What are your main responsibilities at Westwing as a UX/UI Designer?
“Along with my talented UX/UI design team, I’m responsible for Westwing’s UX/UI projects, covering all countries in which we are currently present. More specifically, my work consists of proposing design solutions for our websites and apps, combining business interests with the best user experience and a refined aesthetic to continuously inspire our customers while using our platforms.
My day-to-day is very dynamic, as we have an agile framework. Therefore, I can have many smaller tasks, such as highlighting an existing button or simply adding a new icon, while at other times I’m involved in big and impactful projects such as designing a whole new feature or redesigning the entire checkout.”
What do your working days look like?
“My regular home office day usually starts with a Yoga session (just between us, it’s not as often as it used to be now, but I intend to get back to my focus soon :-)). After that, I have a shower and then breakfast together with my husband. I log in at around 9:00 am and work from my office until lunchtime. When I have a little more time after having lunch, I chill on the sofa watching TV or grab a cup of coffee and have it on my balcony. Then I work for the rest of the afternoon until the beginning of the evening.
When I go to the office I skip Yoga and rarely have my breakfast at home. One reason for this is that I spend a little more time getting ready and putting some make-up on plus commuting and another reason is that I love to have breakfast at the office to get the cappuccino from the machine! :D The nicest part of being in the office is being able to spend time with my colleagues, have lunch together, and have more spontaneous brainstorms about our projects. Moreover, if you get lucky with the weather, you can end the day by having drinks on the terrace.”
With which tasks do you start and end your day?
“The first thing I do when I sit in front of my screen is checking my emails and messages, then I open our project management tool to view the status of the tasks and projects that I’m currently working on. At 9:30 is my team’s daily Standup Meeting where we align about our tasks, ask for each other’s opinions on designs, and help each other in case of any indecision or difficulty.
How I end my day is quite hard to say, as our job is quite dynamic. I could end the day working on an in-progress design, in a sync meeting, or even presenting a design to a stakeholder.”
What do your breaks look like?
“On my home office days, I try to walk a little around my living room or have a coffee or tea on the balcony. These breaks also help me to refresh my mind and come up with new ideas for creative projects. When I’m in the office, I like to have coffee/tea/hot chocolate in some of the office’s kitchens or go on a hunt for ice cream during the summer.”
What inspires you about working at Westwing?
“From a more subjective perspective, I love Westwing’s identity and values. It’s fresh and friendly, but also classy, visual, and inspiring. Not to mention the nice and incredibly smart people!
From a more objective perspective, I appreciate its dynamic workflow and the fact that I can actually feel that I make a difference. I can see a web page or app feature that I designed going live in the whole of Europe only a few months or even days after approval. I also love the freedom that I have to work from home or the office whenever it suits me. I, for example, prefer to focus on my tasks and creation at home, but brainstorm with my team members at the office; this flexibility fits me perfectly.”
Thank you Raquel for your insights!