Let us introduce ourselves… We’re the Voices design team!

Although we’re small, we are a mighty team of four. Each of us comes from different backgrounds and have unique experiences we’d like to share. Design is such a specialized profession that no two paths are the same. We want to be able to give a glimpse into what we do, how we work and share our ‘why’. In this article you’ll hear from Julie, Nancy, Nicole and Becca as we answer Q&A style questions.

Q: What’s your design origin story? How did you get into design?

Julie: When in high school, I was introduced to a communication technology class and fell in love with design and computers. In that class I was introduced to Photoshop elements 7 (not to date myself) and when I found out that you could have a job using it, I was sold. My first job in the industry was at a digital marketing agency and during that time I discovered the world of UX. I started to focus more on user experience when designing and realized it bridged a gap for me. I had always struggled with wanting to know more about who was interacting with my designs. I really wanted to solve their problems rather than just making the design visually appealing. I eventually landed in product design and haven’t looked back.

Nancy: Growing up I was always into the arts and got into digital design in high school, but I never understood the career path for design. This was the main reason why I decided to go into media studies at university, but I quickly realized it wasn’t a fit so switched to a major I was familiar with — visual arts! During my time at university I got my first design related job through a work-study program where I became a Graphic Designer for the athletic department and then soon after joined a bunch of other social committees as a designer. Post-uni I started out in a small advertising agency, and with each new job I ended up gravitating to digital design and then product design.

Nicole: I was in my last couple of years of high school and my dad sent me information about a newer program at the University of Waterloo/Stratford School of Interaction Design. Program was called Global Business and Digital Arts. Luckily, I applied and got in! That program introduced me to a wide variety of UX/UI design principles, like prototyping, user testing, hi-fis etc,. Same principles and key learnings that I apply to my day-to-day job now. (thanks dad!)

Becca: When I was little, I really, really liked to draw. I would doodle in the margins of my math homework, in any spare notepads I had, and spent one summer filling a stack of printer paper with my own comics and cartoons. I continued making art into high school — and although I loved it — I knew that it was difficult to make a stable income as an artist.

Maybe I am a sell out (haha), but I decided to focus more on graphic design because I saw how I could use my creativity while offering an in-demand service to others. I also still get to draw fun cartoons for work sometimes — so it’s a win-win!

Q: What’s your favourite part about being a designer?

Julie: I really enjoy the ideation process. I love being able to collaborate with fellow designers and other disciplines like product management, ux research and development to come up with solutions together. Oftentimes our ideation starts with a design sprint or workshop that gives the team a dedicated amount of time and a safe space to be creative.

Nancy: I love the problem solving aspect with product design while also trying to layer in the company branding and have it all come together for (hopefully) a great user experience on our platform. Also being able to be so involved in the research aspect at Voices and get that immediate feedback is amazing since it all feeds back into solving the problems at hand.

Nicole: I love problem solving. Luckily, that’s how every design task starts. I love the process of coming up with different solutions, with different UI treatments (and of course seeing them launch). Sometimes you’re solving a problem the user didn’t even know they had. It’s like I get to solve a new puzzle every day.

Becca: I really enjoy being an in-house designer in particular, because I can really get to know the brand I am working with. I know how my designs should feel and look, and how the visual identity of the brand can evolve. It also becomes endearing to work with, like an old friend.

I also really enjoy working with my team and fellow creatives — I don’t think it would be nearly as fun without them.

Q: What’s a common misconception about design?

Julie: That creativity is reserved only for designers. Regardless of your title, role or experience, everyone is creative in their own way. Some of the best ideas come from those without a designer title. As designers, our role isn’t to gate-keep, but is to help others tap into their creativity and listen when ideas are shared!

Nancy: That it’s only about making something look pretty. I think it can be easy to fall back to this idea of design only being about the visuals as that’s the most immediate thing you may see from new releases. However, with UX and Product Design in particular there’s so many layers that happen behind the scenes that help make the final results have an impact beyond the visuals. Be it the research, process improvements, accessibility considerations, service design, etc — it all comes together through a diverse team working together!

Nicole: That it’s easy! A button here, a modal there, etc. There’s a science behind it that not a lot of people take into consideration. You can glance past great UX but bad UX will make you stop in your tracks. Who doesn’t want to be a designer?

Becca: I feel like there are less misconceptions about design, like more people are realizing that it’s more about function than form for example… which is nice!

Some people do still think that graphic designers just paint pictures, or decorate rooms, or design clothing for a living though. The title “graphic designer” is not always understood.

Q: What’s something you’re looking forward to this year?

Julie: This year I’ve taken time to focus on our design sprints and workshops, specifically how to optimize our workshops and how to be a better facilitator. I’m looking forward to implementing and experimenting with our sprints for upcoming projects!

Nancy: I’m really excited about reviewing our design maturity this year since it’ll allow me as a Manager to take a more critical look at where we stand as a design team and help identify ways that we can improve. This will also help me see a bit more clearly with how we can then prioritize improvements in the form of a roadmap.

