Get To Know Lauren
One of our favourite parts of the Get to Know LiveLike series is learning how passionate our employees are about the work they do. And this week’s featured teammate is a perfect example: Senior UI/UX Designer Lauren Granato.
Lauren’s passion for design started back in her middle school days, when she was first introduced to Photoshop. We’re happy to introduce you to Lauren and give you a chance to hear about her career journey, her day to day life as a senior UI/UX designer, and more. We’re proud to have someone like Lauren on our team, and excited to get to share a bit about her!
Tell us a little bit about your career path. How did you get into UI/UX design?
My passion for design started back in middle school, when my grandfather, a photographer, introduced me to Photoshop. Years later, after graduating from college with a degree in Graphic Design, I spent about two years freelancing and jumping from job to job to find my best fit in the industry. At that point, I realized I didn’t have the skills necessary to be the type of designer I wanted to be and realized I needed more education.
So, I spent the next six months in a bootcamp type course that gave me a ton of knowledge and new skills surrounding UX/UI design. It was at that point that I dove headfirst into a field I barely knew about, but I immediately knew I loved it and knew where my design skills were going to be put to use.
It was before I even finished the six-month course that I started my first role as a UI/UX designer. The role gave me hands-on experience with user interfaces and the design aspect of it, and made me realize that the conversation about user experience, which describes how users feel when they actually interact with an interface, didn’t truly exist. Over the next several years, I have spent countless hours studying use cases, other user data, and personas to achieve an understanding of the best UI/UX design tactics. I absolutely love the combination of designing what a space looks like but also focusing on making that design user focused so it is easy and satisfying to use.
Can you describe what a Senior UI/UX Designer does and what your typical workday looks like?
A designer in any position doesn’t really have a typical day, but there are some constants! I usually get up and start my day checking emails and looking at current design trends. Then I spend the next several hours working on design tasks for my team. I also QA developed designs to make sure they are getting completed the way I had envisioned them prior to creation. In between all of this, I am typically doing user research, and studying personas. I always like to end my day by looking at what I accomplished for the day and making sure I gave our users the best experience possible.
Did you always want to work in a design role?
Yes! I was introduced to design at a young age as I mentioned, and I have always loved looking at the way color, typography and images blend together to create something beautiful. I didn’t know where my roadmap would take me, but I always knew that I would be doing something related to design.
What have you learned about LiveLike (as both a business and a team) since you joined?
As someone who hasn’t been at LiveLike long, I certainly have learned a lot about the company and the community that exists here. LiveLike is a start up, and we are consistently adding to the team so that we can properly enter new markets, grow the current business and move forward with creating more interactive spaces and experiences for our customers.
Something that I have learned about the community at LiveLike is that we are truly like a big family. There is always someone there to listen when you need an ear; There is always another team member that can help you out if you get stuck on a task; There is always someone to help explain something that you may be finding challenging or confusing. We support each other through our highs and lows in and outside of the business.
Is there anything else you’d want to share with aspiring designers?
Dear aspiring designers, I see you. Your designs are good. Stop comparing yourself to the other designers out there. Always aspire to be better, but don’t let that stop you from excelling where you are now. Do your research, look at other designers, get inspired outside of the internet (nature is my personal favorite inspiration). Don’t take feedback personally; it’s not about you or your skills, it’s about the fact that every person has their own interpretation about what good design is. Love yourself for trying.
Thank you, Lauren!
