Talks with a Designer: Alla Odeianenko

What is a designer? What should they be able to do, what is the most interesting thing in their work, and do they need inspiration? Today we sit down with Alla Odeianenko, Lead Experience Designer from Kyiv, to speak about design as a profession and lifestyle, discuss the creative process, and hear thoughts on personal growth. 

Read on and enjoy her story.

Alla, let’s start our conversation with a short introduction. Tell us a little about yourself and what you do at EPAM.

I’ve been at EPAM for about two years now, and I clearly understand why my colleagues can work here for five, ten, or even twenty years. Design is very dynamic, and here you get plenty of opportunities, diverse projects, and domains.

Speaking of my background, I’ve been in design for fifteen years, ten of them as a manager. I help other designers grow professionally and help project teams as a team leader or as a Resource Manager. And, of course, I work on projects as a designer myself. Most often, I act as a team lead – I start the project and, once everything is running smoothly, leave it to my team to continue.

I also deal with presales and help Competency Centers to process them. I make sure the clients are familiar with our design process. This way, a collaboration between client and designer is much easier.

And finally, I’m involved in the Junior Design Lab we drive in Kyiv. 

Tell us more about the role of the User Experience & Design Competency Center, presales, and why it's so important for designers to get engaged in UXD CC.

Design usually acts as a storefront of any project, not because of the way the solution looks but mostly because of how it works for users and the client. 

In presales, designers help define what end-users want and what the business needs. So, getting involved in the Design Competency Center activities you can see how projects move from the presale stage and convert into real projects. I believe that designers should understand this flow if they want to advance in the profession. 

Contributing to the UXD Competency Center and participating in presales, designers improve their presentation skills, learn to be on the same page with clients' business stakeholders, see their 'pains', and most importantly, learn to plan and estimate projects. It's crucial to have these skills, as any design project involves smart planning and management.

On top of that, the UXD Competency Center is an excellent space for networking. Dealing with colleagues from all over the world, you get familiar with their style of work, discover new methods, tips & tricks, and broaden your horizons in general.

Now let's move on to the Junior Design Lab. What is it?

Its goal is to grow Junior Designers. I wrote the program and was the Lab coordinator. Together with mentors, we kicked off the Lab in Kyiv last year, and it was a success. We had many interesting mentees who joined us. Some people came from other Ukrainian cities to study in the Design Lab, and we even had a girl who came from Sweden. Now she works with us.

This year was the second run of the Junior Design Lab. The mentors and I passed the baton to new people to manage the initiative this time. I think that such experience is a great opportunity for mid-level or senior designers to learn how to mentor people and upgrade their public speaking skills. 

Wow, you’re a very active person! But how did you get started? Fifteen years ago, the profession of Experience Designer barely existed. 

Back then, there were probably only interior designers – and this profession was trendy. I also wanted to become one.

When I was in the 9th grade at school, I got a summer job at an interior design studio. There were about 20 architects supervised by an Art Director. I was impressed with her job. She was about 25 years old and was already managing other architects! That’s how great success looked to me, and it inspired me a lot. She advised me to go into something more digital-related – advertising and interfaces.

Since I studied very well, I was allowed to take 10th and 11th grades remotely. I started working as a Junior Designer for a small advertising agency. Basically, I learned the hard way – I explored the profession on the fly, made mistakes, and learned from them. 

You mastered the profession through hands-on experience. 

Exactly. Design and creativity simply attracted me, so I found a way of doing everything intuitively. Today, the situation is different. Future designers have limitless opportunities – YouTube, Coursera, articles and blogs, and design schools.

Apart from my work at EPAM, I teach a course in design process management at Projector school in Kyiv. It’s an advanced course for designers who want to lead others.

What’s design for you? Is it pure creativity, or something else?

As a designer, I have a project to do, a sprint to complete, a deadline to meet. It’s not a hobby or entertainment – it’s a job.

I believe we can work successfully without inspiration by following the design process and using various techniques. There are different methods of brainstorming, creative sessions that can help you come up with viable ideas and find new solutions.  

At the same time, inspiration and aesthetics are still present in a designer’s life. For example, I like good coffee, beautiful food, and perfumes. Some love to paint or take photos, others play musical instruments.

If a designer feels stuck, what should they do?

I would suggest seeking advice from colleagues. At EPAM, we have an exceptionally strong design community – we collaborate and communicate with each other. So, if you have a problem you don’t know how to solve, just ask other designers.

You’ve mentioned techniques that help designers. Could you share a few of them? 

There is the Customer Journey Map and Value Proposition Canvas that are commonly used in the design.

The challenge is that sometimes, we can get confused about what method to choose. It’s important to always look deep – what the technique is used for. For example, the Customer Journey Map gives us a step-by-step look at where users experience difficulties. The Value Proposition Canvas is for new ideas. Say you have an innovative product and want to understand whether it has a value proposition for users.

A designer’s work is diverse and sometimes even vague. Some say a designer should do everything related to design, others say a designer should be narrowly focused. What do you think? 

Right now, a designer can say “I only do this or that.” When I started, we didn’t have that luxury – designers were supposed to be full-stacks. You had to come up with an idea, test and implement it, and sometimes even act a copywriter and create messaging. Say you worked on book or magazine design – then you also were supposed to do pre-pressing and make sure the printing office did everything correctly.

The design world is transforming fast. What do you do to keep up with the trends? 

Since I work on many short-term and presales projects, I get a very diverse experience. It helps me stay in good shape.

As I’ve mentioned, we have a strong design community at EPAM. Every year, we come together for the Design Summit and share knowledge and experience. 

Though I speak at conferences myself and teach students, I continue to attend design events as a visitor, usually somewhere abroad. Last year, I went to the Nielsen Norman Group (NN/g) UX conference. The founders of NN/g, Jakob Nielsen and Don Norman are pioneers of User Experience and internationally recognized for their leadership in defining design.

Finally, I have designers in my pool whom I need to help grow – and this really drives me forward.

Alla, you have years of hands-on experience in design and managing other designers. What skills should a designer have to succeed?

A designer should be able to handle criticism. It’s important to understand that the negative feedback you may get is not about you as an individual, it’s about a particular piece of work. Feedback helps you grow and makes you a better expert.

The next thing a designer needs is soft skills, which have become as vital as hard skills:

·  Communication. Designers should be able to communicate and speak the same language as users, clients, and each other.

·  Leadership. Every designer faces a moment when they must take the lead and accountability – for the work or the team. To get ready for this, you need leadership skills.

·  Critical thinking. Design is not about creating a beautiful website – it’s about solving a problem. That is why a designer should always validate ideas and look at the problem from various perspectives.

·  Teamwork. Designers can’t work alone. We collaborate with developers, business analysts, managers, clients, and fellow designers as well.

What is the most inspiring and enjoyable thing for you about design, and your work? 

I’m very interested in following the way the field of design changes and evolves. As for my job, I enjoy dealing with every new project I get. They’re always different and special in their own way.  

What inspires me the most is to see EPAM design practices growing. We are becoming cooler and better as designers and have amazing people join us around the world. It makes me happy and proud to realize that I’ve also contributed at least a teeny-tiny bit to it.

Finally, let’s get a glimpse of your no-work life. What are your hobbies and things you love?

Work takes a lot of my time, so I don’t have many hobbies. I’m fond of traveling, love coffee, and often attend coffee workshops and events. At home, I even have a coffee machine, scales, and all the necessary equipment for making the perfect drink. Besides, I’m passionate about niche perfumery and when I travel, I try to visit perfume houses and buy a new unique scent.