We’re excited to introduce you to Cros Rivera, Protovate UX Designer, who works with us from the beautiful islands of the Philippines.
Cros has been part of our Creative team since March 2021.
How would you describe your job to a group of five-year-olds?
I work with a team as a UX Designer which is like a designer of houses.
A designer of houses draws the house on paper to see the color of the roof, where doors should go, and where to put the kitchen, and then the builders will build the house into a real one. I do the same for our team but instead of houses, I draw computer apps which is like games for grown-ups. I make sure it’s easy for them to play the game and they like to look at it.
What inspired you to pursue the career you have today?
I remember when I was in high-school, my older brother was taking up a computer course and I got to read some of his notes on web development. I followed the notes and I had so much fun creating HTML pages. I then started to organise my school notes using HTML pages that are linked together. I remember spending soo many hours creating random HTML pages. I made my HTML notes available via LAN so my classmates can read them too; that’s when I realised the importance of information availability and that computers are a great tool for it.
By then, I knew that web development is what I wanted to do. I kept learning more and more about web development and design and my interest and passion on this craft only grew over time.
If you could get a new skill in 10 minutes, what would it be?
Flying a plane or sailing a boat.
What skill do you think everyone should learn?
Empathy in business. I believe that communication is a key and empathy takes it to the next level. It can become a great resource for genuine and productive relationships in a team.
What’s the best advice you can give to someone who just is just starting their career in your field?
Be borderline obsessed about it and learn as much as you can but learn at your own pace. Take your time and never compare yourself to others.
Connect with more people in the field, social media is a powerful tool.
Take criticisms as learning opportunities. Whenever you learn and master something new, pass it on; as Aristotle said, teaching is the highest form of understanding.
What’s your secret talent that no one knows about?
I can sing very well. My soap and scrubbers says so.
How do you balance family life with your work life?
Time blocks, group chats, and I cook dinner for all us on some weekends.
First computer/year:
It was an Acer laptop running on Ubuntu. 2006.
Favorite food:
I love noodles. Whether it be a Vietnamese pho or Japanese ramen, I’d eat that everyday as long as it is plant-based.
Another one is called Pasta e Ceci, a traditional italian comfort food.
Favorite vacation:
The vacation with my best friend in Florence, Italy.
Favorite movie, book, or podcast:
Wall-E, The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, I listen to a lot of podcasts but one that stands out for me is A Bit of Optimism with Simon Sinek.
Star Wars or Star Trek?
Star Wars, oh wait, which one has the talking robots?
Protovate pioneers new software, new systems, and new ways of working to bring your concept to life. Our hybrid-shore software development outsourcing model gives you access to the ideal talent to make it happen.
