Interview of the month

‘My major project is the UI Team itself…’

Guri has been working for Nav N Go for two years. On joining the company he was engaged in QA, later becoming the one-man UI Team within the Project Team. Then, step by step, a team started to build up around him, and he became its leader.

How and when did you join Nav N Go?
A friend of mine, who I used to work with at Virus Buster, my previous workplace, recommended the job to me two years ago. He knew that I was open-minded about new things, and navigation development was completely new at that time. One of my intentions at the time was to go and ‘try my luck’ in the United States; however, the first impressions I gained at Nav N Go had me hooked, and so I stayed.

What was your first job with Nav N Go?
When I joined Nav N Go, I was lucky enough to find a less structured, ‘everybody does everything’ way of working; and thanks to this considerable latitude, I soon found the area I was truly interested in: User interface development. I got involved in this activity by criticizing the UI of the navigation program at the time, iGO My way 2006, to all the developers around me. They told me to go ahead and do it better if I could...  Then, I started to work as a UI developer on the next project.

Did you have any previous experience with this kind of job?
There are two ways of approaching this issue: On the one hand, my interest in design is based on the fact that I specialized in drawing at elementary school. On the other hand, I've been interested in information technology since I was very young, and I also did some programming on the Commodore 64, which was the computer in those days. As a consequence, I continued my studies at secondary school specializing in information technology; and later I graduated as a systems engineer from the college in Dunaújváros.

Are you saying that a UI developer combines these two areas: design and programming?
Fundamentally, yes. Briefly, we create everything navigation software users can see: We are responsible for the entire ‘image’, that is, the practicability, the ergonomics, and the beauty, if you like, of the UI (User Interface). For all this, you need to be design-oriented as well as having some IT knowledge.

How was the UI Team , which you are leading now, set up?
Gradually. As Nav N Go had more and more business partners, there was a growing demand for our work, as most manufacturers wished to market their products with their own image and with a customized design. Our task is to create the right ‘externals’ for the software, and design the user interface as desired by our partners. Currently, there are 13 of us working in this area, and some new team members are likely to join us soon.

To what extent is your work teamwork?
To the maximum extent. Some team members show remarkable talent in graphics, while others feel more at home in performing programming-related tasks. So our specialists can perfectly complement each other’s work. The basis of UI development is a dedicated internal engine with a dedicated script language, the development of which is continuously fostered by a large number of excellent specialists, whose work is closely connected to ours. New team members joining the UI Team are supposed to master this. All in all, everybody is familiar with everything to a certain extent, so the team’s resources are very easy to manage in a flexible and efficient way.

Do you generally have a free hand in your work?
This very much depends on the individual projects. Sometimes our customers know exactly what they want, they provide us with a worked-out image plan, and specify all the details of the UI. Sometimes we come up with a design which, in our opinion, is more suitable; and our customers approve it in the end. However, as a general rule, there have been only a few projects which we didn’t tinker with in one way or another. Naturally, we have our own ‘babies’, that is, Nav N Go’s navigation software sold as a separate product, such as Nav N Go iGO 8, almost each and every pixel of which bears the mark of our work.

What are the most important characteristics needed to be good at this job?
Commitment, creativity, and imagination are vital. Additionally, I think that anyone with the desired open-mindedness, diligence, and humble professional approach can become a good specialist.

Is there a project you are especially proud of?
I don’t wish to highlight any of them because I am proud of practically all of them. My major project is the UI Team itself. I am proud of being able to have set up such a close-knit and constructive team, which is able to collaborate closely with no internal stress, and in a very good atmosphere. It goes without saying that I can't take all the credit for this, but each and every member of the team, who make all this possible day after day.

How can Nav N Go facilitate your work?
On the one hand, we are lucky that we can work in such a pleasant working environment as the company provides us. On the other hand, I would say (and perhaps I can say this on behalf of my entire team), this is not the major motivating factor. Working with a number of colleagues and business partners who can teach you a lot that is worth learning - this is something even more motivating. I very much appreciate the highly flexible working hours that are encouraged within the entire company. What matters is that the job is done by the set deadline, rather than working on it from 9 to 5. 

What about your own time schedule? Do you have time for anything outside work?
I usually have seasonal hobbies; however, somehow I have missed out on them recently. I spend my free time with my dear partner, and whenever time permits, I try to ‘get prepared for the future’, and I continuously try to improve my talents and knowledge. I mainly read books and articles on operative management and marketing because I am interested in these areas; and as a team leader, I can already apply a part of what I have learned. Apart from this, I spend my evenings trying to extend my poker knowledge in various online casinos. :-)