I’ve spent my life not fitting into any group, and then when it comes to work, they want me to be a cultural fit, whatever that means. I am queer, working class, and a migrant. When it comes to work, I rarely find people like me in the same room, especially now that I am […]
Great design isn’t pixel perfect
I am a perfectionist, and I admit that. Is this my best or worst quality? Maybe it’s both. It’s a trait that defines a lot of who I am, not only professionally, but also personally. There’s a sense of validation that comes when you get something done to perfection that everyone enjoys. However, how far […]
Just before the end of the year, I worked closer to marketing and sales teams, crafting pitch decks for potential clients. This is not the core job of a product designer in tech, but it does happen, especially when you are in a startup, and to be honest, I find it incredibly useful. As designers, […]
No one cares about your app, and this is why
Last week, I was having lunch IRL with some colleagues, and we ended up talking about our previous jobs. It made me remember when I worked as a Learning Designer for a large UK retailer designing staff apps. A time when I regularly visited shops to talk to staff, learn from them and observe how […]
This is why you should run field studies
At the beginning of the year, I embarked on a new challenge in my job: creating a new product from scratch. It felt a bit like a sculpture in front of a block of marble. That block can be anything. In the same way, the artist sees something in that block and, bit by bit, […]
Design critiques are important for teams’ growth
There’s nothing worse than people looking over your shoulder at your work and commenting on the designs open on the screen. If you are a designer, you know the feeling and have experienced it at least once in your career. From your manager or colleagues having a sneak peek at your designs and commenting when […]
Making an impact as a design leader
Design leaders have asked me how I measure the impact of my job, which prompted me to reflect on my work as Head of Design. Every leader strives to make an impact, and I’m no exception. We often equate results with what we ship, but the concept of “done” as a leader isn’t as simple […]