Careering: two journeys in UX

Recently, Ria Rajebahadur - our amazing work experience student, who spent some time with us to develop an understanding of human behaviour before committing to study Psychology at University - caught up with Erin and Nicola - two of our design consultants. They covered a lot of ground, including their respective journeys into UX, roles at Foolproof, and take on the industry and its recent evolution.

Here’s what they had to say:

Erin Giles, Senior UX Consultant

Ria: What did you study at university?

Erin: I studied Ergonomics/Human-Factors Design at Loughborough having always been interested in design and understanding how the brain works. The course covered lots of ground - from biology to anthropometrics.

Ria: How did you land your first job and what was it?

Erin: After I graduated, I spoke with some alumni contacts and landed my first UX role at Nomensa. My remit was much broader there, and more consultative. I was making design decisions as well as conducting research.

Ria: How did you find out about Foolproof and how long have you been here?

Erin: I knew about Foolproof through my previous company and I had always looked up to them as a consultant. I was always an ambition to work here, in the exact role I am in now, so when I got offered the job I was over the moon.

Ria: What do you enjoy most about working at the company?

Erin: I love the variety of projects Foolproof has to offer and being exposed to different types of projects and clients. I also love the diversity of those around me and collaborating with them and their skill sets. Everyone’s welcoming too. I started during the peak of the pandemic and thought it could be lonely, but I’ve experienced the complete opposite.

Ria: How do you see your career progressing in the future?

Erin: I would like to climb the ladder in an agency, having a principal role and managing a larger group of people in time. I also want to hone my craft some more and develop new skills along the way. My 5+ year plan is to go freelance as I value the flexibility of working my own hours but that won’t be for a long time. I like the security I’m offered at Foolproof.

Ria: What are the main differences you have seen in research and ways of working post-Covid?

Erin: When I conduct research now, it’s almost exclusively remote. This means we can scale research and reach people we wouldn’t ordinarily i.e. before the Covid-19 pandemic. That said, I do miss contextual research and think insights are lesser without an understanding of the participant’s environment or ecosystem in which the design sits.

Nicola Fluchter, Senior UX Consultant

Ria: What did you study at university?

Nicola: I did a bachelor’s degree in International Cultural Management, and for my master’s, I studied Human-Computer Interaction at UCL.

Ria: How did you land your first job and what was it?

Nicola: I worked a HR role at Allianz between my bachelor’s and master’s degree, and then applied for a job at Foolproof, having spoken to Phil Morton - an Experience Design Director at Foolproof. We discussed my experience, and he suggested I went in for a Junior Consultant role. I suppose you could say the rest is history! 

Ria: How have you found the progression from junior to senior?

Nicola: I think the onboarding here is good. I was exposed to lots of projects early on and was then quickly resourced on to a project as the only researcher, with oversight from a senior practitioner. After 6 months, I was promoted to Consultant, and gained the experience required to climb another rung of the ladder.

Ria: What is the average length on a project?

Nicola: It varies from project to project, but the average project-length is 2-3 months. There are other times when there are longer engagements and talent deployment will let you know ahead of the time. 

Ria: How do you see your career progressing in the future?

Nicola: I would like to take on more strategy work and help leadership make decisions that define the future shape and course of the business.

Ria: What are the main differences you have seen in research and ways of working post-Covid?

Nicola: We’d conduct a lot more in-person usability research and prototype testing. However, the beauty of this is that you can observe and interview participants in their natural environment compared to a contrived office environment. The lab is designed to make the participant as comfortable as possible, but it’s far removed from the environment in which a user would engage with an experience in their everyday.

Stay tuned for more interviews with the people that make Foolproof.

Words and interview: Ria Rajebahadur