Today’s welcome post should really be a welcome back post, as Jesse Hoek had previously been at Zeitspace as a co-op student. Needless to say, we’re delighted that Jesse has returned to Zeitspace as a user experience designer. We asked Jesse a few questions, which we’d asked him on this first tour with us without seeing responses, and we’re sharing his answers below. We think they strike an interesting chord.
Why UX Design?
I started out in a Computer Science program in University, and started my career as a software developer throughout various internships. I gradually shifted from full-stack development towards front-end, since I liked working on user-facing products. I found that I really enjoyed creating interfaces and designing my own applications. So, I ended up switching over to UX design as I wanted to be more involved in the design process, not just the development process.
What kind of design do you like? Mobile? Web? Something else?
Lately I’ve been enjoying designing for native mobile apps. I find it’s more of a challenge as there are more OS restrictions and OS-specific design patterns compared to the web. When designing apps, it’s important to build unobtrusive notifications, a seamless first-time user experience, etc. When it comes to Android and iOS, you need to balance consistency across your app and also the native OS styling and interaction patterns.
Recommend one thing (maybe a book, movie, album, TV show, physical experience…) Why?
If you’re looking for a great place to travel in Europe, I highly recommend visiting Belgium. They’ve got fantastic beer, chocolate, frites, and waffles - you’ll have no shortage of amazing food and drink. The sights are amazing as well, from historic medieval town of Bruges, to the more modern city of Antwerp. It’s also really easy to get around with cheap trains connecting the entire country.
What’s your favourite new (or old) discovery in Waterloo Region?
I absolutely LOVE the Apollo Cinema in downtown Kitchener. It’s a bit hidden away in the lower level of a large tower. They have local beer and cider on tap, really comfy seats with tables, and an unparalleled amount of legroom. It’s never really too crowded, and they have great prices.
Share a cool thing that folks might like to know about you?
I love hiking in the summer, and snowboarding in the winter. I’m trying to explore more of Ontario during the warm months and visit more local hiking spots. And it’s been far too long since I’ve been snowboarding last, so I need to revive that hobby again this winter.
