Meet Cochl’s Team: Nabila Sindi, UX/UI designer
Q. Could you briefly introduce yourself, please?
Hi everyone, My name is Nabila and I recently joined Cochl as a UX/UI designer. Before joining Cochl, I was a university student majoring in Computer Science and Industrial Design at KAIST. I had a lot of interest in AI infused product design so that led me to step forward to the AI startup scene. In my free time, I like drawing, listening to music and exploring new cafes around me. My favorite menu item is a vanilla latte. If we have some time to catch up, let’s try a vanilla latte together!
Q. Why did you choose to become a UX/UI designer? Did anything influence your decision to pursue this field?
Many people have asked similar questions. In their point of view, I double majored in computer science, so many assumed I would pursue a career as a developer. However, as a designer with a technical background, I find that my knowledge in computer science makes it easier for me to utilize design effectively. At a rapid speed, the landscape of AI and ML is expanding. There are tons of AI-infused products, and as a UX/UI designer, I can guide people to use these products wisely and help them be more effective.
Q. What are your specific responsibilities on Cochl’s design team?
Nowadays, I’m focusing on data visualization. In the 1st quarter, I managed web analytics design work, and with Tom and Joseph, we updated the dashboard and the main statistics page. We especially focused on making it easier for users to interpret many data easier and check the results at a glance.
From now on, I”ll be working on app analytics design with Quentin, and since I’m new to visualizing data in apps, I have to study more. Sometimes, a sudden project pops up because our product itself is expanding its boundaries right now. I also spend some time creating more visual designs, such as newsletters, key visuals for events, and posters.
Q. What led you to join Cochl?
As I mentioned before, I had a strong interest in the AI field and had experiences in areas such as speech to text, text generation, and computer vision, but sound AI was new territory for me. This realization made me imagine the tremendous potential for growth in this field and piqued my interest ever further.
Additionally, what attracted me to the company was its culture. During the interview process and while researching the company background on platforms like Cochl’s Medium page and LinkedIn posts, I could sense that this company genuinely cares about its people.
The interview with YC had a welcoming vibe, which further solidified my decision to join this company.
Q. What are your goals for this quarter and for 2023?
Right now, I’m mainly doing interface design focusing on layout and user flow. However, I want to increase the fidelity in my designs, such as with animations or 3D models, and overall better color design. Which is why I want to learn how to create higher fidelity designs through learning CSS (styling), Javascript animation and interaction libraries, and so on! Hopefully by doing so I could create more stunning and fun designs.
Q. How was your experience of onboarding at Cochl when you first joined the company?
Due to my personal reasons, I only spent my first week in Korea and had to go back to my home country for a while. Based on my first-week offline, I remember everyone coming up to me to introduce themselves. “Ah! you’re the new person!” It made me realize how friendly the overall atmosphere at the company is.
When I went back home and started doing full-time work online alone, I felt quite isolated at first. However, the online Google Chat was pretty active. Even though I had to work far away from everyone and in a different time zone, a lot of conversations among coworkers happened online, so I could still feel the overall fun and welcoming atmosphere of the company.
On the other hand, one thing that was tough at the beginning was adjusting to working with Hyojeong, another designer who works in the U.S. To work with her effectively, I had to wake up really early, but now I’m used to doing that. Also, I’m actually very grateful for that because it forced me to become a morning person.
Q. If a new member joined the design team, what advice would you give them to succeed at Cochl?
To be proactive! As our product line expands, everyone is expected to take ownership and collaborate with different teams. Therefore, multiple projects are running simultaneously, and the deadlines can vary from short to very long. Certain projects have frequent iterations, so we should be open to working with more people and communicate more often.
Sometimes, what we design can’t be implemented 100% at once. In that case, don’t be disheartened; instead, be open to discussing it with others. By doing so, we can deliver what we want to achieve and strike a balance between what we can actually implement and what we can’t. This kind of communication may seem a bit challenging, but we all agree that it creates better working conditions. So let’s be open to meeting and collaborating with everyone!
Q. How would you describe your work style?
I prefer to use checklists. Personally, I use Notion to manage the tasks I need to work on, writing down the things I should do and their deadlines. Depending on the volume of each task, I manage my schedule every day.
I try to give myself earlier deadlines because it gives me time to review and improve my work. There is no 100% correct answer in design. One day, I may feel my design work is excellent, but 30 minutes later, I may notice something wrong. Designers need to evaluate their work from various perspectives. It should be artistic but also consider usability. We need to continuously improve our work, so having a tight schedule and allocating time for improvements are necessary.
Q. What was your most memorable event at Cochl?
During my first week on a Friday, I didn’t realize that most of the team members worked from home. Unfortunately, I had forgotten to bring my entrance card with me, and as a result, I couldn’t access my belonging locked inside the office. I started to panic a bit, but luckily, another team member arrived at the office and saved me from my predicament. I will never forget that day!
Q. What kind of people would be interested in joining Cochl?
Compared to other fields in the AI scene, Sound AI seems quite a young field. It means that there are unveiled things that you can do and it’s full of things waiting for you to explore.
People who enjoy diverse environments will love our company because every team member is unique, and their personalities shine brightly.
We have a pretty flexible schedule, so it’s easy to fall into the trap of being too relaxed. However, if you are someone who is very disciplined and ready to deliver things on time, then you can enjoy the freedom together.
Q. One last word you want to say to readers?
It’s very easy to get lost in what others are doing, but if you keep following what you’re passionate about and trust your gut, I’m sure it will lead you to great things and great people.
