My experience as a volunteer was very wholesome from a human connection perspective and holistic in terms of applying oneself operationally. We were all urged to take up ownership and the open environment to speak our mind and share ideas made everything better.
Yastika Shetty
Sr. Experience Designer, Publicis Sapient
1
Tell us about yourself and your work.
Hello, my name is Yastika Shetty, I am an Experience Designer and Researcher by profession. I currently work for Publicis Sapient as a Sr. experience designer. This work opportunity is something that I can thank UXI’23 directly for as I came across it while interacting with the different stalls at the conference.
How are you associated with UMO Design?
2
I am connected to UMO design via UXI, having volunteered for the conference in 2023. I co-piloted the Media room along with Ewelina W.
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Tell us about your journey with UXINDIA as a volunteer?
My experience as a volunteer was very wholesome from a human connection perspective and holistic in terms of applying oneself operationally. We were all urged to take up ownership and the open environment to speak our mind and share ideas made everything better. The ups and downs of a volunteer run workforce was something that I came out of refreshed and grateful for. It has left me with wanting to return to work for the UXI conference and still planning around my current life to contribute to writing blogs for the org.
Why design community and the industry need more female designers?
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Women and men are entering a world that is design led. As a designer I can vouch that no matter what one decides to do professionally in life, design knowledge helps handle problems in a creative, empathetic and practical way.
Women particularly will feel very empowered by such skill as the ability to problem solve builds confidence and self-esteem, something that is very central to the theme of women increasingly being a part of the professional economic systems.
5
What are your expectations from 1MW initiative?
My expectations for 1MW initiative are that it will build a lot of education and awareness around design itself and instill confidence in women to lead their opinion with confidence at the workspace as design helps back thoughts well. I am curious to find out how this influx of women, educated in design, will have in our workspaces and shape it.
What makes a designer a good designer?
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1. Being a jack of trades – add as many tools as possible to your tool kit, it only helps build adaptability and confidence
2. Empathy – it’s a sure way to creativity and ethical designing. We have a lot of responsibility on our shoulders to shape the world around us and we should enjoy it using the lens of empathy.
3. Practice the design lens in mundane situations – UMO’s original initiative of bad design is the perfect shoutout to this quality. In our everyday lives we have several examples of bad and good design. Having a critical eye about the way things are made and the will to try and better it while not judging it is the art of balance every designer should practice.
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Where do you see yourself in UXINDIA team in the next 5 years?
In the next 5 years I still see myself associated with UXI. Hopefully I can help at a higher level in time. Maybe build my work to be able to be a speaker then. It would be an honor.