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Be Yourself, Be Part of #WomanPower in IT - Chapter 3

    In our series about amazing women in IT, it’s time for our UX queen and winner of the Strong Women in IT title — Patrycja Leszek-Królikowska. She’s known for her charisma and passion for action, and you’ll learn more about her, working in the industry, and female strength from this interview. We invite you to a fascinating conversation.

    1. Patrycja, you started your journey at Ailleron a few years ago. How has your career path unfolded, and what do you do now?

    December 1, 2023 marked my 8th anniversary at Ailleron. I started out as a Senior UX Designer, then became a Team Lead, General Manager, and now Business Unit Director. The mission of the entire UXLab is to create, together with our clients (banks, leasing companies, and other financial institutions), the best possible user experiences in an open and creative space where every idea — even the crazy one — counts just the same.

    2. As a team, you have many interesting clients in Poland and abroad. What does a typical collaboration look like?

    A well-prepared meeting and workshop are the foundation. I say this always and everywhere. Time is very precious, so I can honestly say I really appreciate well-structured meetings. So we usually start our work with design sprints, i.e., 1–2 days of intensive workshops with the client, on site or remotely. We talk about the requirements; go over the data we have; inspire one another; do solid market research; and finally, together, we design the dream solution on a sheet of paper. Every participant designs their own, regardless of their position. Then we pick the best one by voting, which often cuts long discussions down to a minimum. The next stage is prototyping, and that’s where the magic happens. The magicians — the UX and UI designers from UXLab — create a real prototype in a very short time, then we move on to testing, and that’s when we find out whether the idea is good and whether we went in the right direction. I’m proud that so many clients enter this process. Then come user tests; a design system is created, along with more screens, iterations, and modules. And so on, all the way to the final design.

    3. With all the Design Sprints, meetings, and workshops, do you travel a lot to visit clients? Or are online meetings the prevailing standard now?

    In 2023, we visited our clients for workshops in London and Vienna. We also travel around Poland: Warsaw, Wrocław, Poznań, Łódź. We host meetings at our headquarters in Kraków as well. I’m a big fan of meeting “in person.” The energy and the shared creative project vibe during the concept phase are irreplaceable then.

    4. Your portfolio is truly rich. Which project was the most interesting for you, and which one is the team most proud of?

    We always design with our clients and for their clients. We always work in a way that makes us proud of the end result. Our portfolio really is rich — we have a lot of projects for banks and for financial and leasing institutions, but we also have projects for hotels, the travel segment, real estate, and taxes — generally for clients from all over the world. We take something interesting away from every project, and it strongly inspires us in future work.

    5. Can we see this portfolio somewhere?

    We’re building it on Dribbble. Stay tuned, it keeps growing. Check us out on Dribbble.

    6. Speaking of news — the Umami strategy has been making waves lately. How can this theory be applied to UX? Does it have practical applications in your UX Lab?

    A great article about the Umami strategy was written by our content specialist Justyna Drogowska, based on Aga Szóstek’s book and UXLab’s work — I refer you to it here. She captured perfectly how we at UXLab combine elements of the strategy with our client work. I personally love the undefined, unobvious taste of umami. After eating such a dish, I know I like it. There’s “that something” in it, that “pinch of magic” that’s also needed in workshops and in design. Thanks to that magic, I get positively energized for work and for new challenges.

    7. Over the last 2 years, the UX team has grown considerably. It’s a large, strong, close-knit crew. Where does your strength lie?

    Yes, we have a very versatile team! I’ll answer this question in bullet points, because I like specifics myself and I think it will be the best summary. UXLab’s strength comes from:

    • the desire to design great experiences
    • passion
    • commitment
    • curiosity about the world
    • solving users’ real problems
    • challenging one another
    • smiles and jokes every day
    • a relaxed and easygoing atmosphere at work.

    Professional, high-quality work should be delivered in a friendly and positive atmosphere.

    9. There’s female power in your UX team. Have you noticed a trend of more and more women deciding — or maybe even “daring” — to enter this more technical world?

    There are currently 11 people working in our UXLab, including 5 women. I’ve been in the IT industry for over 14 years, and over time I’ve definitely noticed more and more women entering this world. It’s a beautiful thing, because teams that are diverse in terms of gender, age, competencies, and passions have the greatest power to act and are the most effective at delivering top-quality solutions. That’s also where our UXLab’s strength comes from.

    10. What 3 pieces of advice would you give to women who are still hesitating, or have some concerns, about entering the IT world?

    I love challenges, especially the sports kind. I know that without a clear plan and ongoing tracking of your progress, it’s hard to achieve the success you dream of. So the 3 simple rules I apply when preparing for every ultramarathon or mountain summit are the same ones I follow in business. Here they are:

    • set yourself a specific, well-defined goal you want to achieve in IT (e.g., becoming a lead, a manager, an IT analyst, or a UX designer)
    • prepare an action plan: start with a list of trainings, courses, or degree programs worth completing, think about which internship is worth getting into and how many years of experience you need, and start observing the work of people in similar roles (e.g., on social media) and building relationships with them
    • carry out the plan, persistently toward your goal, regardless of any setbacks you encounter.

    And one more pro tip: be curious about the world and observe it. Take one lesson from every experience — even a trip to the movies, a journey, or meeting up with friends. It’s important to remember that continuous growth requires change, so don’t be afraid of it. Only through change can we grow, and to change you need to reflect, observe the world, and draw conclusions.

    11. Out of topic. 😊 What’s your team’s recipe for the best team-building?

    Hehe, you’d have to ask the whole UXLab. From my point of view, one of the best team-building trips we’ve had was a stay at a mountain hostel in November — with a bonfire, a guitar, and singing, practically no comforts — and we still talk about it to this day. And that’s exactly when the first snow fell! It was really great!

    Patrycja, thank you for this conversation. For us, the girls at Ailleron 😉, and all #AilleronExperts, you’re a great example that when you hold firmly to your goals and look boldly ahead, success is within reach. Thank you for being with us and for being part of this strong crew! Girl power!