Spotlight - Katerina Kuzheleva

I follow a low-carb diet, so I don’t really eat grains or other carbs. I do love seafood, and sushi in particular, so sometimes I’ll treat myself with a few California rolls.

We were shooting an LED pace light demo video for a client, on a very tight deadline – we only had a few hours to get it done. I ended up getting the people around the office to replicate different paces and workouts as I filmed them. Everyone was scrambling, trying to do their best with very little practise, and afterwards claiming that it was a good workout and that they had lost a couple pounds.

I wear a number of different hats. I started out doing graphic design, such as marketing materials, visual branding, and the NeuronicWorks website. I was then able to utilize my fashion background to design FashionTech projects with our clients. Afterwards I've branched into UI and UX design - something I'm really passionate about, as there’s always something new to learn and improve on!

My background in both fashion and tech led me to work with start-ups instead of more traditional fashion industry roles. I was familiar with NeuronicWorks, having collaborated with them on a previous project, and knew that Titu, our CEO, was very interested in wearables and FashionTech. The company’s openness and interest in these areas was a huge draw for me, and led to me joining NeuronicWorks.

It's been tremendous. I started out doing graphic design and FashionTech projects. These jobs quickly evolved from doing samples and prototypes to full products requiring add-ons, such as mobile apps and web applications. These experiences led to me working more directly with clients, crafting custom solutions for their products and ideas. Lately I've been doing more UI and UX design. I've moved from smaller projects to much larger ones, with the NeuronicWorks team encouraging my interests and helping me get extra training and certifications to build out my skillset.

One of my first projects was to rework the visual identity of NeuronicWorks. I really think that helped transform how potential clients perceive us, creating a strong first impression.

When I started, our main expertise was in hardware, firmware, and software, but we’ve since moved into UI and UX development. With each successful project we build out our expertise, and become more recognizable to our clients as a leader in this field.

That depends which area we're talking about - there's always something to be proud of! We recently had a project that started as a client coming to us with a minor project – usability analysis of UI for their existing product. They were trying to develop a new version of this product, and there was a complex UI used to control the device. Based on my analysis the client decided to turn it into a much bigger project - a total UI redesign, which was then propagated into their other product lines. This experience really showed me how doing great work on a small project can build trust and a stronger relationship with a client.

I find it fun! The lunchroom conversations diverge from the topics I’m drawn to - they tend to be about cars, investments, or video games - but it's an interesting window into another world for me. We’ve always had a very respectful and meritocratic culture, so I’ve never felt like an outsider. Whenever there is miscommunication, I find a bit of humor tends to help smooth things over.

I would choose “open-minded”, “growth”, and “partnership”.

NeuronicWorks is open-minded because we’re interested in a broad variety of fields, not just ones you’d expect. This openness to take on all kinds of projects really helps folks get varied experience and improve their skillsets. This allows our clients turn their unique ideas into great products.

Growth meaning both the company (we’ve more than doubled up in size in my three years here) but also the growth in the team’s expertise. We used to be known for hardware and software design, but have expanded to industrial and mechanical design, and UX/UI as well.

Partnership is the company’s approach of building bridges within the industry, to benefit our partners, clients, and the products we help design and develop.

The diversity of projects and clients that we take on is a real strength of the company. I genuinely learn something new on every project. I get exposed to new ideas, products and industries. It's really broadened my perspectives and advanced my expertise.

Follow your creative path, no matter what your background might be. You can start with something small, based on the skillset that you already have, and then pivot. Never stop learning or building new skillsets - you never know where your job will take you.

I’d say two things – first how multicultural and diverse we are. There’s an openness to new ideas and perspectives that’s very unique - that comes from a hunger to learn new things. There’s also great support for helping employees further develop our skills and evolve and grow within the company.

I would open up a store to sell my fashion designs or paintings.

Lately I’ve been exploring augmented reality tools, in particular Spark AR, to produce Instagram filters and effects based on my original drawings.