I’m a senior UX researcher at Microsoft. Here’s how I broke into AI without a tech background — and 3 lessons I learned.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Priyanka Kuvalekar, a 31-year-old UX research lead at Microsoft in Redmond, Washington. It’s been edited for length and clarity.

I joined Microsoft in April 2025 as a senior UX researcher. I lead research for Microsoft Teams Calling and related AI experiences.

My path to this job wasn’t typical. I spent five years studying architecture in college, not computer science or AI, and earned my degree in India.

I started my career with a full-time internship as a junior architect while completing the final year of my degree. After I graduated, I began thinking seriously about my next steps. Should I continue as an architect or pivot into the digital world?

I decided to make the pivot

I enrolled in a three-month user experience course, which led me to pursue a master’s degree in user experience and interaction design.