A pre-interview with a questionnaire was conducted prior to the main interview.
To summarize the pre-interview, the designer I interviewed is a 35-year-old post-graduate woman who currently works for a large global company in Korea, and her major is fine arts, but she is working as a UX designer in a design lab that designs spaces through post-production. She works 8 to 10 hours a day at her job and volunteers using her talents for less than 8 hours per week.
She said that her company is very hierarchical, and she is not satisfied that her work is not fully recognized. However, she said she is neutral about her employment situation and would continue to work but work less if a universal basic income were available.
In this interview, I asked a UX designer a series of questions. The designer highlights the role of technology in her current work, describing it as all about data and the process of adjusting hypotheses and designs to solve problems. However, she also acknowledges that there are limits to predicting the future and improving reality based on past data.
She prefers working remotely from home and has maintained their work-life balance during the pandemic by creating checklists and working in other places, such as cafes and libraries. She is open to moving to a smaller company with a more flexible organization where she can demonstrate her capabilities in various fields. If she could save time from commuting, she would spend her time volunteering rather than investing it in personal development.
She shares her perspective on the biggest trends in the future of work, emphasizing the importance of the ability to re-edit information and creatively use knowledge to gain new insights from a lot of information.
<Below is an English translation of the interview.>
Hi. Thank you for your time. Please note that this interview is for research purposes only for the CSM MA program and can be anonymized upon request.
I would like to ask you a few additional questions based on the questionnaire I sent you earlier.
1. As a UX designer, what do you think is the role of technology in your current work?
As a UX designer, technology is all about data. I think technology is all the data that we have about the user’s behaviour patterns and reactions, and all the process of adjusting the hypothesis and design to solve it is related to technology. However, since the data we collect is from the past, I think there is a limit to predicting the future and improving reality.
What do you think the role of technology will be in your future work?
It will be an essential element like food, clothing and shelter. Without technology, you will live a very uncomfortable life and be unable to do anything.
2. If you had a choice, would you choose to work remotely or commute?
Work from home
How many days a week would you ideally work?
4 days a week
How have you maintained your work-life balance while working remotely during the pandemic?
I made a checklist of what I had to do each day and what I had to do each week.
How did you stay productive and focused?
I got away from home and worked in other places (cafés, libraries) where I could focus on my work.
3. You work for a large global company with the same income and benefits. Would you be willing to move to a smaller company with a more flexible organization where you can excel?
Yes
Please explain your reasons.
What I do in a large organization is a minimal area. So as time goes by, things get used to and get boring. If I work in a small organization, I think I will be able to demonstrate my capabilities in various fields with the experience I have accumulated so far.
4. If you are doing volunteer work that doesn’t pay, and you could spend less time commuting to work, would you use that time to volunteer more, or would you invest it in personal development?
I will spend my time volunteering. I think it is necessary to help others with my expertise.
5. How many days could you go without an internet connection if it wasn’t work-related?
I can’t stand a single day. Get information and enjoy content on the Internet
6 What do you think are the biggest trends in the future of work?
Ability to re-edit information
Expert knowledge is easy to obtain, and it seems important to use knowledge creatively. It seems that the ability to create insights from a new perspective is needed from a lot of information.