“I don’t know, but I can figure it out.”
Why did you decide to focus on design engineering specifically, blending design and code?
Throughout my career, I’ve worked as both a frontend and a full-stack developer, but I never truly felt “at home.” I never had a real passion for the backend - I did it because it had to be done and it wasn’t overly complicated to maintain existing code, but it always felt like something was missing.
I even tried to cross over into pure design by working in Figma, but I’d burn out every time. I found it incredibly frustrating when I couldn’t visually translate what was in my head, yet I still felt that this “visual” side was where I belonged.
Then one day, I discovered the term “design engineering,” and everything finally clicked. I realized that this was the part of the frontend I was actually obsessed with. It started with animations because they caught my interest first, but now it’s grown into something much deeper.
For me, design engineering is simply about the fact that I care. I care about every single pixel and whether it “feels” right. I care about accessibility and making sure the logic is correct so that the end user experiences exactly what they expect. It’s the perfect middle ground - using code not just to make things work, but to make them feel intentional.
How has that path shaped your career so far?
The best decision I’ve ever made is to be annoying. I’m here just because I was not afraid to ask a lot of stupid questions. If there is a choice of “yes/no,” I always choose yes. If I fail, I get back to square one with good experience. If I succeed, good for me.
For people who would like to become design engineers - what’s the best path to take?
Just do it. Do what feels right. There is no “right” path to becoming a design engineer. Learn as much as you can, share your work, listen to feedback (but analyze it), and continue building.
Joining Mintlify in 2025 was a highlight for you, calling it the best team and place - why are you so dedicated to it, and how has it changed your approach to work?
I think I finally found the match I was looking for. Mintlify has the same vision I do - we care. In my previous jobs, many ideas I proposed were rejected because they were not considered important enough: “There is no point in spending 4 hours building something only 4 people will notice.” This is not how it works at Mintlify. It’s important that we notice, and I love it.
The team is great and is actually a team. We are all responsible for everything; someone will always be there for you to help or to guide.
What’s been the biggest frustration in your career, and how has it influenced your approach to work and life? / What’s one failure in your journey that taught you the most about yourself?
Once I was working on a personal project which later was killed by my overthinking. I thought that everything should be perfect and polished from day one, and I got sucked into a rabbit hole of doing something and then redoing it again and again.
Now I know that there is no rush. Everything should be perfect and polished, but I can do it later after the launch. It also works for my daily life - I take time, I’m trying not to be harsh on myself. I let myself make mistakes, acknowledge them, and then fix them without freaking out.
Are you proud of yourself?
Everyone says I should be proud of myself, but I’m kinda in the middle. When comparing myself with me 5 years ago, I do feel proud, but I think I can always do better.
What’s your biggest fear about the future?
That my microwave will kill me because I was angry at Claude a lot lol.
To be honest, I don’t really have any fears about the future. I just go with the flow. Whatever happens, happens, and I’ll figure it out (there is a war in my country, what can be worse lol)
Is design engineering something you’d like to do for the rest of your life, or do you have other dreams?
For now, design engineering is what I’m passionate about. Maybe a day will come when I change my opinion, but I don’t think about it much.
Sometimes I dream about opening a bar, but I see myself coding there while drinking a whisky sour.
What’s the most important thing for you in life, beyond code and design?
Honestly, just being happy and comfortable.
Do you think you have a proper work-life balance, especially with side projects?
My girlfriend says no, actually screaming no, but I think I do. I love what I do and I love to spend time doing it. I realize that sometimes it takes too much time, but I always try to balance. If I spend a Saturday working, I’ll spend a Monday playing board games.
How much time do you spend in front of your computer?
A lot. When I’m not, I try to be constantly online in case there is something urgent. Last year was actually the first time I went on a real vacation and didn’t open my laptop for a whole week.
What’s you plan for 2026?
To live until 2027. As I said, I go with the flow.
How do you stay motivated during tough times, like job transitions or burnout?
Switch my focus to side projects or just something fun. If there has been something I wanted to build for a long time but didn’t have time for it - I do it. That helps me to rest.
What’s a hobby you don’t share on 𝕏?
I have 31 board games. I’m an engineer and I like to play board games, so unexpected.
What’s a habit you’ve built that has helped your personal and professional growth the most?
Never say no to the opportunity and go to the gym.
What’s a small daily win that makes you feel happy and grounded?
Waking up earlier than 10am.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
Watching 3 hours long videos of people playing games like where you have to pick up leaves one by one or mowing the lawn.
Check Dmytro stuff:
→ Beautiful animated icons
→ His personal website with some crazy good work samples
Thank you!
This journey helped me to fixate on this path honestly. After being confused for a long time, I decided to pursue this and try to get extremely good at it. Thanks Dmytro for sharing this story.
Very much inspired by the story. I am in the same path started as a full stack one year ago got 2 projects but now I am more interested in learning frontend and design engineering for last couple of months.
Will not say have improved a lot but slowly slowly tying but not get enough attraction on the social media which makes me very sad soemtimes.
Lets see how this goes..