People
ParkSoJung I'm Sojeong Park, a designer at Datahunt. I am in charge of designing all visual elements at Datahunt, including UI/UX design. Currently, I am the only designer at Datahunt, and I recently worked on the renewal of the Datahunt website.
I majored in digital media at university, which is somewhat related to design, so I've been interested in it since then. Then, I participated in the K-Move school's overseas internship program and went to the United States. I was assigned to assist in overall design, including web design, at an American fashion company.I lived in the U.S. for about a year and two months before returning to Korea.
When I came back toKorea, I was working on a project with several designers and planners and found out about DataHunt. That was in February of this year, and now I'm enjoying working with my colleagues at Datahunt.
There are some popular stereotypes about designer jobs, such as a lot of revisions and late nights. I'm sure there are differences between Korea and the U.S., but I thought the gap was minimized at DataHunt. Even though I don't have a lot of experience, I feel that everyone respects me in design work.
Even if it's not a design job, everyone at DataHunt seems to find their own work within the scope of what they can do. There's not a lot of overtime, and if you've done as much as you can today, you can go home and finish up tomorrow. I think that kind of atmosphere makes for a more efficient workplace.
The goal of revamping the website has been in the works for a while, and we started working on it in earnest not long after I joined the company. There are many goals for the revamp project, but to put it simply, we started with improving accessibility and usability, and then improved the layout content and visual design.
In particular, I wanted to create a layout and content that would better represent the direction and goals of DataHunt, and I also wanted to design the platform so that customers interested in our company could contact us immediately.
I don't think the website is finished yet, and I don't think it ever will be. We have to think a lot about it and keep improving it to make it better. I think it's greedy to start with everything perfect and meticulous. Of course, it would be nice to get a 100 from the start, but it's not easy to do that. I think this result was a cornerstone for making a better site in the future.
I think you can seethe elements that are focused on business such as company introduction and product introduction well now. The most important parts of this renewal were the parts that explain Data Hunt's products and services well, so I think we focused on the important parts first. In the future, we will gradually improve points such as visual elements and animation. Color, typography, layout, etc.
I think there is bound to be a slight gap between what the company is pursuing and the style that the individual wants, not just designers, but all employees, but I think this can be bridged, and I think all employees have similar concerns, and I think it is only by bridging these points that the development of the company and the growth of the individual can be achieved together. So I would give DataHunt's website renewal a score of 60 out of 100 points, because it has improved from the previous website, so it has exceeded 50 points, and there is still about 40 points left for improvement and growth.
When I was working in the U.S., I had the opportunity to study a little bit of development as a designer, and I started to study development, but I didn't learn it to a satisfactory level, so I returned home. However, when I was actually working, I kept thinking that if I had a deeper understanding of the development side, it would have been easier to communicate. It is the most regrettable part, and it is a mission that I have to continue to improve.
The good thing is,I've done everything from webpage design to product design, and even designing brochures for offline exhibitions. In fact, I'm doing everything related to design. Through this process, I can see how DataHunt's business as a whole rotates and how decisions are made, so I think each of these experiences will nourish my capabilities later.
In a word, it's a very supportive environment. We respect each other's efforts, and we're quick to praise each other's work and give feedback on what we don't like, so there's no resistance to that process.
We don't go in with a premise of "no," we go in with a premise of "how can we make it work," and we recognize the efforts and ideas of the person who gave the feedback. Whenever things run smoothly without any major conflicts, I feel rewarded to be a part of this company.
One of Datahunt's internal welfare programs is called "Hunt's Fun Day." Once a month, we have a meal together in groups of 4-5 people, and every quarter, the entire team goes on a picnic. The location is decided through a vote, and last quarter, we went to Lotte World. We all wore school uniforms, cute headbands, and took a lot of pictures. We are very close outside of work, and it would be a shame if we didn't see each other for more than 8 hours every day and more than half the month. We work when we work and play when we play, so it's really nice.
If I were to have a senior designer on my team, I'd want someone who could give me a long-term, big-picture view and direction. I tend to obsess over the little things, which is good, because I'm meticulous, but bad, because I get in over my head, so someone who can keep me in check would be a great partner.
Also, design must be accompanied by an understanding of the user. Even if it's pretty and colorful, if the user is uncomfortable, you have to tear it all down. It would be great to have someone who can give me direction and share opinions.
I think I'm still in the early stages of my career, so personally, I'd like to focus on strengthening my skills in the design work itself. For now, I think the focus of my growth should be on my personal skill set. Later on, I'd like to develop the ability to brand projects as a whole. I don't have any big goals right now, but I'd like to prove myself to the company with my work.