TSW #6 - Liina Martõnjak

05 February 2013

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I have worked in IT industry since 2006 when I started as a programmer. Today I work as an interaction designer in Trinidad Consulting and I’m also a quest lecturer at IT College. My everyday tasks as an interaction designer include conducting usability testing, prototyping new solutions for interactive technologies, doing user research, evaluating existing websites etc. I really like my job as every project is different you always learn new things.

How would you describe yourself with 5 sentences?
I guess this is more like 5 random things about me…

  1. I enjoy learning new things and concerning new challenges. The biggest problem is that there is never enough time to do everything I’d like.
  2. My secret escape from reality is cinema; I go to cinema almost every week and watch everything from Star Wars to Anna Karenina.
  3. I love books; on paydays I usually reward myself with a new book.
  4. I’m dreaming of travelling the world one day.
  5. In a way I am a perfectionist, if I do something I want the result to be as close to perfection as possible.

 
How did you get involved with technology?
In short this was a lucky accident. After high school I wanted to study either international relations or psychology, but things did not go as I wished, so I ended up studying informatics instead. University was interesting but I didn’t really see my future in IT until I got my first job as a programmer. Getting this job was also a lucky accident, as I was actually looking for a position as an assistant in an IT company “to get my foot in the door” or becoming junior system analysts. After almost 6 months of no luck, I sat in a job interview and said that I’m happy to do anything related to IT with little pay, if they’d just give me a chance.
They hired me as a programmer :).
Life sometimes works in funny ways; not getting what I wanted at the time, resulted in getting a lot more that I hoped for.
 
What or who inspires you?
People

What was the last interesting technology event you attended/participated?
It wasn’t exactly an event, but doing my masters’ degree in Human-Computer Interaction in University College London was truly interesting and in many ways life changing experience, which I will always value.
 
What are the top 5 apps you can’t live without? 
I’d probably survive without any :), however alarm clock, Skype, mailbox, calendar and iTunes have proven to be useful.
 
What is the most exciting part of your work?
I would still do this work, even if I’d win a lottery and would not have to work. I get to learn about so many different things and areas, from how people work in public offices to how to buy a tractor or choose an electricity provider. I have also met so many interesting and inspiring people through my work. Therefore it’s hard to say what is most interesting – everything is.

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