Working @ Digit: Elaine Lin, Software Engineer, Onboarding Team
Describe your team’s role at Digit.
I work on the onboarding team at Digit. The onboarding team builds the flows users use to sign up for our products. Onboarding is a critical system because it affects all Digit users. We work hard to make our flow reliable and snazzy so users get a good first impression. Onboarding is also critical for growth and getting new Digit members.
What is one of the most interesting problems your team is trying to solve?
One problem is making sure users get money into Digit. Digit can’t do its job and automate your finances if there’s no money present. We’re working on different ways to fund your account in the onboarding flow. For example, we can have users connect a bank account or encourage them to set up direct deposits.
Walk me through a typical day for you.
Mornings are no-meeting focus time for me. I use this time for focused work i.e. writing code, writing technical documents, reviewing meaty documents. Throughout the day, I check if I can unblock the team. For example, I review code so folks can get their changes out the door, and I pair program to help resolve issues. I have a handful of meetings i.e. 1:1s, document review meetings, company meetings.
What are you currently working on at Digit?
Digit recently got acquired by Oportun, a loan company with affordable loan and credit services. We are working on adding entry points to sign up for Digit in existing Oportun flows. For example, an Oportun user can receive an email with a special Digit promotion. That way, users can benefit from both affordable loans and automated savings.
What are you looking forward to building next?
We plan to replace our rickety in-house feature management system. Incrementally rolling out a feature to existing users requires a multi-day process with eng involvement. I find this very annoying, and I’m excited to replace it. That way, it’ll be quicker and easier to roll out/rollback features. It’ll save a lot of time and frustration.
How is your work at Digit different than other projects you’ve worked on previously?
At Digit, I get to work on a broader range of products and systems. I started out working with credit cards and student loans, and I moved to work on the onboarding flows. I got to learn Go and write backend API wrappers.
There is a better alignment of priorities. We are efficient with our engineering resources and clear about what we want to ship. If you’re working on a project, you’re likely to see it go out the door.
The pace is faster. We automatically deploy our server code many times a day. Engineering, product, and design work in tight feedback loops. We can go from idea conception to deployment in just a few weeks.
What is it like working at Digit? [Culture, events, team building, slack vibes, all hands, demos, ERG meetings, etc.]
Culture
The work-life balance is good. People respect your PTO time and working hours. My manager encourages taking time off and taking care of my mental health.
Folks are collaborative. It is easy to get help on issues. When I first joined Digit, I had a lot of questions about Fintech and vocabulary, and I got a lot of helpful answers. When I worked on Go code for the first time, experienced engineers helped me get started.
Events
We had a 3-day hackathon in collaboration with Oportun. Engineers, product managers, and designers worked together on novel ideas. I enjoyed having space to work on dev tooling and improving development speed.
Teams have social events. While at Digit, I’ve visited a virtual goat farm, putted at mini-golf, and made chocolates. With the pandemic, we’ve gotten good about socializing via Zoom. We’ll play games like Codenames or Pictionary.
What’s your favorite meeting and why?
I run a “Monthly Tech Talks” meeting where engineers can present and share knowledge. It’s a helpful meeting for learning more about new projects, technologies, and ideas. We’ve had people present on Typescript APIs, database configuration, and testing strategies. I like encouraging folks to present their ideas. Public speaking is an important skill, so I’ll help with dry-runs and talk feedback ahead of time.
What’s your favorite slack channel and why?
#dawgz — People post cute dogs.
What was your biggest surprise after joining Digit?
Folks test flows in production. In one case, an engineer sent ~50 internal users each a penny to verify a flow.
What’s been your favorite company or team event?
The Onboarding team had a chocolate-making event. We made chocolate-covered strawberries, dipped Oreos, peanut butter cups, and bear paws. The chocolate was delicious, and they had vegan options!
