Haitham Mousa

How do you describe what you do for work, and how long have you been doing that?

I'm a UX product designer, I am responsible for the user experience of a software product. My role includes conducting research, creating prototypes, testing with users and solving problems with design

What is your workstyle, and what led you to working in this way?

I enjoy collaborating with product, engineering, and business teams to solve problems, brainstorm solutions, and conduct research. I tend to work along for 50% of the time due to the fact I'm in a small startup and I'm the only designer but ideally I want to move to a bigger company with a design team.

What's the most challenging thing about your work?

Misconception on what to do - UX design is a highly collaborative role, requiring buy-in from pretty much everyone in the business. You need to meet with company executives to understand their vision, and you may rely on the customer service team for valuable user insights. If it’s unclear as to what you do and why it’s important, it can be difficult to engage the right people.

What's the most rewarding aspect of your work?

Building products that users love. While working in an Edtech incubator, we designed, prototyped, and built a homework automation tool. Which we tested in schools, the smile on students faces and the amazing feedback from teachers was very fulfilling.

What healthy habits do you have in place to look after your mental health at work?

I don't have an answer to this question yet

If you could have know one thing before you went self-employed, what would it have been?

Build a network of clients before taking the leap. I made the mistake of jumping into self-employment without a single client which resulted in cash-loss the first few months.

Also, the day to day administration work is annoying but has to be done (HRMC stuff, professional indemnity insurance, invoices etc) outsource it if you can. As a creative individual, I despise administrative tasks.

Tell us something surprising about you

When I was a kid I stumbled into a ground-dwelling wasp nest, not only once but twice. Which have made me immune to wasp stings. I can feel the sting but the poison has zero effect on me. So now my family uses me as a human shield whenever there are wasps nearby

And finally - can you share a piece of work you're super proud of?

This is my side-project I'm happy about! after a failed startup, I'm trying again. Panda enables anyone to collect one-off or recurring payments with a link http://withpanda.co.uk/

Where can people find you online if they want to work with you?

Drop me a message on Linkedin, always happy to meet people and help out where I can.