The effectiveness of learning at giffgaff

Tell us about yourself and your role at giffgaff?

Hello, I’m Jas, Head of User Experience here at giffgaff.

What does that fancy title mean, I hear you ask. Well, it’s pretty simple, my team is responsible for designing, writing and optimising our user journey. We do this by looking at the data, talking to users, and understanding their pain points so that we can deliver an easy to use experience.

I’m also a coach and a chef; I have an Instagram page, check it out. A cheeky social plug there.

How did you start your journey at giffgaff and what has it been like so far?

My journey into User Experience, UX, is an interesting one. Back in the day, when I was starting my career, UX wasn’t a thing. I mean, it was a thing, but it wasn’t as big as it is today. So I had to learn on the job.

I started as a junior content writer. I remember feeling a little overwhelmed as so many talented people surrounded me. But I had to remind myself; I was at the beginning of my journey.

Anyways, as I was progressing as a content writer, UX was becoming more mainstream. We were shifting our mindset to build mobile-first user experiences, so I challenge myself to be cautious and learn more. I think everyone here at giffgaff knows me for constantly developing myself and having my nose in a book.

The shift to a mobile-first mindset was an exciting challenge for everyone, as our real estate to design and write copy had been dramatically reduced by 70%. So as you can imagine, there was a lot of trial and error and learning.

Things progress as they always do. We’re constantly challenging ourselves to deliver good experiences that are easy to use. So I decided to become an Interim Product Manager to develop some other skills. Then hey ho, my career progressed from a content writer to becoming Head of User Experience, where I am today.

How do we do things differently at giffgaff?

I love how we’ve constantly challenged the status quo from the start and work in a collaborative environment that encourages us to explore, fail and learn. And we can only do that by bringing our members into the fold to understand what their problems are, what jobs they’re trying to do and how we can make things better.

One project that you’ve done at giffgaff that you are particularly proud of

I’ve been involved in several projects, all of which have been amazing. The list is endless such as the goodybag release, the launch of 4G, handset release.

But what I’m most proud of is how we grew the experienced team. Back when I started, there was one UXer and me as a copywriter. Together we all supported one another to lead the way and demonstrated how delivering a good experience benefited our users.

How has giffgaff contributed in your growth?

giffgaff always has, and always will be unique. We have a rich culture that encourages us to grow. From learning more about copywriting to understanding UX and even developing as a coach to help others and give back.

If I think back to where I was when I started to where I am now, I’m a completely different person, in a good way.

How does working at giffgaff help you with your work-life balance?

At giffgaff, we’re flexible and finding that work-life balance has always been a challenge for me, as I am a workaholic. But as I’ve grown, I’ve learnt how to prioritise and step back. There are times where I don’t get the balance right. But having the flexibility to work from home when I can or popping to the gym during the day or a run just to clear my mind to focus helps a lot.

Describe your experience and time at giffgaff in 3 words

• Challenging
• Fun
• Creative