It was a transformative learning experience, joining Work & Co and collaborating with the PLI Team. Being surrounded by so many talented designers and receiving feedback through exchanging opinions and listening to how other designers critique each other broadened my perspective of the inner workings of the industry. Alongside this, I was also able to continue building my technical design skills and grow as a product designer.

Working within a large team, communication was key to our collective success. I contributed to daily team meetings and weekly client meetings and was able to glean key insights into presenting design to clients who may not be well versed in the discipline.

As a designer, I admit to having fallen into the trap of considering products only from the design side, obsessing over my own vision of experience and visuals. By working in industry, I came to terms with the fact that designer considerations are secondary to the realities of business. The task is not to create the perfect product according to my own standards, but to do so for the client according to their time and budgetary constraints. Though ego-battering, this experience has led me to become a far finer designer than I had been previously and I am grateful for it.