We started our company-wide remote working on Friday 13th of March. A #remotework channel was created on Slack, and since then our community has been sharing tips on staying sane and funny stories from their new remote working life. We asked a few of these people to share their stories and their “new normal”.
This is Maria’s story:
What is your role? Which team?
I am a Service Designer with a passion for inclusive design. I have a degree in graphic design, so visual storytelling is my fundamental tool in creating better understanding and communication with my clients.
What are you working on?
Currently I’m working on projects that aim for better and more inclusive education. I’m also helping some clients with accessibility and when I have the time I try to help my colleagues with some illustrations too. I love working with the public sector, because it’s basically giving a hand to yourself in a sense.
What do you love about your job? How long have you worked at Solita?
I’ve worked in Solita for the last three years and what I love about my job is that I have the tools and resources to develop my competence as a designer in all ways imaginable. I get frustrated when I start to feel like I’ve done the same thing over and over, but at Solita I’ve had the chance to jump into projects I never thought I’d be able to do.
What’s your biggest passion(s)?
I want to use my skills and competence to make our society more inclusive and accessible. I think the design community has been way too white/male/hetero/able-bodied for too long already. I find that empathy isn’t enough in design, we need to encourage and create space for minorities and marginalised people to become designers too. Diversity is so much more than just a male/female employee ratio.
What’s your most impactful experience at Solita so far?
Personally I think that designing with people never gets old. I love the feeling when I see that I can help bring people’s ideas to life and make their everyday life a bit easier.
What brightens your #remotework day?
I have a huge chestnut tree outside my window and during the these weird times it has brought me joy to watch it blossom. It comforts me to see that life goes on even when it feels like the flow of time has stopped altogether.
I also had a ‘thing’ on instagram in the beginning of the quarantine called #quarantinelooks. I dressed up everyday in (crazy) outfits to stay sane. I stopped when I noticed I started to consider ordering more clothes online for my outfit of the day, oops.
– Maria
