Kate McLeary is no stranger to TD. A talented, recent graduate from the University of Waterloo Stratford School of Interaction Design, she studied in the Global Business and Digital Arts (GBDA) program. During her time in GBDA, Kate had the opportunity to participate in a number of co-op terms, one of which was at TD Lab in the Spring of 2018. After completing her program in April, Kate joined the bank in a full-time role as a Product Designer in Toronto, Ontario. We took some time to chat with Kate to learn more about her co-op at TD Lab, and her experience thus far starting her career with TD.
TD: You’ve worked in multiple lines of business at TD. Tell me a bit about each of your roles and what made each experience different.
Kate McLeary (KM): My first role at TD was in the Spring of 2018 with the innovation Lab in Kitchener at Communitech, where I was brought on as a UX/UI Design co-op. I was paired with a full-time UX Designer who I worked with throughout the four-month term on a proof of concept using a user-centered design thinking approach. Last September, I returned to TD, hired on full-time by the Enterprise Architecture (EA) team as a Product Designer. The EA team has been working on an engagement to build a product for TD, which has been a great learning experience thus far.
TD: In your role at TD Lab as a UX/UI Designer, you worked on a variety of tasks supporting multiple projects for one of the more visible innovation teams at TD. Tell me some of your highlights from that experience.
KM: Some of my favourite tasks and placement highlights from my time with the Lab are:
- Mapping and learning the flow of the products we would be working on. These particular exercises have been fundamental to building my understanding around the different lines of businesses and teams in the bank.
- Conducting user research and interviews to properly understand pain points (of the customer experience). This is because it taught me how to ask questions without leading the user to a particular answer, and how to ruthlessly prioritize the most valuable problems.
- Collaboration with senior designers to create mockups, designs and learn from their experiences. This was beneficial for my growth as a designer because it has helped me implement some of their practices in my own work.
TD: Did your placement at TD Lab shape your understanding of the types of roles you were looking for after graduation? What are some of the key takeaways that you have brought with you?
KM: By the time I arrived at TD Lab, it was my third design co-op. The combination of my design centered co-op terms, along with my undergraduate degree, which specialized in design, helped me determine that I wanted to pursue this as a career after graduation. The TD Lab co-op, specifically, was my first time working closely with developers and business analysts (as well as other designers). I enjoyed this type of collaboration and it was a key incentive for me to find a similar work environment when applying to full-time roles.
TD: What was the process like applying to a role at TD after graduation?
KM: It was a bit unique, as it actually started halfway through my co-op term with TD Lab. I connected with the outreach coordinator at the Lab to express my interest in applying for a full-time role. Through a networking session that took place towards the end of the term, I connected with a member of the Campus Recruitment team in Toronto, who reviewed my resume and portfolio, and encouraged me to apply to the role I am in now. After the initial application, there was a three stage interview process starting with the product owner, who I spoke to about my experience and expertise to determine if I was a good fit for the team. The second interview was a design challenge, conducted by the Product Designer at Pivotal Labs. This is who I am paired with currently, and will continue to work with for the duration of TD’s engagement with Pivotal. The final interview took place with TD’s development team, to provide more details on how my design skills would compliment products from a development perspective and if they aligned with helping the team success toward their goals. It may seem like a lot of rounds of interviews, but it made the team, as well as me, feel like we were a good fit culturally and for my skill set.
TD: What are you doing now in your role?
KM: As a Product Designer, my day-to-day activities consist of collaborating with Developers and Project Managers as a part of a balanced product team. My role includes but is not limited to: conducting user interviews, working on iterative pieces of design work, leading design critiques and sketching exercises. As a Product Designer, my goal is to speak on behalf of the user and help my team implement and validate a user-centered design process, to enable the best user experience of the product.
TD: Anything else you would like to share about your time at TD Lab or currently with TD as a full-time employee?
KM: I feel that my co-op term at TD Lab was specially shaped by its location of being in Communitech. I found that the Communitech innovation hub fostered growth and collaboration for co-ops to not only expand their network but also challenge themselves to step outside their comfort zone. I would definitely encourage other co-ops to take advantage of this fantastic space, and all that events held by TD Lab and Communitech. There are many opportunities to connect with people from other labs, departments and area groups to see what is out there in terms of future careers and learning resources.
TD: Do you have any advice for future co-op employees at TD Lab? What would you have liked to know?
KM: My three pieces of advice would be:
- Treat everything as a learning opportunity. Each team member will be able to share different processes, knowledge, and skills that you can apply to future projects. This co-op term let me practice my presentation skills, which has helped me greatly in my current role.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for and receive constructive feedback and critiques on your work. In my experience, it has helped me learn how to properly accept and implement the feedback I receive and how to improve on future iterations.
- My third piece of advice goes hand in with this, which is ask questions. As a co-op, I recognized that I still have a lot to learn. Asking coworkers and peers questions on how I could improve, allowed me to set achievable goals for myself. Reflecting on my term with TD Lab, it was a very positive experience thanks to the dedicated full-time team who were not only supportive but encouraged me to explore different paths.
We cannot thank Kate enough for taking the time to share her TD Lab and current TD experience with us. To learn more about TD Lab please follow us on Twitter (@tdlab) and on Instagram (@TDLab_).
