Lydia
Job:
Senior Interaction Designer (UCD)
Company:
The Home Office
I am a Senior Interaction Designer working at the Home Office on internal services. I analyse digital services to understand problems and pain points which users face and come up with prototyped solutions based on research to try and solve these problems and improve the user interaction with the service.
I am...
Ambitious
Creative
Adaptable
The skills I use most in my job...
Problem solving is probably the skill I use the most in my role. We get some of the country’s most complex problems here at the Home Office and we need to work through them, considering the opinions of users, stakeholders and needs of the service.
Communication is also vital; I work collaboratively with lots of other skilled people and having strong communication skills helps us to understand each other and progress our best ideas
The most interesting thing I've worked on in my career so far...
I think a piece of work I am starting, looking into the ethics around design will be the most interesting piece of work I have focused on. To understand how we can make services with an ethical conscience is vital for improving our user interactions.
What inspired me into digital and tech...
Speaking to a female friend who is an inspirational leader in Product Manager about User Centred Design, I knew it was the career for me. The ability to push for positive social change, bringing digital channels to all, was a real driver to enter a career in digital tech.
My educational background is...
I studied a BA in Brand Management at University of Central Lancashire, completed a PGCE in Design at the University of Cumbria, followed by a Masters in Product Design at Manchester Metropolitan University. I taught Design, Graphics and Human Centred Design for several years gaining a lot of transferable skills for my current role.
What advice I'd give to girls thinking about a career in digital and tech...
Back yourself. Even if you feel like a role is a little out of reach, go for it, at worst it will be a learning experience and at best you will have achieved something that you deemed to be unachievable!