Nicole: Nice weather and the world opening back up! I’m ready to begin traveling and to start seeing my coworkers outside of my computer screen.

Becca: I am looking forward to going somewhere other than my apartment, haha. Bye bye covid.

I am also excited to watch my kitten grow, and I hope to be a good cat parent.

Q: What’s one piece of advice you wish you knew sooner or would give to your younger self?

Julie: I wish I could tell her that every risk ends up being worth the discomfort. You’ll need to adventure outside your comfort zone in order to grow. Trust your gut and give yourself more credit.

Nancy: Something I wish I would have known sooner is to put in the proper habits to prevent burnout. Working overtime used to be a common thing for me not too long ago because it felt like I needed to do everything all at once and looking back now I can see I didn’t know how to respect my own time and mental health. However, I’ve made it a point to remove as much work-related communications from my personal devices and to put away the laptop when my office hours are done.

Nicole: Everything happens for a reason! When I was in grade 12, I applied to that awesome program I mentioned earlier. I didn’t get in the first round, a little bummed but signed up for a 5th year of high school and applied again and got in! If I had gotten in the first round, I wouldn’t have met the people I did, experienced University the same, or possibly not have done a semester abroad in Germany. If things don’t go your way the first time, thank the universe and trust something better is coming.

Becca: Hopefully this is not TMI, but I wish I did not spend so much time worrying and being sad when I was younger. Not that anyone can/should just “be happy”, but there have been times where I have felt my work is not good enough, or that I am not good enough at something. And that is simply not the right mindset.

I can’t say that I am 100% better now, but it has helped me to appreciate and be inspired by others and their talents instead of using them as a comparison. My faith has also helped me out, as I know that God sees worth in me that I often miss. He’s pretty cool.

Q: What does your ideal work day look like?

Julie: My ideal day starts with coffee, then I’ll start reviewing slack messages and plan out my to do list for the week. Likely have a couple meetings with the team to discuss the projects we’re working on then get started on the day’s work. For lunch, I’ll grab something yummy to eat then go for a quick walk. I’ll spend the afternoon doing heads down work, ideally outside in my backyard (assuming it’s a warm sunny day). I’ll spend the rest of the day finishing off some hi-fi designs, or doing some research for an upcoming design sprint.

Nancy: I’ll look at this more from my typical weekly schedule which is for the most part predictable as I have a handful of recurring meetings. Thursdays are probably the closest to my ideal because the only meetings I have are the 1:1s with my team members which are already pretty casual and right before lunch. This gives me 2 good chunks of time in the morning and afternoons for pure heads down work which can be a rarity depending on how busy our product teams get throughout the year.

Nicole: I start my day between 8–8:30am. I like having that hour or so in the morning before any meetings to get some heads down work done, and set myself up for the day. I like filling my mornings with heads down work until lunch, it’s nice getting a lot of work done while sipping my coffee.

After lunch, I like having a couple meetings scheduled early-mid afternoon, seeing my coworkers (virtually of course) helps me get through some post lunch fog.

Lastly, I like having an hour or so at the end of my day to get any clean up work done or any design changes that arise from afternoon meetings. Having some time at the end of the day allows me to set myself up for the next morning so there are no half finished tasks.

Becca: I start out my day by reading messages and planning at least the first half of my day in my Google calendar. I’ll block out times that I should work on certain tasks, and figure out which ones need to be prioritized by referencing my tasks in Asana.

Then my day follows that schedule. I can work on anything from web page designs, to interactive PDFs, to illustration work, to sourcing and editing photos for a blog article… My role has a fair bit of variety. The programs I work in most are probably Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, and Figma.

Q: What is something you’re really great at?

Julie: I can make a mean charcuterie board. My board staples include baked brie, seasonal fruits, various cured meats, chocolate covered almonds and maybe even a homemade pretzel!

Nancy: I think I’m pretty good at picking up new artistic hobbies (within reason of course!). When I see a craft like jewelry making, sewing, or crocheting it’s a fun challenge to try and figure out how to do it. With the pandemic and the shift to working from home, I suddenly had all this time on my hands to dive deep into all the crafting activities I wasn’t able to make room for before.

Nicole: Going with the flow. You find a new peace when you’re able to take anything that life throws at you. This applies to your career, personal life, family etc. Change your mindset, change your life.

Becca: I am pretty good at making cute illustrations and cartoons — things that make people smile.

Q: What does your work space look like?

Julie: My desk must be tidy and all my essentials nearby. There’s also usually a cat walking across it.

Nancy: I love to surround myself with things that make me smile, aka fun art and my favourite coworker. 😸

Nicole: For me, a clear desk = a clear mind. I don’t like to clutter my working space, I find I work my best when my area is clean and organized. Let’s get designing!

Becca: Not pictured: my kitten attacking the plant or sleeping on the keyboard(s).