Who is Demetruis?
You can view my LinkedIn.
Let's get to know each other below. ↓
I've worked as a product designer and design leader with 10 years of experience.
I have worked at FedEx, focused on creating most critical tool for over 85,000 couriers worldwide. Recently, I have been designing and posing as a rubber duck for tactics.tools, one of the most popular data sites for the Teamfight Tactics video game.
I also have experience in designing, leading, and managing in multidisciplinary Agile teams up to 150 people, and I mentor college students who aspire to get into the product design.
Here is a spread of my core skills below, and I am also into game design and content creation.
HARD SKILLS
- Design Systems
- Digital product design
- Brand design
- Interaction design
- Product strategy
- Information Architecture
- Communication & Knowledge with Front End Development
SOFT SKILLS
- Product & Project Management
- Vision & Strategy Crafting
- Mentorship & Coaching
- Teaching & Presentations
- Meeting design
- Team member onboarding and training
How do I lead?
I love being a mentor and a teacher, both in and out of work, and I focus on three strong ideas when leading other designers.
Why?
Designers are human and poor design decisions may come from weak designers, but as many or more come from good designers. Why do talented designers make serious mistakes? Talented design teams may make poor designs but always with good intentions in mind. Design teams could be led astray by putting the cart before the horse by not determining the root problem.
Pinpoint what exactly is the real problem that we are trying to solve and who are we solving it for.
It is important to reflect on design decisions made. Many designers fall into the trap of designing something for themselves rather than the user because it is easy to design something that they like. For example, the designer creates something complex because they themselves are a hardcore user, but that solution can miss the mark for the target audience where we are trying to solve the problem for in the first place. This can result in less understanding and features considered "low value" losing priority.
Promote frequent, honest, and early feedback is the key to quality.
I strive to promote early feedback to be positive and without repercussion, since I believe it is pivotal to not have designer’s early ideas be unfairly judged or dismissed. It is important to peer review not only with your peers, but also to gain important new perspectives from diverse people all trying to solve the problem.
Being a strong leader is not being afraid by "looking dumb".
By asking a "dumb" question, you will get either:
- Get the answer and you learn something out of it.
- Find out no one actually "knows" the answer and it is actually the question that matters.
Where You'll Find Me
I spend most of my time outside of work honing my drive on learning how to learn. I’m a huge blerd who is into cooking, specializing in Southern cooking with global flavors, and relaxing at jimjilbangs and onsens. I continue to convert all of my friends into the Asian spa experience!
We’ll get on really well if you are into deckbuilder roguelike games or into fighting games, where I believe it is important expressing yourself, spending time with people you care about, and practicing on improving one’s self.
I love traveling! Any opportunity to go out with some friends.
I have played Magic: the Gathering for over 15 years. I created a college student organization surrounding the game too!
I had a great opportunity to meet with Riot Mortdog during the Teamfight Tactics Vegas Open! It was really sweet to meet with a designer whom I admire.
I love cooking to share stories and experiences with others! I’m always down to try out new meals, especially curries, or venture into Asian bakeries.