#WCW May with Cheryl Gillis
Welcome, Cheryl! We are honored to have you as our May guest on Ladies That UX Boston!
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Hello! I’m Cheryl, and I’m a Senior Product Designer at CloudHealth Technologies. At CHT, I work with an amazing team of designers where we get to dig deep into some complex technical problems and work directly with customers on all aspects of cloud management. When I’m not living my design life, I’m living my Mom life and chasing after 2 little girls at home.
How did you get involved in the tech industry?
I’ve always had a passion for all things tech and dove into the industry with a small event management startup called Attend, Inc. At the time I was working as the sole UX designer in the company — not ideal, but it was a great experience being able to get my hands dirty by doing everything.
How do you define UX in your current role?
A lot of people think of UX as UI and usability, and they’re not wrong, but it’s not just about that. I always like to think that it’s my job as a UX designer to make the user’s job easier, better, faster, etc. If we’re not solving a real problem for the user, then what are we doing?
What do you love the most about your job?
My team…hands down! I work with a dream-team of designers at CloudHealth. Everyone on the team has different strengths that we try to leverage when working together to solve design problems. In order to always be improving, it’s so important as designers to be working with people that you can learn from.
What is the hardest part about your job?
Working in the cloud industry is awesome, but it can definitely be a challenge. The technology is changing so quickly and sometimes it’s hard to keep up with those changes for our users. For example, Amazon Web Services came out with over 1,300 new services, announcements, and updates just in 2017. Totally insane! That being said, I came into this job with zero prior cloud experience, and recently became certified as an AWS Cloud Practitioner. Always learning!
Any challenges that keep you up at night?
I’m always evaluating my priorities. I want to make sure I’m dedicating my time appropriately when it makes sense. Being a working Mom is not always easy, and I’ve discovered that there’s really no such thing as balance. When you give everything equal attention, everything is just mediocre. So I’ve found it’s important to constantly be re-prioritizing, tipping the balance, and focusing my time on my current top priorities to get the results I want.
Is there a new tool or technique you could not live without to get you through your work day?
I’ve recently started using Webflow, and I love it! It’s basically a responsive web design tool that really brings your designs to life. It’s a step above an InVision prototype and closer to portraying a real interactive experience for users. We’re currently building out our design system using Webflow.
In your opinion, what is the key ingredient to designing successful products?
Well, the opposite of failure is doing nothing. As designers, we need to be ok with failing. If you want to design competitive and successful products, you’re not going to get there without a willingness to fail. The faster you can fail, the better.
Also, since we’re talking ingredients…it should be said that there’s always a recipe for success when you combine Product, Design, and Engineering. When these 3 groups are all collaborating on a project, that’s where the magic happens.
What’s the biggest career advice you’ve ever gotten?
Always believe that you’re in your dream job, today. It’s important to set goals for yourself and think about where you want to be, but we should live and work in the now. Once you switch your mindset and actually believe that you are in your dream job, you’ll shine, you’ll take ownership and pride in everything you’re doing, you’ll naturally become a leader, and you’ll feel empowered to go above and beyond. Embrace the position you are in today and you’ll do great things.
What advice would you give to our fellow UX designers who are more junior and could benefit from mentorship?
Attend the meetups! Go to any UX meetups you can find! These are great for education, networking, and discovering new opportunities. It’s seriously a no-brainer. Boston has such a great UX community!
How did you hear about Ladies That UX and how long have you been a member?
I got involved with Ladies that UX a few years ago when a friend mentioned the organization as something I may be interested in. I started attending their events and networking with some great women that helped me get to where I needed to be.
Favorite brunch spot in the area?
What’s brunch? ;) But seriously, one minute you’re cool and having avocado toast and mimosas with friends, and the next you’re making Mickey Mouse pancakes at 6AM on Saturday. I wouldn’t have it any other way! #momlife :)
Thanks for sharing your story, Cheryl!
Follow Cheryl on Twitter @cherylagillis
