Backbase Careers Saurabh, Principal UX in Atlanta, on becoming 1% better every day

Saurabh, Principal UX in Atlanta, on becoming 1% better every day

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Atlanta People

About Saurabh

I was born and raised in Atlanta, where my friends know me as a master bar and restaurant critic. It’s one of my many talents 😄

I also have extensive experience in professional audio design, including sound design, audio production, and sonic branding. That’s because I used to own a commercial recording studio where I got to work with a lot of talented musicians like Outkast and CeeLo Green, to name a few.

Talking about my current job, I’ve been working in design for the past twenty years. After a long period of teaching and working in graphic and web design, I shifted my focus to UX design, and here I am.

What do you do at Backbase? What keeps you excited about your work?

As Principal UX Designer, I consult with our clients on how Backbase UX, our design system and design best practices can help accelerate their digital transformation. I also assist in design construction and prototyping when necessary. I'm always excited and proud when I can help emerging client UX teams to develop and strengthen their own internal UX capability.

What brought you to Backbase? Why did you decide to join the team?

At IBM, my previous employer, we partnered with Backbase on a prototype for a large-scale enterprise-level RFP. I really enjoyed meeting the team and was also very impressed with the Backbase UX and design system.

I was working in Washington DC at that time and was planning to move back to Atlanta. Knowing thta Backbase was located in my hometown, I reached out to them and the rest is recent history.

If you could do another job for a day, what would that be and why?

I'd love to be a rock star for a day. Mentally I'm there already.

How does your work contribute to Backbase's mission to power the digital banking revolution?

To keep up with the challenges of neobanks, traditional financial institutions must break off from the 750-year legacy of the branch model. That starts with a completely new user experience paradigm. When I can contribute to our clients accomplishing this vision, I feel it really empowers them and puts Backbase in the position to be a trusted partner on their digital journey.

What's unique about Backbase's design culture?

Camaraderie. Everyone really likes and respects each other. We are one team and help each other out whenever needed. I love our bi-weekly design meetings where we catch up with the global team and have a few laughs.

Which project are you most proud of?

I am proud of all my projects. But I must admit, my favorite project is the one I'm working on right now for the biggest credit union in the US. I got assigned to this one only a few months after I started at Backbase, which proves the level of trust that we get here. It’s an important client and the pressure is high, but that’s exactly what keeps me excited about my work.

Every new project brings new challenges and new opportunities to learn and grow. I'm just trying to get 1% better every day. My secret is staying informed on trends, tools and new developments within UX design. If I have time, I also like to play around with things, test and improve. But I’m a firm believer there’s no such thing as perfection, so I’m working my way towards that 99%.

What's challenging about your work?

Sometimes project needs can change quickly, and I have to adapt nimbly. There were a couple of projects where I've had to travel long distances on short notice, for example to Mauritius and Cyprus. 🙂

I’m not complaining, I actually love it because I look at it as an adventure and a great opportunity to meet new people.

What advice would you give to someone interested in joining Backbase?

I think a strong design foundation is required, but that's just the baseline. You should know how to do pixel-perfect designs and know all the tools, etc.

But more important is how you deal with people. You need to be able to talk to and understand clients, as well as connect your teammates and co-workers on a personal level. If you are an extreme introvert who just wants to stay heads down and design screens, stick to remote UI work, because that would not be a good culture fit here.