As the first hire at talentsky, this wasn't just a chance to design a product from scratch with no previous UI decisions to contend with. It was a chance to build UCD into the product lifecycle and company culture from the ground up. From the start, UX informed product direction, validated the roadmap, and followed designs through engineering to release.
The other opportunity here was to grow a small design team. I got into UX without specific training. Consequently I appreciate that one of the biggest impediments to being a great designer is the opportunity for a good designer to show their true ability.
Along with baking design into the fabric of the company, I made it a point to delegate tasks and responsibilities that would allow the other designers to hone their existing skills as well as incorporate new areas into their skill set.
I was tasked with formulating talentsky's approach to GDPR compliance. Given the business model, we were in a position to be both a data processor and a controller, requiring both implicit and explicit consent. This made for an interesting balancing act as the user experience would be different for each.
Our BOD had some amazing men and women and I was fortunate to meet with them on a number of occasions reporting on product progress, ideas, and challenges. I learned a lot from them.