Rosie Ferris, Senior Product Designer

Ever since I used to be small I beloved noodling round making and drawing. My grandad used to take a seat with us for hours and draw or paint with us—I keep in mind him creating landscapes and scenes for me and my sisters to color in. 

(Many years later) I went to artwork college at Kingston University. The course was very targeted on conceptual considering and I had probably the most superb and provoking tutors there—it was actually probably the most transformative expertise for me. I discovered how concepts are price preventing for, even when they’re arduous to get (and even tougher to promote).

My most important motivation is that I’m inquisitive about individuals, and the way I could make expertise work higher for them. This is what conjures up me to make new issues, and to alter present issues for the higher. 

I’m working with a tremendous group of individuals in London and Stockholm within the podcast and speak codecs product space, as a part of the core cellular expertise group. I spend most of my time imagining how this may very well be higher for each listeners and creators and imagining the way forward for Spotify as an audio platform. (Not simply music!) One of the issues I like about working on this group is that folks usually inform us the rationale they take heed to podcasts—to be impressed, to be entertained, to giggle, or to study one thing new. As the format is evolving we’re seeing many new sorts of storytelling emerge, and I’m excited to assist individuals uncover and interact with that content material.

This isn’t my regular desk—my work station is normally lined in much more post-its, images, and random sketches! But that is my work at home setup whereas Spotify is in WFH mode for the foreseeable future. 

1. I normally take my pocket book in every single place with me and I preserve a sketchbook on my desk for drawing out flows and concepts. 

2. A UX author that I used to work with advisable this weekly planner—I find it irresistible, it has a piece for every day, so I make a bunch of to-dos at the beginning of the day and attempt to tick them off as I am going.

3. Hand cream and lip balm! This hand cream is from my good friend’s firm—The English Soap Company—and it is the very best! 

4. I design for each Android and iOS so have each units close to to view dwell as I’m designing, prototype or to check builds.

5. I like the whole lot from studio arhoj, I picked up my espresso cup and these two vases after I visited their studio in Copenhagen final 12 months.

6. I obtained myself this pen pot final week as I missed my one from my desk within the workplace.

At a product design studio I labored at beforehand, we have been working with a startup within the area of science training. The product we have been creating was a digital laboratory, the place college students may study science even when they didn’t have entry to a lab at their college.

I used to be by no means notably nice at science at college, so constructing a software to show children in regards to the topic was fairly removed from my space of experience. But in the course of the challenge, I discovered that having a designer’s mentality, and approaching the issue with out deep information of the topic was really an excellent benefit—there are issues that you just discover as a designer that even specialists in a topic don’t see, and the questions that you just ask.

On this challenge particularly, not being an skilled on the topic helped me to place myself within the mindset of our customers, which must be on the core of any design. I now particularly get pleasure from engaged on initiatives like this, with a wholesome dose of the unfamiliar 🙂

Beyoncé

Beyoncé all day. Not solely is she a tremendous artist, she’s an unimaginable storyteller and promotes energy, independence, and feminine empowerment! 👊 If I’m within the temper to focus and design, I throw on Lemonade or her Glasto or Coachella efficiency. 

David Shrigly

I all the time love creative humour and for me nobody compares to him: the simplicity of his drawings, the randomness, and the distinctive methods he sees issues. (I keep in mind going to an exhibition of his with a good friend and we couldn’t assist laughing out loud.) 

Louis Theroux

A barely odd one—however I’m an enormous fan of his work. I actually like how he provides his interviewees the area to open up and speak in confidence to him, which is far more fascinating to look at. And he all the time manages to search out new, sudden and at occasions uncomfortable topics to cowl.

I take heed to numerous podcasts. Here are a number of of my favourites in the mean time: Science Vs, You’re Wrong About, The Tip Off, Invest Like the Best, Song Exploder, and the Design Better Podcast. 

Also, I’m at the moment studying and having fun with “Speculative Everything,” by Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby. I’m desirous about how they see design as a way to think about potential futures, and all through the e-book they share some actually fascinating examples.  

Last however actually not least, shout out to my boyfriend, household, and associates. I like you all! You can catch me on twitter at @rosieferris 🙂