Hear from the Wix Product Designer who found her expertise through experimentation, and is encouraging emerging designers to do the same.
Tell us about your work: what is your current position?
I’m currently a senior product designer, part of a team in charge of the design of apps installed on user sites. I specifically design the Wix Stores app, and am also a member of the team who builds the design system for these apps.
What was your graduation project and how did it affect your career?
My graduation project was called Brief Editions. It was a concept for a contemporary book publisher that re-releases cultural canons such as “Das Kapital,” in bite-sized formats, and would be easier to consume in our short-attention-span era. Not long afterwards in my career, I co-founded an indie publishing company called “Public School Editions,” which aimed to expose and preserve past and current cultural movements.
What skills/assets did you learn in college that you felt ended up rewarding you the most in finding your first position?
I took in a lot of information, experimented, found out what I was better and worse at, what my interests were, and refined my style and my methodology. I used a lot of this in my first position, but I also keep learning a lot throughout my career.
When you got into the “real world,” what did you look back on in your education and find lacking?
When I first got into the real world I was really shy, avoided any interactions with clients, and stuck to doing my work behind the scenes. Little by little, I came out of my shell and learned these soft skills we didn’t practice in school.
The portfolio interview is a daunting moment—any general tips around etiquette for before, during and after (secret things that people wished were done but maybe usually go unsaid)?
Think about the story you want to tell in advance, highlight the most brilliant elements, and just make sure you’re very clear.
And what’s the most important thing to have/show in a portfolio?
Transparency. Mention your exact role on the project—was it for a real client or a self initiated project? These details are important when we’re surrounded by “fake news.”
How do you usually start working on a project?
After I make sure my brief has no “holes” in it, I start with research. It could be functional, visual, or both. I try to lay it out and get my conclusions, which will help guide me for the rest of the project. It’s always something to go back to whenever I’m stuck or a question arises.
How do you use trends in your work?
I try not to be overly trendy in my work, unless it’s a project that is just for fun, and not something that will have to last a few years.
Professional expertise is something that you know you’re just naturally great at. It isn’t necessarily what you love but what you’re good at. How did you find your own professional expertise?
Throughout my career I worked in almost all the different mediums available, but found that something I excelled at across all my projects was organizing information, and making complex things accessible and clearer to consumers.
The first year after school can be a confusing time. What was it like for you?
It was basically an extension of my studies (I call it my MFA). Right after finishing school I started working with one of my teachers, who I regarded as a professional mentor and learned a lot from.
What's the best advice you've received (and from whom)?
It was from that same mentor. He taught me to avoid design that looks like it was over-worked and complex. If it doesn’t come easy, consumers feel it, and it doesn’t look cool.
What are you working on now?
Working on a concept for making our Wix Stores product page layout more customizable and free for pro-users.
What do you find most useful in your work (research, visuals, softwares, etc.)?
Miro boards, research decks, Notion. Documenting information which I know I’ll forget/lose.
