Here I will be documenting the different industry talks that take place over the course of this module. I’ll share my thoughts and feelings of each one and whether or not i’ll be applying for their advertised placement roles.
Today we had our first industry talk. It was with a company called Slice. Slice specialise in software for independent pizzerias. The goal is to elevate these small stores so they can compete with large franchise stores. Slice help these businesses by providing systems they might not otherwise have access too. Things such as POA systems, call handling for phone orders, an owners portal, online ordering and even branding. What stood out to me about Slice is that their work is all about a real physical impact, it’s not just one tech company benefitting another but tech enabling a kind of heritage business to continue on in a harsh economic environment. I really liked Slice and they seem to place a focus on product rather than UX. I have always seen myself aligning more with this role as it just seems like it would suit my working style best. I have researched all of the companies that are coming to do talks and even before today Slice stood out to me as number one. I will be applying for this role as soon as possible.
Built to Run and Grow Pizzerias
DHD are a full service design house that specialise in everything from web design to branding and even UX. They are a small enough team of around 14 people I believe all led by David Henderson, the DH in DHD. DHD seem to place a focus on creativity being a design house and all. They have worked with some cool clients such as SugarSnap and Stem Systems.
Being a full service design house I feel that a lot of the work done at DHD will be to generate invoices rather than building something new. Personally I’m not all to attracted to this type of role as it is not what I try to focus on in my work. I may apply for the role just as their isn’t that many placement opportunities this year but as of now it isn’t the most exciting to me. That being said it seemed that most of my peers were super keen on this one.
DHD - Belfast Design Agency - Branding, Websites, Photo & Video in NI
We had another placement talk from a company called Dailypay. Dailypay are a fintech company that allow people to essentially get a day by day advance on their own pay. The whole idea is to empower people to have control over their own money and not be subject to payroll systems. They have quite an interesting product. I think some of the work I have done in the past translates well into their systems. They like Slice are also hiring for a product designer role. It is quite weird having these placement talks now that I have secured a placement for next year. I feel like I am not taking them as seriously which is understandable. That being said I would have applied for Dailypay if I had gotten the chance.
On-Demand Pay Platform - DailyPay