We chat to Liz about diversity and why IDAGIO is an exciting startup to work at
“One of the most challenging problems facing the technology sector isn’t necessarily a lack of qualified candidates, but rather the high rate of attrition once women and minorities actually enter the workforce.”
Liz moved from London to Berlin to join IDAGIO earlier this year. With her background in frontend development and passion for UX, she’s helping us create an outstanding user experience for anyone trying our product.
You moved to Berlin from London — how did that go?
I knew about three words of German before I got here and despite taking classes, I think I still only know about four. I live in hope that I’ll get better, but at the moment even ordering a drink can be a traumatic experience for all concerned. Apart from that it’s been a pretty smooth transition.
What made you decide to join IDAGIO?
Without sounding too much like I’ve drunk all the Kool Aid, IDAGIO was the first project I came across which actually seemed to address the problems facing the classical music world in the digital economy. Everyone here seemed incredibly passionate and really knowledgeable about how to shape the product — so it was kinda hard to turn down.
What is the most challenging part about being a product designer at IDAGIO?
There’s currently only two of us in the UX team (come join us!), so at times it can be hard to balance the demands of working across several different platforms, teams, and projects simultaneously. That being said, it makes the work super varied and interesting.
How do you think we could reach a good balance in terms of hiring diverse talent?
One of the most challenging problems facing the technology sector isn’t necessarily a lack of qualified candidates, but rather the high rate of attrition once women and minorities actually enter the workforce. If we want IDAGIO to be truly diverse (and we really, really should, because diverse companies perform at least 35% better than homogeneous ones), then we should be devoting at least as much attention to this issue as to the process of hiring.
Women quit for a plethora of reasons, ranging from straight up discrimination, through to not seeing themselves recognised in upper management, to simply getting worn down by being the odd one out in a room. It’s not a case of training us to negotiate better and be more assertive, but getting everyone, especially men and especially leaders, to foster a supportive culture.
It feels like we’re doing a pretty good job at building this so far (from making sure to include female composers in every playlist, right down to our super top secret women of IDAGIO slack channel 👋), but we can and should always do more. There are an incredibly talented bunch of women at IDAGIO, and it would be great to welcome on board lots more.
What’s your relationship with music?
I trained to be a composer, so I guess I spent a lot of my life listening to all the stuff you’re supposed to listen to, and maybe also thinking about it in the way you’re supposed to. Sometime in my late teens I found Bedroom Community and Nonclassical, both of which ended up having a huge impact on how I wrote and thought about music: their artists approach everything differently — from technical considerations like orchestration, right through to distribution and community engagement.
It’s projects like these which really got me interested in how classical music can push forward, and ultimately why IDAGIO was such an exciting product to get involved with.
I think music was also the starting point for my interest in design: working out how to get the sounds in my head into a series of shapes and lines on a page always felt like a really interesting challenge. I’m a big fan of George Crumb — he writes these insanely beautiful graphic scores which aren’t the most fun for a performer to read, but which really push the boundaries of how notation can work.
What makes you get out of bed in the morning?
I’m living in an apartment between a playground and a church at the moment — so unfortunately it’s yelling, followed by lots of bells.
If you could be superhero what would be your superhero power?
The awesome power of A2 level conversational German.
What is the best part about working at IDAGIO?
Secret chocolate stash.
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Would you like to learn more about us? Then click on IDAGIO.com. If you are interested in becoming a part of this journey feel free to check out our open positions.
