01 / 06
Sokoto.
Where it started: curiosity, drawing, and taking things apart to see how they work.
(About)
Designer.Engineer.Teacher.
Sokoto, Nigeria · Sokoto
01 / Story
I'm Aliyu Mubarak, a product designer and software engineer from Sokoto, Nigeria. I design and build digital products end to end: the research, the flows, the identity, the interface, and the code that ships it.
I run Starnova Labs, a tech studio making products, brands and digital experiences for startups and institutions, and I teach Software Engineering at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, where I lecture Python programming and software construction. I'm finishing an M.Sc. in Computer Science, specialising in Software Engineering, at Woolf through GMC School of Technology.
The work travels further than I do: clients in Nigeria, Uganda, the United Kingdom and the United States — marketplaces, property platforms, fashion labels and creator tools.
Design and engineering aren't two jobs to me. They're one practice. The medium changes; the goal doesn't: products that feel simple, human and genuinely useful to the people who rely on them.
02 / 06
First pixels.
Discovering design: the first logos, the first interfaces, the first late nights.
03 / 06
B.Sc. Computer Science.
Graduated from Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, having learned to build what I design — and found out I loved both halves.
04 / 06
Starnova Labs.
Founding a studio: products, brands and the teams that make them.
05 / 06
M.Sc., online.
Started a Master's in Computer Science, specialising in Software Engineering, with Woolf through GMC School of Technology.
06 / 06
Teaching.
Lecturing, bootcamps and Kids in Tech, where the next generation builds.
01 / 06
- Sokoto
- First pixels
- B.Sc. Computer Science
- Starnova Labs
- M.Sc., online
- Teaching
- 0Projects featured
- 0Courses taught (COS102, SWE306)
- 0Studio founded
- 0+Years designing
Experience.
- PresentFounder & CEOStarnova LabsA tech studio doing product development, branding and digital work for startups and institutions.
- PresentGraduate Assistant Lecturer, Software EngineeringUsmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto (UDUS)Teaching Python programming (COS102) and software construction (SWE306).
- 2024 – PresentProduct Designer (Freelance / Contract)Hi B Greenbox – Agri-tech PlatformBrand, research, flows and hi-fi product design for a farm marketplace and management platform.
Education.
- 2025 – 2026M.Sc. Computer Science — Software EngineeringWoolf, Valletta, Malta · delivered by GMC School of Technology (GoMyCode), a Woolf member collegeFully online. Enrolled 26 March 2025, expected completion 26 September 2026.
- 2021B.Sc. Computer ScienceUsmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, NigeriaGraduated 2021, and stayed on to teach.
Life lately.
Drag them around. Tap one to take a closer look.
Inspirations.
“Less, but better.”
People
- My studentsEvery “why?” in class makes me explain things more simply.People
- The Starnova Labs teamBuilding with people who care makes the work better.People
Books
- Books on craft & mindsetThe shelf I keep going back to between projects.Books
Places
- SokotoHome. It taught me to build with what's there.Places
Ideas
- Less, but betterRemove everything that doesn't help the person using it.Ideas
- Design is how it worksIf it only looks good, it isn't finished.Ideas
Now.
- Building
Kids in Tech & client platforms at Starnova Labs
Updated Sep 2026 - Teaching
COS102 & SWE306 at UDUS
Updated Sep 2026 - Studying
M.Sc. Computer Science — Software Engineering (Woolf · GMC)
Updated Sep 2026 - Listening
Design and business podcasts
Updated Sep 2026
Toolkit.
- Figma
- Framer
- Illustrator
- Photoshop
- React
- Next.js
- Node.js
- Python
- Tailwind
- Git
- Vercel
- Notion
Product DesignUI / UX DesignBrand Strategy & IdentityDesign SystemsFrontend Engineering (React / Next.js)Full-Stack Web DevelopmentInteraction & Motion DesignPrototyping & Usability TestingUser ResearchCreative DirectionTeaching & Mentorship