When Siranush first stepped into the newly opened TUMO back in 2011, all she wanted was to explore the different learning areas on offer and figure out what she liked most. Fast forward 15 years, and she is now a Senior Product Designer at firebird.ai, a company building the largest AI supercomputer in Armenia and the world. Just like she did 15 years ago, Siranush finds herself at the forefront of innovation.

Below are our 15 questions for Siranush about her TUMO journey, the most important advice she received along the way, and what it’s like working in AI.

1. Siranush, you started attending TUMO in 2011, when it was just opened. What stands out most to you from those early days?

I was 17 at the time. My very first impression was just how technologically advanced TUMO was. It was my first time in an environment like that. As a creative thinker, I was shaped at TUMO and because of TUMO. I am still close with friends I met back then. After my university lectures, I would head straight to TUMO and try to participate in as many courses as possible.

2. How did TUMO shape your approach to creativity, technology, and problem-solving?

TUMO is precisely what shaped my creative mindset in the tech field. At TUMO, they encouraged us to pursue the wildest, most out-of-the-box ideas. When I began specializing, I realized just how valuable that was. You learn to adapt those “wild” ideas to the specific business you are designing for, producing much more effective concepts. That’s how you get ahead of your competitors.

3. You participated in numerous workshops and learning labs at TUMO. Which experience had the biggest impact on your professional path, and why?

Back then, there was an Instagram account called Pastoren (“Turns Out”). I handled all of the design and content creation for it. Davit Margaryan, a TUMO workshop leader and designer, would review the page and offer advice. That was one of the most creative experiences for me. I also attended an intensive learning lab with a visiting screenwriter from abroad, which helped me hone my writing skills. Even though people think designers only create visuals, writing skills proved immensely helpful when crafting copy for my design work.

4. Was there a specific project or workshop at TUMO that made you realize you wanted to dive deeper into design?

There isn’t one single project I can point to, but rather, the environment and the people who motivated me, especially former TUMO Creative Director Aram Gyurmiyashyan and Davit Margaryan. Seeing their work made me want to follow in their footsteps.

5. How did exploring various creative fields at TUMO help you become a more well-rounded product designer?

TUMO taught me to look at things from different perspectives. Creativity is a skill you can cultivate, and TUMO helped me realize that. Design classes, creative writing, and even watching curated movies in the Cinema played a huge role in developing my creative vision.

6. Are there specific skills you developed at TUMO that you still rely on daily?

The single greatest skill I gained at TUMO is knowing how to receive and embrace feedback. Designers often struggle with feedback or requests to revise their work, which leads to frustration with clients. But design isn’t fine art—it’s a business solution, so you shouldn’t take revisions personally. One piece of advice always stuck with me: “Never fall in love with or marry your design, so you can accept constructive feedback objectively.”

7. Product design combines creativity, research, technology, and business goals. Which of these components do you lean toward most, and what drew you in this direction?

I believe every single component is vital; if one is missing, the others suffer. To get the best possible result, all these elements need to work in harmony.

8. What does a typical workday look like for you as senior product designer at firebird.ai?

I’ve been working here since April 2026. In the morning, I hit the gym, and then I either join remotely or head into the office for stand-up meetings. My primary collaboration is with the product owner.

9. How has working in the AI sector influenced your approach to product design?

AI has fundamentally changed how I work and my day-to-day workflow. When I get a new task, I no longer browse through competitor websites to see how they built something. Now, I simply prompt Claude: “Here is my task: I need to design a website for this use case. Tell me what pain points competitors face in similar projects, highlight their strengths and weaknesses, and generate structural concepts based on this.” Claude gives me an answer right away. From there, the real design work begins: refining, tweaking, tailoring to our target audience, and fixing areas where the AI misunderstood the prompt.

10. Could you walk us through the design process of a new feature, from initial concept to final deliverable?

After going through the steps described in the previous question, the actual design work begins. This is where we start refining, adapting, and tailoring the output to our target audience, as well as revising the parts that the AI has misunderstood or interpreted incorrectly. Sometimes, AI can generate an idea in five minutes that would have taken me much longer to come up with on my own.

_{Siranush’s project with Octave, which she worked on continuously for six years.}

11. What unique challenges come with designing for AI-driven products?

Designing for AI is both fascinating and challenging, because it allows you to build deeply adaptive and personalized user experiences. At the same time, the main challenge is presenting those capabilities in a way that feels intuitive, clear, and user-friendly.

12. How do you balance user experience, business objectives, and technical constraints when making design decisions?

It comes down to defining your immediate priority. If the user is the primary priority, business goals and technical constraints take a back seat to ensure the user experience comes first. Other times, technical limitations are rigid, meaning user experience might need a slight compromise. Broadly speaking, business goals don’t suffer because everything is built to serve them. I often present multiple design variations: for instance, showing one option where UX takes a minor hit for technical ease, and another where UX is prioritized.

13. The design landscape has evolved significantly since 2011. What major shifts have you witnessed, and how do you stay ahead of the curve?

The biggest shift has undeniably been AI. I started out with Photoshop, moved on to Sketch, then Figma, and now we are in the era of AI. Tools like Claude are becoming central to our workflow. The only way to adapt is continuous learning. For example, I’m about to start a new course on advanced AI tools to stay competitive in the market.

14. If you could go back in time and give advice to young Siranush as a new TUMO student, what would you say?

I’d tell her, “You’re doing great! Keep it up.”

15. What advice would you give to current TUMO students aspiring to pursue a career in design?

Absorb everything you possibly can from TUMO, because you won’t find an environment with this level of creative freedom anywhere else. TUMO gives you room to experiment. Never set limits for yourself, and always push for more. In the AI era, don’t wait around for someone to come teach you. You have to take charge of your own education, constantly keep learning, and embrace the process. That is the only way to stay competitive.