Humans of The Summer Studio: Hayley Voss
This article was originally posted on LinkedIn, check it out here.
Meet Hayley
The next amazing Designer in our Humans of the Summer Studio series is Hayley Voss. We were introduced to Hayley through a dear friend of the studio, Doug Powell . She is a Senior Product Designer at WP Engine and she brought a wealth of experience to our team.
One of the things I admire most about Hayley is how deeply she thinks about her design work. When she shares her thoughts during a team discussion it’s a show-stopper of insight and creativity! It’s important to have a range of creative personalities on a design team, and Hayley is someone I’d want on every team.
She shared some of her thoughtful reflections about her time at the 2024 Summer Studio:
What did it feel like to get hands on during the Summer Studio week in Austin last year?
Rewarding, engaging, inspiring, but mostly exciting. I loved the experience of coming to the studio every day and working collectively towards our shared goals. In-person collaboration is more rare these days and it was such a special experience to have that type of collaboration with other designers, as well as our client.
What do you think future fellows should know about the week?
You’ll hit the ground running and dive right into complex problems, but in the best way possible. You’ll be challenged to approach and view problems in new ways that differ from your typical day-to-day process. Learning from designers in other disciplines opens your perspective to new ways of thinking. At first, I was so quick to follow my usual process. It was helpful for me to be pushed into different ways of problem solving.
And last, but most important, you will have lots of fun with great people.
Were there any surprises?
I think the biggest surprise for me was how much we accomplished in a short time span. It was very cool to see how with intention and focus, you can get really far.
What does it mean to you to be a designer today?
For me, I think it’s somewhat simple—it’s all about using your unique perspective to solve user problems. It’s about learning, iterating, adjusting, and iterating again until you land at the best possible solution to solve the end user’s problem.
Is there a piece of advice or wisdom that you would tell your younger designer self?
Embrace new opportunities and challenges. It can be easy to stay in your comfort zone, but the moments where I’ve stepped outside of it have been some of the most rewarding. Participating in TSS is a great example. When I learned about the program, I really didn’t know what to expect but I also knew I would regret not participating and in the end I’m so happy I did. Life is short, say yes to new things.