Reema Bhagat, Senior Product Designer

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Reema Bhagat, Senior Product Designer


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Spotify Design Team

Today’s headliner is Reema Bhagat, Senior Product Designer for the Cross-Platform Experiences staff in Stockholm. Put in your headphones, hit play, and skim alongside!

Questions & Answers

Why are you a designer?

For me, design is a perfect stability between being inventive, but in addition extremely structured and process-oriented. It has components from many alternative industries, which retains me engaged, and it is an evolving area that pushes me out of my consolation zone.

I’m keen about design as a result of it permits you to create new experiences, however extra importantly, enhance upon present ones—you by no means have to simply accept issues the best way they’re. Design and activism even have a singular intersection that I’m considering. Since design is all about storytelling, something from creating political posters, to working with nonprofits, or engaged on inside initiatives you’re feeling keen about (variety, satisfaction, accessibility, and so on.) could be a method to influence the activism area. 

Describe your job at Spotify with out utilizing the phrases “design” or “designer.”

At Spotify, I build-upon and assist drive the way forward for the Desktop app and Web Player experiences. On a better degree although, I work to make Spotify simple for all folks to make use of. To me, that is essentially the most significant a part of my job—having the ability to simplify complexity and “simply make it work”. If folks really feel in-control and assured, I really feel happy with my work, whether or not it is a massive imaginative and prescient piece or I’m drilling right into a settings web page.

Show us an image of your desk, and clarify why it seems the way it does.

  1. Water bottle: I’m continuously attempting to drink extra water, however I’m fairly unhealthy at remembering to take this round with me through the day. “Drink extra water” is all the time on my checklist of failed New Year’s resolutions. 

  2. Henri: My beloved desk plant that I in all probability do not water sufficient — or I’m over-watering it, TBD.

  3. Book stack: Some of my favorites from design college, that are additionally the muse of the Jurassic Park scene on the highest. 

  4. Sriracha mug: I really like scorching sauce, so my cousin obtained this for me as a present some time again (replace: he is not 100% positive it was him, so I don’t know the place this got here from). 

  5. Fancy mouse: My staff made enjoyable of this mouse for being so intense, till they tried it. We all have the identical one now 🙂

Tell us a couple of time you beat an intimidating design problem.

One of my greatest design challenges was at my final job, the place about ten groups—throughout a number of organizations within the firm—labored to unify and enhance their search experiences. This was a large endeavor that challenged me in some ways. Each staff had completely different priorities, timelines, and ranges of funding within the venture, so coordination throughout the group was a relentless hurdle. As the venture progressed, nevertheless, I realized to simply accept (and even embrace) the anomaly and to have a good time the little wins. We could not change every little thing, however had been capable of make smaller, incremental enhancements, and that might nonetheless be a win for folks utilizing the merchandise. I nonetheless attempt to carry this mentality into each venture I work on at Spotify, since they’ll take sudden turns. Repurposing ambiguity as gas to attempt different concepts or think about new alternatives, whereas celebrating small victories alongside the best way.

Name three non-designers you’re feeling impressed by when designing.

Viola Davis

 Her legendary Emmys speech, the place she mentioned “the one factor that separates ladies of colour from anybody else is alternative,” nonetheless offers me chills. As a designer, it is an incredible reminder that it is our accountability to construct inclusive merchandise that everybody has the chance to make use of — no matter means or tech literacy.

Marc Jacobs

I’m in all probability dishonest by together with him on this checklist, however I’m impressed by his means to proceed to push boundaries whereas having the ability to keep related for many years. It’s inspiring to see somebody proceed to like what they do for such an prolonged time frame. He additionally does not appear to take himself too significantly, which makes him actually likable. 

Hasan Minhaj 

His inventive storytelling throughout his Netflix stand-up particular is extremely inspirational. Being capable of share an thought or expertise, captivate an viewers, and preserve authenticity all through the narrative is such an incredible trifecta. 

Any closing shout-outs or stuff you’d prefer to share?

Big shout out to my household and associate for all the time supporting my targets—and inspiring me to pursue loopy desires, like transferring the world over to work at Spotify.

Some of my favourite books I’ve learn this 12 months: Make Time by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky, The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates, and Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. All three have made me reframe my pondering in several methods, and I undoubtedly advocate them to others. 

Also, for individuals who may not learn about Timothy Goodman, try his Instagram and Twitter. He’s a badass inventive, but in addition an avid psychological well being advocate and unbelievable ally to ladies and folks of colour. I might’ve put him within the part above, however I’d already cheated as soon as 🙂 

Credits

Spotify Design Team

We’re a cross-disciplinary staff of people that like to create nice experiences and make significant connections between listeners and creators.

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