Meet Wrikers: Irina Ganevica, Principal UX Researcher

Irina Ganevica is a Principal UX Researcher who joined Wrike in May 2021. Before coming to Wrike, Irina ran strategic product research at Prezi. Check out Irina’s personal journey of becoming a Principal UX Researcher and why she decided to join?Wrike ! ??

"Hi! I am Irina Ganevica. I’m a Principal UX Researcher with 12+ years of total experience in the digital product design field. For 3+ years, I’ve also been a member of Riga TechGirls, which empowers women to start their careers in IT. I’d describe myself as someone who combines three mindsets: engineering, design, and research."

What made you want to join Wrike?

There’s no better place for a researcher than a place where they feel they can make an impact at scale. I’m no exception, and to me, Wrike looked like this type of place. It’s a product that can be used by any company that has work processes. The variety of user flows and users themselves is huge, which is somewhere UX research specialists can find great challenges and insights.

Wrikers are transparent, honest, and always eager to learn. These values align with my own and are what I’m looking for in a positive working environment.

Some other things that convinced me to join Wrike were the professional growth opportunities and the people I met during the interview process.?Wrike’s culture is welcoming and friendly,?and Wrikers are transparent, honest, and always eager to learn. These values align with my own and are what I’m looking for in a positive working environment.

How did you become a UX Researcher?

I’ve always gravitated toward digging into users’ minds and the reasons behind what they do. Although I come from a product design background, I also spent my time bothering colleagues in usability tests or running workshops to uncover potential problems. I’d even say that my product design career started mainly because of my interest in research. I was a project manager who wanted to define my clients’ needs and offer them the best possible solutions by planning how the web page would look and how it should work.

I used to work at Prezi, where I fully switched my career toward research. With the help of my professional colleagues in the research department, I was able to quickly learn and grow.

How does Wrike support your career goals?

I’m a passionate learner and always searching for new challenges that would help me broaden my professional horizons. Wrike is a great place to reach the next level of expertise, guide product teams through research activities, build research processes in development cycles, and improve UX Research knowledge and maturity.

Wrike is a great place to reach the next level of expertise, guide product teams through research activities, build research processes in development cycles, and improve UX Research knowledge and maturity.

At Wrike, I can contribute to the success of the product on many levels, which makes it a great opportunity and a unique learning experience.

What is the hardest part of your job? What is the most rewarding one?

The hardest part of UXR is to make sure all the work you do reaches the ears and hands of the right stakeholder, so they can put your work into action.?And, of course, the best reward is seeing how your work results in positive changes in the company’s product.?Another plus is hearing how your colleagues think about the user not only as a “clicking machine” but as a person who has feelings and aspirations. I enjoy it when people on the product team explain their thoughts and decisions using real-life examples of our users’ situations.

Another plus is hearing how your colleagues think about the user not only as a “clicking machine”

How would you describe Wrike’s team and culture?

I see new experts, roles, and levels emerging within the company, reflecting our team's maturity in general.?Being a part of the Wrike family has especially opened up great opportunities to exchange experiences and work on users’ needs at different scales.?I definitely see growth opportunities?and overall dynamic team development.

What does a typical workday look like for you?

I start my day with coffee and go through my daily to-do list. I also check my calendar and plan other activities in between meetings and my work focus time. I’m a proud mother to my nine-year-old daughter, Olesja. Like myself, she’s also learning from home, so I plan my working day around her activities from time to time. I also collaborate weekly with the Latvian Educational Reform Committee on the Design and Technology exam. Last but not least, I’m a runner, so I do my running training almost every day. As you can see, there’s a lot to juggle there.

What’s something that people would be surprised to learn about you?

I love to lead roleplaying tabletop games and have been doing it for three years. I started as a player, and now I organize game sessions of my own. The games help develop my imagination and switch from real-world problems to fantasy ones. I feel energized from playing with people who have lots of fun, and what can be better than telling and making up an exciting story together with friends?

If you were going to give someone who just decided to join Wrike one piece of advice, what would it be?

If you see how to improve something, speak up. There will be people who will support you and make it happen.?This is how everyone can contribute to growth.

Wondering about what it's like to work with us? Check our careers page for more details ??