UX and UI design, and general industry experience
Recently, I spent time with the fantastic online team at Virgin Media O2 at the O2 Headquarters in Slough, London. During this visit, I gained a greater understanding of the industry and of multiple disciplines within the online team.
From contributing to team meetings, engaging in 1-1 conversations, and crafting visual UI experiences for an A/B test on O2.co.uk, I expanded both my own skillsets and people skills greatly.
I was made to feel incredibly welcome by everyone at O2 and I really admire the work ethic and the standard of work that they all produce. The team members are all really engaging and friendly, and they made it a very comfortable and unforgettable experience. I came away from this trip feeling extremely motivated to succeed within my degree and join a company such as O2.
The first day at the O2 HQ began with a team meeting regarding a "Tiger Ticket" (support ticket). We discussed the issues, the process, and the possible solutions/next steps that could be taken. I found this interesting and it really got me into the UX mindset. I enjoy problem solving so I felt motivated to work towards a solution for the issue.
I then had a meeting with the manager of the Content Team where we discussed their responsiblities, processes and the Content Management Systems (CMS) that they use. Most of this was new to me so it was great to gain a better understanding of the process and language that is used within the Content Management Department.
Afterwards, I had another meeting, this time with a member of the UI team. This is an area that I have been interested in for a while so it was great to see the real life applications and situations that are seen in the industry. During this meeting, we discussed the design system that is used at O2 and also using JIRA software (used to locate and manage Tiger Tickets).
We ended the first day with a 'Lightning Decision Jam' with a large group focused on an upcoming project. It was really good to see the process and I noticed that there were brainstorming methods that I had used before so it was good to see them being used in a real-world brief. We used a Miro board, which I have used extensively throughout University, to collate insights, challenges and solutions. I enjoyed the meeting and felt like I contributed well as I gave insights to the group from my perspective as a student.
The second day mainly consisted of crafting visual UI experiences based on wireframes that were provided by a member of the UX team. I was tasked with creating the UI for the mobile version. I completed this using 'Sketch' and O2's 'ODS' (Oxygen Design System) and constructed the screen using the UI components. It was my first time using a design system, especially one which contained such a huge amount of detail and components. It was very interesting to see the discipline that is needed when designing UI for a global company as everything needs to be correct and pixel perfect to align with the company's brand. I enjoyed working to this precise structure and it appealed to my detail-oriented attributes.
