Meet our Product Design Team: Part 2

Here is part two of our “Meet Our Product Design Team” series (part one can be found here). We compose the brand/visual, product design, research, education, developer relations, and design systems teams scattered across the company worldwide. If you’re interested in joining our team, learn more about what it's like to work here first-hand from our designers below

Allison Mui, Product Designer, Education

Pronouns: she/her/hers
Social Media: Linkedin

What did you learn in college that helped you in your current role?

I attended Carnegie Mellon University for Human Computer Interaction. At school, I learned of the human-centered design approach. This gave me the fundamentals to thoroughly tackle my problems with the user’s perspective at the forefront. At work, this has helped me ensure that my designs are packed with the reasoning of user value as well as business value.

What would you want someone to know coming into this role?

Never be afraid to voice your opinions. Even if you think you are too young or too new to speak up, remember that you are hired for your talent and ideas and it’s what sets you apart from everyone else.

Who do you admire in the design industry and why?

My design idols change a lot and I can never pinpoint just one. I recently got into the show, “Next in Fashion,” and discovered my newest idol, Minju Kim. She is a fashion designer from Seoul, Korea. I admire her greatly because she is so humble, yet so powerful, unique, and creative. She draws inspiration from all walks of life, from culture and history to her experience and family. I hope to be able to encompass that holistic creativity in my work as well.

Kalie Patterson, Visual Design Lead, Visual & Brand

Pronouns: she/her/hers
Social Media: LinkedIn

What did you learn in college that helped you in your current role?

I studied Fine Arts in College with a focus on painting, mural design and small metal arts, and got into Graphic Design after college. I think this has given me a much more fluid perspective on art and design. I treat a lot of my large-scale work more like a painting or mural rather than a piece of graphic design. I love that design is an industry that allows people with non-traditional backgrounds room to grow and the ability to bring their perspectives.

What would you want someone to know coming into this role?

This company is such an awesome space to make your voice heard, and to work on projects that you can see make an impact. If you're passionate about something, be vocal! There is always room to be a part of something meaningful at MongoDB!

What are some of your favorite hobbies outside of work?

I love to bake and cook! The kitchen is where I find my zen space. I love turning my brain off and focusing on what's directly in front of me and the result is tasty food I get to share with people I care about. The best thing I made recently was Kouign-Amann (Queen-Ahman) which is a laminated pastry baked with sugar and salt to create a sort of salted caramel croissant thingy! I followed Chef John's recipe that you can find here.

Rashmi Srinivas, Product Designer, Realm

Pronouns: she/her/hers
Social Media: LinkedIn

What did you learn in college that helped you in your current role? I majored in Human Centered Design and Engineering at the University of Washington where I gained a foundation in user experience research and design. I learned the hard and soft skills necessary for working in the industry, but the best piece of feedback I was given in this program was to “trust the user-centered design process.” Oftentimes when we’re working on complex design problems, it’s easy to get lost in the details. Taking a step back and thinking about the user brings perspective and focus back to the real problem at hand.

What’s been your favorite team activity? If there is anything you need to know about the Design team at MongoDB, it’s that we take our celebrations very seriously. If it’s a birthday, first anniversary, fifth anniversary, or just a Tuesday, I love that the entire team gets together to have a little fun and eat a lot of (gluten-free and/or vegan) cake!

What would you want someone to know coming into this role?

Ask questions, soak up as much as you can from the experience, and have fun! There are so many opportunities at MongoDB to learn new concepts and add value to our user community.

Andrea Willimetz, UX Researcher

Pronouns: she/her/hers
Social Media: LinkedIn

What would you want someone to know coming into this role?

Don’t be afraid of the unknown. This job was and is full of new experiences for me. Working in a database space without a computer science background has had plenty of challenges, but I have never felt inadequate or annoying asking a co-worker for help with a concept.

What’s the most “fun” project you’ve worked on?

I really enjoy one of the current projects I’m working on, which is testing the first iteration of an onboarding prototype. It’s so interesting to have multiple participants make similar points about the design and the flow. Onboarding itself is a fun project to be part of because it affects such a broad segment (i.e. everyone who signs up) and is one of the first touchpoints of a product.

What are some of your favorite hobbies outside of work? I enjoy cooking and baking and watching videos about cooking and baking (especially Bon Appetit test kitchen videos and the Buzzfeed Worth It series). I love the dichotomy of cooking being super flexible and baking being rigid and exact.