From UX Grad to Associate UX Designer - My Career Journey

We spoke to Martina Rabczuk about her career journey from UX graduate to Associate UX Designer at Ocado Technology Poland and how our global UX Programme supported her in that journey.

Can you tell us about yourself?

I’m Tina, a UX Designer at Ocado Technology based in Cracow. A few years ago I graduated from Applied Psychology. After working as a psychologist for a few years and then as a recruiter for big tech companies, I decided to take a different path. During my time at SGK (School of Graphic Design), I discovered UX. “Sounds perfect” - I thought - “something between Psychology, Design, and Technology!”

Outside of work, I love taking road trips, playing with my golden retriever Loka, and listening to true-crime stories (guilty pleasure, we all have something, right? :D)?

How would you describe your traineeship?

My first rotation started with induction week held at the Hatfield office (our headquarters in the UK). With other graduates, we were introduced to the way Ocado works, and the details about the grad scheme program. We also had a chance to meet grads from other locations and professions :)?

I spent 18 months being a part of 3 teams, each time working alongside a dedicated person (mentor) who was sharing design knowledge and helping define my professional goals.?

I successfully rolled off to an Associate UX Designer position and currently, I’m working in the Logistics & Delivery department.?

Which rotations have you completed?

I began in a stream called “Engineering Productivity”, taking care of the needs of internal users (our engineering employees).?

The next 6 months I spent in the Ecommerce team supporting my UX mentors with shaping the homepage vision and Recurring Order feature. The cool thing was that I had a chance to prepare and co-facilitate a design sprint that took place in the Ocado Technology Barcelona office.?

My final rotation as a graduate was in the Design System team. I learnt about the design system’s purpose and value, as well as ways of creating, maintaining, and developing it. The highlight of this rotation was preparing an accessibility workshop with other grads and our a11y expert.??

What does a typical day look like for you??

My typical day in the Logistics & Delivery Department looks different depending on the phase of the project. What are some of my duties? Defining how users navigate through the interface,? preparing user research, wireframing and prototyping, conducting usability tests to evaluate the effectiveness of the design, and working closely with cross-functional teams, including product managers, and developers (go Piechuty team!)?

I am always trying to serve as an advocate for the end users throughout the design process. This involves championing user-centric design principles and advocating for decisions that prioritize user needs and preferences.

What is the most valuable part of the traineeship?

It’s hard to choose one thing, but I would say … the “change” itself. During the programme, you have a chance to gain insights into UX from diverse perspectives, meet many great professionals, and develop a deeper understanding of the business landscape.. The point is that you see not only one side of it but (hopefully) the full picture.?

What advice would you give to someone applying for this scheme?

I must say, it’s a fascinating adventure, but it also requires a lot of effort and openness to learning new things. Ask yourself - why am I interested in UX design? Are you deeply curious about understanding tangled processes and unclear phenomena? Will it bring you joy to learn more about UX in a tech-savvy environment? If so, dive in!?

Follow Tina’a advice and kickstart your career in UX by applying for our next UX Grad Programme, starting in September 2024. Apply:

→ Kraków - Here

→ Wroc?aw - Here