Day in the life of…Rob Boden Product Design Lead
I catch up with Rob Boden to get an insight into his working day
So what do you do all day at work?
Very simply, I lead a team of designers. To do this I have to understand the needs of the business, translating them into actionable tasks while squeezing out opportunities to mentor and develop the team.
What are the people like?
Waitrose has a set of principles and values that separates them from others in the industry. You walk into a store and you expect the Partners there to be super-helpful, enthusiastic and passionate. This extends to the people who work in the Digital team and beyond.
And the best bits are?
We have adopted agile methodologies within Waitrose Digital. I know it sounds bizarre to state that this is a ‘best bit’, but it really is. We are really trusted so there is no lengthy sign-off where everyone at every level has to approve the work. You’re empowered to focus on the customer and encouraged to take responsibility for the continual success of Waitrose Digital. Working in an agile environment also means people are truly collaborative so altogether it makes the culture at Waitrose Digital that much more enjoyable. The autonomy I’ve had has meant I’ve been able to realise and seize opportunities such as spearheading the Waitrose Design System and writing this blog!
What Waitrose Product would you recommend?
I’m a sucker for the Waitrose essential milk chocolate digestives. They have a good consistency which makes them perfect for tea dipping. It takes a lot of restraint not to go through multiple packs a week.
What gets your goat?
This isn’t Waitrose specific and more of a generalisation which I’ve also experienced in conversations with some of the UK's biggest design agencies. Product Design is relatively a new and growing discipline but to a lot of people in this field, this is all they know. Then you have Design in general, which in turn has a set of established conventions that can be outdated, especially in relation to digital. If you’re like me, anyone over the age of 30 has experience in other disciplines or industries. Mine happens to be Graphic and Brand Design. I find it really easy to see the correlation between Product Design and other design disciplines. They can both raise each other and share an aligned success. So what gets my goat? At times it feels we should be working together far more easily than is often the case.
What do you get up to when you’re not working?
When I finish working I try to switch my attention onto an activity that needs my full concentration. That usually means going to the gym, doing a spin class, or going for a walk. Pre-Covid I would try to attend a music gig or festivals when possible, anything with a guitar or slightly alternative gets my ears pricked. I always thought I had good taste in the programmes or movies I watched but with Netflix, Apple, Disney +, Sky and Amazon Prime I’ve come to terms that I will literally watch anything. I call it streamitus.
What advice would you give to any budding Product Designer?
Nothing stands still in our industry so adopt a growth mindset. This means you won’t just be comfortable with change, you’ll also be the change.
