20 March 2023
Product Designer, Shopify
Dinma has gone from recreating famous logos in a photo editing app to designing products for Shopify and launching a job board to assist designers in exploring remote and relocation opportunities. She is dedicated to mastering her craft and is making a real difference with her innovative spirit.
BY MITCHELLE CHIBUNDU
I work full-time as a Product Designer at Shopify but occasionally work as a Freelance Product Designer at Toptal. I proactively give back to the design community by sharing valuable insights and knowledge on Instagram and Youtube. I mentor budding designers on Designlab and ADPlist. I also founded a Job board to facilitate the job search for designers seeking relocation.
The most rewarding part of my work is the tangible impact I witness daily. There's nothing quite like seeing the solutions I've designed come to life and make a real difference in people's lives or businesses. It's an indescribable feeling of excitement and pride knowing that my work contributes to positive change and solves critical problems. It's what drives me forward and keeps me inspired every day.
Tell us about your current role and the most rewarding part of your work
Before joining Shopify, I worked as a Product Designer at Babbel, a language-learning organisation, where we created compelling experiences that aided in language learning. Additionally, I was a User Experience Designer at CcHub’s Design lab in Kigali, Rwanda. The Design Lab is a research and development centre that produces socially impactful innovations for Africa. In this role, I was responsible for designing the experiences for various projects to address critical social and health issues in Africa.
In the earlier stage of my career, I also worked at one of Workforce Group's subsidiaries (Zone tech park) as a product design intern. Subsequently, I moved on to work in a Design agency called Swipe.
What did you do before what you stated above?
While studying Economics at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, I accidentally stumbled upon design. It started when I tried to prove to a friend that designing logos was easier by replicating famous logos on a photo editing app. I became more interested in design with each logo I copied. Soon enough, I got hooked and was determined to learn everything about graphics design.
I didn't have my laptop then, but that didn't stop me from pursuing my passion. Whenever I got my hands on a computer with Photoshop installed, I would dive deep into practising my skills. When I finally got my laptop in my final year of university in 2018, I already offered professional design services to clients, primarily students. However, I wanted to explore other areas of design and create even more value, and that's how my journey into product design began. It's been a wild and exciting ride ever since.
What inspired you to pursue a career in design?
I am incredibly proud of Offa (formerly called 'Dinma Aniugbo job board). I created a job board to help designers explore remote and relocation opportunities in August 2022. Hearing from designers who have landed interview invites from roles they discovered through my job board is an absolute thrill. It brings me immense joy to know that my creation is making a real difference in the lives of designers and helping them achieve their career goals.
What is something you designed, built or contributed to that you’re utmostly proud of?
I'm a wanderlust and love discovering new places and making unforgettable memories! So I'm either hanging out with my friends, travelling to new places, snapping pics of stunning architecture and street art, jamming to my favourite songs or seeking out new thrills that give me an adrenaline rush - I'm always up for a good adventure.
How do you enjoy spending your time when you’re not working?
By building a job board, I have provided a valuable resource specifically tailored to provide remote and relocation opportunities for designers and help people advance their careers in meaningful ways. The valuable insight and resources I share on my Instagram and youtube channels have also helped to foster a supportive and collaborative environment where designers can thrive in their teams and achieve their goals.
How has your work impacted the larger community or ecosystem?
“Companies should create a safe environment where everyone feels respected, valued and comfortable and incorporate diverse perspectives in decision-making.”
To make women more visible in design, we need to share more about the journeys, milestones, and accomplishments of women, which can also create a culture of inspiration and representation. There should also be more opportunities for women in design to showcase their expertise and share their experiences through speaking events or articles. There are numerous ways to give voice to the contributions of women in design.
What, in your opinion, should be done to make more women in design visible?
Inclusion in the design industry is a critical factor in creating success within a team. Inclusion ensures that different perspectives and experiences are considered, which helps create a more diverse process and innovative solutions.
Companies can prioritise inclusion by intentionally building a diverse design team, creating policies and procedures that support diversity and equality within the group, creating a safe environment where everyone feels respected, valued and comfortable and incorporate diverse perspectives in decision-making.
What role does inclusion play in the design industry, and how can companies better prioritise it?
In the next decade, we can expect to see a transformation of the design industry, driven by a combination of rapidly developing technology (such as artificial intelligence) and a greater emphasis on inclusivity and accessibility. An increased focus will likely accompany this shift in finding innovative solutions to complex social and environmental issues.
As these technological advancements continue to change the design industry, designers might have to look for several ways to make themselves and their work stand out more. This might mean thinking beyond the existing design skills already acquired to incorporate new skills.
How do you envision the industry evolving in the next decade?
Thriving as a designer in the workplace is not just about honing your hard skills. It also entails effectively communicating and promoting my work, which involves creating visibility for myself.
Is there something you know now, that you wish you knew at the beginning of your career?
What is an interesting and possibly unexpected fact about you?
I went skydiving last year.
It depends on the type of meeting, time of the day, the location and if there's a dress code. But I will be wearing something I feel very comfortable and confident in, and it would involve an elegant blouse, pants and a very comfortable pair of heels.
What would you wear to a meeting that could potentially change your life?
Avoid putting so much pressure on yourself with the need to have your design career fully figured out immediately. Clarity and understanding often come with doing the work and experience. Some people may feel stuck in their careers due to feeling overwhelmed while learning. A helpful strategy that has worked for me is to focus on understanding what is necessary to reach each milestone in your career and then build upon that knowledge as you move forward to the next step.
What advice would you give to other women pursuing a design career who feel stuck in the journey?
Continue reading
Aya Elsawi
Aya's background in fine arts prepared her to pursue
a career in digital design. She is now working with teams to transform complex problems into efficient, user-friendly systems, and giving back to the design community by mentoring other designers.