Design Journeys 101: A Rendezvous with Lipika Biswas
Meet Lipika Biswas, UI Designer at Monsoonfish. She has been with Monsoonfish for about 18 months now, designing interfaces for several projects. The following is an excerpt from our most recent conversation with Lipika, where she tells us what made her want to become a designer, her experience working for Monsoonfish, and how she always manages to be this big bundle of energy. So, let’s begin!
Q: What got you into the world of design? Did you have a defining moment?
Lipika: Right from my school days, I had developed an interest in painting and sketching. So, I wanted to learn something that’s connected to these. I pursued commercial arts after which I took up an internship as a graphic designer. During the internship, I figured that I wanted to dive deeper into the world of design. I did some research on UI/UX, and it fascinated me. I concluded that this was indeed my true calling and decided to pursue a career in it. What I did immediately after the internship was to specialize in UI/UX by enrolling myself in a design course that spanned 6–7 months. I’d say I’m still learning many things and I’m enjoying myself while at it.
Q: What project(s) at Monsoonfish, do you think, got the best out of you as a designer? And why?
Lipika: That list is quite huge, I must say. I have been involved in a good number of projects and each of them has offered me learning opportunities. If I were to mention names, I really loved working on Kronos, Legal Nexus, and India Bonds.
Q: How would you rate Monsoonfish as a workplace? What has your learning experience been like?
Lipika: In my opinion, Monsoonfish deserves a five-star rating as a workplace. I have learnt a lot of things related to design and tackling design projects while here. I’d like to thank my manager, CEO, seniors, and colleagues for helping me out in all possible ways without any hesitation. They’re extremely helpful and always ready to offer help, sometimes even without me asking. I find this to be a big positive.
Q: How do you approach project requirements? Is there a particular process flow?
Lipika: When I’m assigned to work on a project, it all begins with a briefing session alongside the senior designer, my manager, and the CEO. I take some time out to understand the audiences for the project, the client’s goals, and how to strike the right balance between aesthetic and usable. I try to think from the user’s perspective as the idea behind designing is to make their lives easier by solving problems. This is followed by the visual design process.
Q: In simplest terms, what is the purpose of design in your eyes?
Lipika: I like to believe that design needs to be visually great but more importantly, it should be easy to understand and facilitate users in solving problems. Design is what leads users to repeatedly return to your brand. It creates a lasting impression of your product or website. Therefore, it has to be unique, attractive, easy to use and build a connection with the users.
Q: What’s your aspiration for the next year?
Lipika: Right now, I’m more into designing interfaces. While I love doing what I do, I’m also curious about learning UX (user experience). I am hopeful that I’ll get to design user journeys shortly.
Q: As a designer, did your style of work change in 2020 after the pandemic took over?
Lipika: Yes, a lot actually. Work schedules have changed big time. The volume of work has also increased, and to be honest, I did feel some level of pressure trying to manage both my work and my other priorities. The good thing is that I was able to ace most of it.
Q: Which brand designs inspire you the most? Any favorites that you look up often?
Lipika: I’m really fond of Apple as a brand. Their designs speak a powerful language and connect with almost every kind of user. What I also like about Apple products is their ease of use. I think that’s what draws me back to them the most.
With a vibrant team of 40+ designers, Monsoonfish specializes in Product Strategy, Design, UX and UI. Team Monsoonfish works on various mobile applications, web applications, software, applications, and websites across multiple domains where they’ve added value in terms of user-relevant product features, seamless user experience (UX) design, and stunning graphic (UI) design.
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