What did Annika do before UX design?

Game development for Pikku Kakkonen, graphic design studies, 3D modeling, and university in South Korea. The path to UX went through many fields, which became a strength: a broader background makes a more versatile UX designer.

What is it like to study in South Korea?

South Korean study culture is far more intense than in Finland. Investing in school is a collective norm, and pressure is high. Annika describes how that experience shaped her attitude to craft and competence.

Can you become a UX designer through an unlikely path?

Wrong exams, different fields, and international study can lead to surprising places. Each step, games, graphics, 3D, built skills UX needs. The right fit often shows up around a corner, not on a straight line.

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Career Story: From Pikku Kakkonen to Korea to UX Designer

10 March 2026

This episode is in Finnish. The video below is the original recording; this page provides an English summary for easier reading.

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Summary

Annika’s path into UX: children’s TV, South Korea, graphic design, 3D, and how an unlikely route became an asset at The Good Side.

About The Good Side in this episode

Annika Tuominen is a designer at The Good Side with a wider background than UX alone: game development, graphic design, 3D modeling, and studies in South Korea before UX, and eventually TGS. That breadth helps her understand makers as well as users.

Key discussion points

From Pikku Kakkonen game development to UX designer: unlikely in advance, logical in hindsight
Failed entrance exams steer life more than perfect plans
South Korean study culture is another planet: intensity, pressure, and collectivism
3D and graphic background made the move into UX deeper than coming straight from school
Interview prep from scratch when a career pivot means selling yourself in a new context
Landing at The Good Side was not luck; it was years of learning compounding

Questions & answers

What did Annika do before UX design?: Game development for Pikku Kakkonen, graphic design studies, 3D modeling, and university in South Korea. The path to UX went through many fields, which became a strength: a broader background makes a more versatile UX designer.
What is it like to study in South Korea?: South Korean study culture is far more intense than in Finland. Investing in school is a collective norm, and pressure is high. Annika describes how that experience shaped her attitude to craft and competence.
Can you become a UX designer through an unlikely path?: Wrong exams, different fields, and international study can lead to surprising places. Each step, games, graphics, 3D, built skills UX needs. The right fit often shows up around a corner, not on a straight line.

Topics: UX career story, Annika Tuominen, Pikku Kakkonen, South Korea studies, game development, 3D modeling, graphic design, The Good Side, Behind the Pixels, design career path

Career Story: From Pikku Kakkonen to Korea to UX Designer | Pikselien Takana | The Good Side