About me
I’m Nico, a Product Designer at Brandwatch. I've also had experience in a climate-tech start-up called Sequest. Prior to Product Design/UX I was an account manager at Talon Outdoor, an Outdoor Media agency. I’m pursuing a career in Product Design as I’m passionate about solving user problems using a creative yet methodical design-thinking process.
Product Design and advertising are two disciplines that use research and insight to impact people in the most effective way. From there, I aim to bring visual analytic skills learnt from my Art History degree, as well as an understanding on branding to both the ideation and delivery phases of Product Design.
I thrive off working collaboratively in a team environment. My goal is to be part of a company that is actively moving away from a focus on building habit-forming products and instead helping shift the industry towards a future of ethical design with user wellbeing at its core.
Experience
Brandwatch | Product Designer | Nov’ 21 - Present
Brandwatch are a B2B SaaS company that help businesses connect and understand their customers through social media. Consumer Research (BCR), Brandwatch’s flagship social media monitoring product, allows users to gain insights into their customers by analysing social media conversation.
Working in a cross-functional product team consisting of a product manager, engineers and QA. Experience working on dashboards and optimising the reporting workflow in Consumer Intelligence, Brandwatch’s flagship product.
My role primarily focused on the solution space in the double-diamond process; facilitating design workshops, collaborating with internal and external stakeholders to understand concept feasibility and constraints. Before finally putting pen to paper and designing through different levels of fidelity starting from sketching through to more polished high-fidelity wireframes.
Designed a dashboard sharing flow for desktop and mobile.
Designed a sign-up flow allowing users to tailor their Brandwatch experience by their chosen use case.
Responsibilities; UX Research (user interviews, surveys, user testing), facilitating various workshops (discovery, design, prioritisation & critique), user flows, designing low-high fidelity prototypes in Figma.
Sequest | UX Designer & Product Consultant | Climate-tech | Mar’ 21 - September ‘21
After leaving General Assembly in March 2021 I started working for a start-up called Sequest. Sequest are a climate impact business looking to bring carbon offsetting mainstream by allowing users to calculate and offset their carbon emissions.
I work as the sole UX Designer and Product Consultant. My responsibilities included:
Conducting extensive user research into people's habits and experiences around sustainability
User testing the Sequest app for usability issues - I would then mock-up designs based on the feedback and relay my thoughts and recommendations to Tech Alchemy, the agency.
Designing the websites for the different sides of the business using WebFlow & Figma
Product managing the app during the beta phase. To prepare for the app launch I personally conducted user interviews to get an insight into people's sustainability and banking habits.
General Assembly | UX Design Immersive Program | Nov ‘20 - Mar ‘21
I took part in a three-month industry-led UX Design program at General Assembly. The course covered the essential processes that feature in user-centred design. We used the double-diamond process which followed agile methodologies from research through to prototyping.
The hands-on workshop style nature of the course really instilled a passion for the digital design process as a whole, whilst also giving me a portfolio to take to potential employers.
Talon Outdoor | Out-of-Home (OOH) Media Specialist | Sep ’18 – Oct ’20
I spent two years working for an Outdoor Media Agency, Talon Outdoor. Talon are the leading independent outdoor media agency in the UK. I worked primarily on the PHD account, part of Omnicom Media Group.
I was responsible for the OOH media planning for brands such as Nutmeg, British Heart Foundation, BetVictor and PwC. Worked with internal teams such as strategy, insight, trading and creative solutions to deliver more effective OOH campaigns through the use of data.
Pala Sounds Music and Entertainment | Sept ’17 – Mar ’21
Ran a music events company in Manchester alongside studying at University. Responsible for organising DJs from around Europe and the United States to play in Manchester to sold-out audiences.
UX Skills
Agile methodologies
Double-Diamond Process
Facilitating Group Projects
Competitor Analysis
User Interviews
Affinity Mapping
Persona’s
Experience Mapping
Wireframing
Sketching
Design Studio’s
Prototyping
User Testing
Presenting
Technical Skills
Figma (Design & Prototyping)
WebFlow
Marvel
Miro
Why UX?
At the end of 2019 I was interested in moving into tech from advertising. I left school and university with little education but a huge passion for technology and was determined to make sure I was equipped with skills for the future. Covid-19 sadly had a huge impact on the Outdoor media business and acted as a catalyst for me researching UX and understanding how the design process can really drive positive change for users and also for businesses.
I’m especially interested in ethical design and how businesses can adopt basic principles that look after the user and protect their interests. I’m optimistic that the tide is turning and brands are starting to see the value in user-centred design practices and are ignoring dark pattern ‘trends’.
Nir Eyal’s book ‘Hooked’ really shocked me as it was being treated as a manual for how to get users addicted to products. I strongly oppose this idea and feel that digital products should be used by humans, not the other way around. I’m hoping I can enjoy a career in UX where I can actively drive positive change with how people interact with digital products and businesses.
Outside of UX
I’m passionate about all things to do with sport. On weekends, I regularly play cricket, football or go cycling. I’ve set up multiple sports teams throughout university and also whilst living in London. I love the organisational element of bringing like-minded people together for a shared common interest.
In July 2022 I joined a band with some of my friends Dads… We’re called Dadz Army, we had our first gig at the Half Moon, Putney over Christmas where we played a bunch of classic rock’n’roll tracks.
Volunteering
The Felix Project | Part-time | Autumn 2020
Co. Driver & Warehouse Assistant
The Felix Project are a charity that help bridge the gap between food waste and hunger. The tagline 'Good Food for Good Causes' sums up what TFP do. Food is collected and then delivered to more than 400 charities in London, to help a wide range of people who are vulnerable to hunger and malnutrition in our capital.
Whilst waiting to start General Assembly in November 2020, I wanted to help out any way I could. I started volunteering at The Felix Project where I worked as a Co-Driver, assisting food delivery to various charities around London. I also worked as a Warehouse Assistant which involved sorting out food collections by type and use-by date to make sure the food was able to be re-packaged to be taken to different charities.
The Rugby Portobello Trust | Part-time | Autumn 2020 - Present
Assistant Football Coach
RPT is a children's, youth and family support charity that has been operating in North Kensington for over 130 years. RPT provide a range of sporting, cultural and educational activities which are delivered in the daytime, evenings and during holidays, both on and off site.
Again, whilst I was waiting for the course to start, I wanted to get involved in local community projects. As a resident of the Notting Hill area, I helped out with the RPT football academy which runs every Friday Afternoon. The Football Academy brings together various schools in the North Kensington Region to compete in an U11 league in Regents Park.
Since finishing the course, I plan to restart helping out the RPT.
