My time at Inovatyv as a Product Designer

Introduction

You know how you hear about those companies where everyone is so happy that it seems like a work of fiction? Well, I worked for one of those companies. Inovatyv is a design agency in Singapore that focused on creative and innovative products for clients of all sizes.

The year was 2020 and one of my goals was to work in a team consisting of other great designers, because I knew the ripple effect that would have on my career as a Product Designer. Fast-forward to when I got the offer to start work with the team in 2021, I would come to learn the importance and values of working in a functional team.

The team

“A few times in your career, you find yourself somewhere where the stars align.”

I worked with the team for about 8 months and the difference in workplace culture in comparison to my previous place of employment was glaring! The greatest thing about working with empathetic colleagues is that it creates an environment where one feels valued, challenged and willing to learn. Effective communication plays a major role in team collaboration and is key to creating a successful product. The team was diversified and a joy to work with because we all had different strengths that complemented each other well.

Better insight on a product — everyone on the team contributed as much as necessary, and we had discussions on the body of work and a clear understanding of deliverables. We had our design sync calls every day other than Thursdays (to get as much work done in the day) and weekends (work-life balance).

Collaboration — within the team, and the client was carried along throughout the process.

Less pressure — being the only designer working on a product can be very strenuous as you're required to wear many hats. In a team, tasks are delegated with due reporting time and follow-ups. Everyone works together to achieve the common goal, and the burden of delivering something close to perfection is shared amongst the team members.

A typical day at Inovatyv

Design workshop — I organized and led design workshops with clients on different projects, understanding the project and what problems they are trying to solve.

Research users and their problems — I worked together with our Product Managers, other designers, and clients to determine our users, verify the problem and determine KPIs.

Information architecture — Sometimes, I would spend stretches mapping out the flow of information for the project.

Design and prototype — I'd typically start by creating mood boards and first drafts (low or high fidelity wireframes) of the solution, working on 1–3 design styles with possible colour palettes. Then the development of the design concept into different screens and prototyping.

Testing & hand-off — Prototypes are tested and presented to the client, and the feedback from this was used to inform our design decisions and make changes, ensuring our solution actually solves user problems before hand-off.

Conclusion

To wrap things up, my time at Inovatyv was a very positive experience. My team members were supportive and encouraging, and the leadership was open to questions and suggestions from all employees. I learned so much about design as well as how companies operate internally. It's been an eye-opening experience working with such talented people who have given me great advice throughout this process of developing into an expert designer myself!