Ever wanted to know what daily life in a tech consultancy looks like? In our latest blog series, we chat with Anita Potucek, Senior Experience Designer at DiUS about her role and what it’s like to experience DiUS.
What do you enjoy most about your role?
I lean more towards the research end of my field which means I’m often doing generative research to understand the landscape of customer needs and pain points in a given space.
There are two things that really stand out to me. The first is the people I speak to, and the customers or users of a particular product or service. They are always so grateful to have the opportunity to be heard, and have the hope that their input will initiate change. This really sparks my passion for my job and for wanting to come through for these people.
The second is the stakeholders I work with. Almost always, the insights I uncover aren’t new to them. But what I bring to the table is a different lens, multiple ways of looking at and interpreting the insights. It sparks the ‘aha’ moment and my stakeholders get excited when they know how to make meaningful, actionable change.
What are some of the challenges you face in your role?
A person in my role really has to make peace with ambiguity. Client challenges are always more complex than they look on the surface and need constant reframing the more you learn. Everytime I conduct research, for the first few interviews, I have doubts that I’m asking the right questions or uncovering the right problems. But it’s through this process that we learn if we’re solving the right problem or thinking about it in the right way.
Are you working on any personal projects at the moment?
I’ve got a long term project where I’ve been applying my skills to designing the experience of my wedding this year.
Through a social media and wedding trends audit, I collected stories of what makes or breaks a wedding for guests. Apart from the expected needs such as food, comfort and social, I learned that there’s a science behind how atmosphere contributes to a good experience. Things such as lighting that guides the guests towards sociability or relaxation, sufficient space to promote intimacy and music that creates an emotional reaction through peaks and valley moments. Most importantly, the bride and groom set the tone. If they are stressed and running around, guests will feel this too. But if they are calm, enjoying themselves and dancing, it is an entirely different feeling.
With this research I have defined the patterns of ‘what good looks like’ and designed an experience map. I’ll be writing about the results later this year, so stay tuned!
What’s been the most exciting engagement you’ve worked on so far while being at DiUS?
Working for a paint manufacturer, I did a piece of research to understand how customers choose and visualise paint colours on their walls before they purchase. I helped identify the most common triggers for change and anxieties in colour choice through a series of customer and stakeholder interviews. Following that, our team facilitated ideation workshops focused on alleviating those anxieties by digitising the incredible subject matter knowledge of colour experts. It was such an amazing exercise to dive into how people think about their homes, colours and the environments they want to create.
What do you most enjoy most about working in a hybrid-remote environment?
I love the flexibility to choose the best work environment for my day based on what I’m doing. If I’ve got lots of interviews and analysis to do, I work from home. But if I’m feeling a bit stuck or need a change of scenery, the office environment gives me that spark I’m looking for.