How to find patterns and realize dreams
Meet Benny, a UX/UI designer and data visualization specialist with the customer engagement team at VEON. In this interview, he gives insights on the power of patterns, achieving childhood dreams, how data is impacting design work, and more.
When Benny was a young child, he found the architectural plan of his family’s house.
“I was intrigued by measures, and about looking for ways to create something beautiful and comfortable within a space,” says Benny. “I wanted to be an architect.”
Flash forward to today. Benny is a UX/UI designer at VEON. In many ways, his work is still similar to architecture. “Both are about playing with space and positioning, and both depend on patterns,” he states.
For Benny seeing these patterns is important. Because they exist everywhere. During this interview, you’ll hear all about what influences and drives his work at VEON, along with advice on realizing dreams.
You get inspiration from nature and photography. Tell us more.
I feel like there is a relation between everything in the universe. And I get that feeling when looking at nature and photography. In nature, patterns are formed in a way that is aesthetically pleasing. Everything is in rhythm.
I actually have shells and minerals on my desk to remind me of the powerful rhythm of elements and components. My goal in design is to achieve that same rhythm.
How do you apply this idea to what you do?
For instance, I watched a cool documentary on origami. They have folding patterns for different natural elements. There is always a certain ratio to follow. With UI work, I’m always looking at ratios, and trying to implement a pattern to follow.
It’s interesting how it all connects. The Japanese philosophy of origami is tied to natural patterns. There are scientists using origami in map creation, and nature has an influence on origami folding strategies.
Can you tell us more about your career journey?
As a child, I wanted to be an architect. I was always trying to build my dream home! In my teens, I got into technology, and started building computers. I did that for a while, then the internet became big.
So, In my late teens, I started my own design and development company, which I ran for 10 years. I worked with big national brands, which was great. But it was missing an aspect of creativity. From there, I built some startups, but wasn’t too successful.
What kind of startups did you do?
The first was a social media aggregator. We analyzed all sorts of social media data to determine trends. We looked at patterns. When something became different, we knew something had happened. It was really amazing to see just how powerful social media is at spreading information.
Another startup I did was focused on giving people assignments to be completed within a certain time-frame. We played around with influencing your daily routines. It really got people out of their comfort zone.
What did you learn from these startups?
First of all the importance of metrics. Secondly, even though we had good retention, we never really had the right teams. Having the right team and culture is key to innovating, iterating, and building a better product.
What did you do after that?
I freelanced as a product designer. I worked for many big companies and startups. Freelancing showed me how to work with lots of different people and teams, and how to manage stakeholders.
Everyone’s career should include some time freelancing. It’s a way to build skills and network. And you learn what it means to be an entrepreneur. It also opens up opportunities, like a job at VEON!
What made you decide to join VEON?
I am inspired by the journey VEON is taking (from telecom to tech). VEON is committed to hiring top talent and utilizing big data, and the company’s vision aligns with mine. I love the balance of design, metrics, and innovation here.
Who or what inspires you when it comes to the UX world?
I browse on Dribble to see what others are creating. In general, I find apps like Uber inspiring, which is king in terms of the customer journey. Also, Airbnb has great aesthetics.
The work I see in these places reminds me that my team can always do better. We can always improve the customer journey.
What improvements have you made with VEON’s apps?
Working with our customer engagement team and especially on the Veon application, We have improved the navigation model a lot by making it simpler to use. We have been working hard on modifying and optimizing user journeys within the application with the aim of creating meaningful user habits.
How do you see the role of UX and UI evolving in the future?
Designers will not have to make so many assumptions. New ideas will be based off data science, and will be tested for accuracy.
Of course, some worry creativity will be lost. But I counter that concern with the idea that big data is enabling designers to be more focused and user-centric. Moreover, the need for visualization around big data will also grow. Therefore I think a lot of UI/UX designers will move into the space of Data Visualization.
What type of data visualization do you really like outside work?
I like polymaps. There is a cool map at http://cities.human.co/. It shows how people move.
What books and music do you like?
Now I’m actually reading the book, Data Visualisation: A Handbook for Data Driven Design. It is awesome.
But was also really inspired by this one:
Piet Boon and his studio have the ability to perfectly balance functionality, aesthetics and individuality. The patterns are amazing…
Plus, check out:
Creativity is about capturing those moments that make life worth living. Legendary psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi reveals what leads to these moments — be it the excitement of the artist at the easel or the scientist in the lab.
I like all sorts of music. When I’m brainstorming, I like stuff by singer-songwriters. When I’m producing, I like minimal and techno at concern.
Have a listen:
While doing conceptual work and getting into a flow state of mind:
In full focus production mode:
What’s some career advice you have?
Be energetic. Love what you do. Be curious about everything — and challenge everything. Don’t love what you create; figure out how to make it better.
If you’re applying to VEON, my advice is to want a challenge, be detail-oriented, and be customer-centric. At VEON, we are engaging with all sorts of customers across emerging and mature markets. We are trying to create a single app. This requires us to challenge everything.
Benny’s journey to VEON has been incredible. You can take a lot from his story and insights.
If you want to realize your dreams, just know that you have to stay energetic and curious, and see the patterns. Because if you are to create something great, everything must be in rhythm — including your ambition and your motivation.
Wan’t to be informed around the design opportunities within VEON? Connect with Benny on LinkedIn and apply here
and a bit more music below for after work relaxation….
