Lyte’s Anna Ogorodnikova on working in Belarus, analyzing data, and making a very cool avocado-shaped plate
Anna Ogorodnikova is a polymath who can sit down and create a stunning plate or vase after spending all day analyzing data that would overwhelm most of us. She is one of those renaissance people who are interested in a lot of things that they also are really, really good at.
Solving complex problems is Anna’s passion. Art is her outlet.
“When I perform lots of analytic tasks during the day, by the end of it my head and mind ask me to stop and relax,” Anna says. “That became clear to me when a friend invited me to a ceramics modeling class. We made avocado plates that day and the four hours spent there were absolutely magical for me. Now I’m totally in love with it.”
Anna is a Lyte Product Analyst, based in our Minsk, Belarus office. Here, Anna talks about improving the fan experience online, her awesome taste in movies, creating art to relax, and the book she recommends to everyone. Read on.
Maggie: Tell us about your position at Lyte.
Anna: I am a Product Analyst. That means I analyze user behavior on Lyte’s website and do my best to find some tricks to make our conversions higher. For example, now I run some A/B tests to understand if our sell submission timer has an impact on users. Do they sell tickets faster when they see it or not? The information I collect helps us make the experience better for everyone who visits Lyte.com.
Maggie: How did you come to us?
Anna: I had known Sasha (Sotnik, a Lyte Product Manager) for some time. She invited me for coffee in August to talk about analytics. At that moment, I thought that it was just coffee with a friend, but I still checked Lyte’s website and wrote down some advice about Google analytics and an ecommerce module for tracking monetization. During the meeting, she and Eugene (Podgorny, a Lyte Senior UI/UX Designer) shared with me some analytic concerns – and for me they became an exciting challenge. That challenge made me a part of Lyte.
Maggie: What do you like best about Lyte?
Anna: Oh, that is a good question! First of all is that Lyte is very dynamic. We can find a pain point, analyze it, make a decision, and in a week or earlier we have already settled it! It’s really awesome.
The second one is people. My colleagues are very empathetic, proactive, and try to deliver as much value to people who use our product as possible.
The third one is self-responsibility. For me, it’s important not to spend all my working hours trying to agree with lots of stakeholders on a decision. I know the company’s goals and I’m free to take steps and be proactive to help the team meet and exceed those goals.
Maggie: Where were you working before you came to Lyte?
Anna: I was a co-founder of an analytic startup. We provided B2B companies with reports about the ad sources of incoming phone calls. It helped them to reallocate their marketing budgets and use only those advertising channels that worked well for their companies.
I also collaborated as a guest speaker with the Innovative Business Promotion Society and held lectures about marketing analytics for startups, co-founders and entrepreneurs.
Maggie: What is it like working for Lyte when you are in Minsk?
Anna: It’s like living in two worlds! But these two worlds make me work faster and it’s super cool. Plus, sometimes I like analyzing and comparing (in a good sense!) my Minsk and San Francisco colleagues because we really have some cultural differences. At first, I was only told about them during my English classes and then they sounded like American stereotypes. For me it’s so amazing to be able to notice something like this in real life!
Maggie: Do you like to go to concerts?
Anna: Unfortunately — and maybe it sounds crazy — I’m not an avid concert fan! I prefer movies more. “Star Wars,” “The Lord of the Rings,” “Harry Potter,” “Batman.” I could go on and on about my favorites! Maybe one day I’ll visit Comic Con!
Maggie: Tell me about yourself. What do you do when you’re not working at Lyte?
Anna: I was born in Minsk and have spent most of my life here. During my educational years, I always was interested in math and economic disciplines. I finished math school, studied business administration in university, and earned my master’s degree in international economy. So even then I felt analytics would be a big part of my life!
In my free time I do ceramic modeling — plates, mugs, bowls. My favorite things to make are plates of all kinds, forms and colors. I even have a board in Pinterest devoted exactly to plates!
I’ll be happy to create something for my colleagues if they message me in Slack!
I also enjoy morning yoga, walking, and running half marathons. You often can find me reading a book — not only books about analytics, but also fiction, psychology, or healthcare. My favorite book is ‘Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It’ by Christopher Voss. I recommend it constantly. The book is about different negotiation techniques. And don’t think that the book is not for you because you are not a sales manager! We all use different types of negotiation during the day, whether it’s with friends, spouses, children, or an employer. The book is useful for everybody. I like it because it’s full of practical material and examples that really work.
Another hobby of mine is traveling! I’m a passionate lover of Italy. Last year I spent two weeks on an Italian farm as a volunteer helping to grow tomatoes and feeding horses. I went hiking in the mountains in my spare time. For this year I have a new big goal to visit India because of its yogis and its culture.
I’m completely a dog lover and hope that one day we will have a dog in the Minsk office!
About Lyte
Lyte’s mission is to fill every seat and make ticketing delightful, making it easier for fans to attend more events. In an industry where a “no refunds and no cancellations” policy is the standard, Lyte enables fans to return their event tickets, no questions asked, to the official point of purchase. Lyte also provides a safe and official reservation booking system, offering fans who sign up a fair price for in-demand tickets. Lyte has delivered well over $10 million in fan savings since inception. One hundred percent of the tickets bought and sold through Lyte are issued through ticketing partners and delivered directly to fans with no chance of being fraudulent. Visit lyte.com.
