Our IoT Heroes: Zhu Yang - Senior UX Designer

What were your main reasons and motivations to join Security and Safety Things?

Before I joined Security and Safety Things, I worked as a UX designer at a start-up with a focus on Smart Home for five years. IoT is my passion, I think and feel in networked technologies. It offers room for an infinite number of applications, so I decided to get to know more about IoT beyond Smart Home. While I've been dealing with products for consumers before, now I have the opportunity to help shape a whole new security ecosystem for multiple industries.

What are the central values in your working environment?

People at our company are engaged and get lots of space for the ideas they want to explore. Everyone can develop individually and take on responsibility at an early stage in their career. What makes the atmosphere here so exciting is the mix of different nationalities and disciplines, all working very closely together in teams. People who join us get help to find their place in the company and get to know each other. I especially like the after-work events, where I found good friends.

“Crucial for the success of apps in the IoT will not only be what is technologically feasible, but also what is delightful for the user.”

What superhero power can you draw on when you need it?

To put it briefly, I like to take on responsibility and drive topics forward on my own. My experience, which I gained in a start-up for five years, helps me here. During this time I have also developed my communication skills, which are very useful in the team and also in working with customers. I can also adapt quickly to new situations. This is not only important if you move from China to Germany like me, but also if you want to keep up with the rapid developments in IoT business.

What are the most interesting topics you will work on here at Security and Safety Things and what will be the hardest tasks to solve?

I am working on the design of our marketplace where developers present and market their apps for security cameras. I'm constantly examining the needs of developers and how we can best help them grow their business. This has to be matched with the needs of those who will buy the apps, the integrators, and users. What information do they need? How do they make decisions? This determines what the marketplace has to look like so that it fits very different target groups.

“What makes the atmosphere here so exciting is the mix of different nationalities and disciplines.”

What do you see as the main trends in IoT in a business context and from your perspective as a UX designer?

The more areas of life and business are affected by IoT, the more important it becomes to adapt technologies and applications to the needs of users. This requires an interface between technology and the application, people representing the needs of humans and organizations in the IoT. UX designers translate these requirements into meaningful applications. Crucial for the success of apps in the IoT will not only be what is technologically feasible, but also what is delightful for the user. The benchmark here is the human being, not the machine.

Zhu, thank you very much for the chat and the opportunity to get to know you better.