WIN Spotlight: Solveig Jorgensen
Welcome to the latest “WIN Spotlight,” our ongoing series that celebrates inspirational women in our community. Each interview features a member of WIN who is championing innovation at her organisation or across the industry. We dig into the diverse perspectives, influences, mission, drivers, and dreams of these leaders, and of course, ask them for practical advice and pro tips from their years of experience.
This month we are excited to feature Solveig Jorgensen, Senior Product Designer at Net-a-Porter WIN London ambassador!
Who are you and what do you do?
Hi! I am Solveig, a Senior Product Designer at Net-a-Porter. I help create better customer experiences, going beyond the buying experience to understand what drives people to seek a product or consume a piece of content. I’m primarily involved in streamlining our sustainable processes between the business and our customers, empowering people to make better buying decisions.
What’s the best part of your job?
There are a multitude of things but overall it is the opportunity to improve experiences for millions of users and having the ability to work in such a collaborative way with my Experience team and the wider business.
One of my favourite things to do, is to bring people from different sides of the business together to collaborate on solving a problem or generating new ideas. It’s this sweet spot of pre-design where everyone is sharing their inputs and I help draw connections to see the bigger picture. To me, collaborative projects and ideas bring something unique to the table that you wouldn’t come up with on your own.
What did you study that led you into innovation?
I studied Film and Media in Copenhagen and then did a Masters in Design and Media Management in New York. I have always been interested in listening to and sharing people’s stories; putting myself in the shoes of others. Early in my studies, I was keen on becoming a documentarist to pursue this notion, but along the way I realised that I could actually combine this interest with my passion for technology in the field of experience design. I have never looked back since.
I think meeting the right people at the right time also was an important factor in my journey to innovation. Beyond my studies, it was the additional work experiences outside of the classroom that opened my eyes to the industry and pursuing a career in it. My decision to study in New York, far away from Copenhagen, expanded my world view tenfold. The city, the opportunities and the people I met along the way all played a part. It is a field that is ever-expanding and incredibly exciting to be part of.
Talk us through the highlights of your career - which moments have you been most proud of?
There is not a particular, single moment that stands out but many small moments. Moving to London to join Net-a-Porter to further advance my career in experience design was an incredible leap of faith that has brought so much more with it in terms of valuable professional experience, life lessons and friendships which have all shaped who I am today.
Another recent example was being chosen to co-lead a project intended to overhaul one of the largest product categories at Net-a-Porter. From defining the scope of work through implementation, it was a juggling act of research, strategy, design and project management. The reception of the final delivery by senior management was overwhelmingly positive and served as the catalyst for other category overhauls. There were many moments that were crazy and intense, but in hindsight it has been one of the professional accomplishments that I am most proud of to date.
What is your favourite quotation?
“Attract what you expect, reflect what you desire, become what you respect, mirror what you admire”
What is the best advice someone has given you about your career?
What has resonated most with me is advice to simply trust myself, my own capabilities and judgment, and ask for forgiveness after the fact. What’s the worst that can happen? This has helped me push myself forward in moments where I needed to make a tough professional decision and had no one to rely on for advice.
What challenges do women face in our Industry?
Structural changes take time and one of the challenges that women are up against (across all industries) - is the biological difference related to starting and having a family. When permitted, many couples today choose to share their parental leave which can largely offset the challenge which was historically faced only by the mother. However, the real challenge is creating a work environment that doesn’t penalise either gender for being an engaged parent with family responsibilities that sometimes require flexibility. While this issue is not industry specific, I believe our industry has the opportunity to lead by example showing ways to decentralise the workplace and offering flexible work schedules.
Women are still paid less than men and though it is a convoluted issue with no easy solution, one thing we as women need to be better at is not under-valuing our own qualifications and skills. It sounds old-school but I think it is helpful to sometimes ask ourselves ‘what would a man do in this situation?’ This typically means approaching a salary discussion heads on, being more open to risk and maintaining relentless optimism.
What unique perspective do women in innovation bring?
Women are emotionally intelligent and savvy beings; exemplified by their ability to communicate and empathise with others who don’t necessarily share a common bond or perspective. In the field of innovation, this ability to relate to others triggers a welcoming affect which encourages honest open discussion from which new and innovative ideas are brought to light. Often times in our industry, interactions take place between two parties where one is highly technical and with very specific expertise and the other is largely focussed on business and commercial impact, or managing multiple teams. What I see more and more of are women that are capable of navigating on both sides of this spectrum; being highly technical and great communicators.
How do you keep up to date with the world?
What drives me is to learn about people around me and their lives. I find this endlessly inspiring and it’s probably the reason why I’ve always felt such a pull to get out there and explore other cultures.
I read a lot about tech and society, emerging global issues, people, biology, psychology and even neuroscience. Everything from blog posts (highly recommend Benedict Evans newsletter), people’s own stories on Medium, Danish and international news, Wired Magazine and biographies (they sometimes show you what not to do!). I also listen to quite a few podcasts, at the moment my heavy rotation includes The Daily by NYT, How I Built This, The Tim Ferriss Show, Hidden Brain and OnBeing.
How is London unique in how it does innovation?
Having had the privilege to live in Copenhagen, New York and London, I will say that London is very similar to New York but with a European twist; a little more down-to-earth. It is a city that is booming when it comes to innovation, especially within Ecom, Fintech and Healthtech. I think what is unique is that we are adopting innovations much faster than any other major city. Contactless payments is a good example that has been here for a while now; from the tube to the restaurant, I barely bring my wallet with me anymore.
What product, service, or industry do you think is most ripe for innovation?
The Healthtech industry will continue to push forward, changing dynamics between patients and medical personnel including how we will be able to monitor ourselves, self-diagnosis to some degree, friction-less interaction with healthcare professionals whenever you need it.
Other areas that are gaining traction are innovations in the insurance and law industries. More than ever, AI can help streamline processes and reduce manual work in both of these industries. This is exciting but it will undoubtedly also bring up many ethical questions we will have to carefully consider.
Voice design will continue to grow along with iOT i.e. the connection of devices in your home and other places, to give you more time to do other things. What that eventually will mean for us on a daily basis is hard to predict, perhaps we will become better consumers, only consuming what we actually need through smart consumption. Alternately, it could also lead to a state of perpetual malaise brought forward by the notion that most of your everyday decisions have been made for you.
What is your advice for any woman in innovation / the next generation of female leaders?
Stay curious and believe in yourself, in your own path and know that you can always adjust your goals. If something is not working for you, do the work to change it, and if you can’t, maybe it’s not for you. Don’t be afraid to take a leap of faith, jump out into the unknown - sometimes that is exactly what you need to actually move forward.
Continue to grow your skill-set and your network, get out there and go to talks, participate in hackathons, learn something new - make a new friend - it doesn’t have to be related to what you do. If something or someone seems interesting, chase it! It’s in these moments that unique opportunities arise that otherwise would not have come your way. Say yes to opportunities big or small as you never know what they might bring you. And remember, if one door closes, another one will always open.
What excites you most about the world of innovation right now?
Coming into a new year and a new decade, one of the things I am most excited about is the continued rise of innovative companies and individuals working tirelessly to make the world a better place for tomorrow. To me, that is ultimately what great innovation is about; solving pressing issues such as climate change, disease prevention, hunger, loneliness, etc. Every effort counts and the younger generations seem to have greater awareness of social and environmental issues we face today. More than ever, there is a shared eagerness, awareness and responsibility when it comes to innovating for the greater good.
Nevertheless, designing for these future experiences with limited physical interfaces and no single, linear user journey will pose new challenges that I am very excited about being in the middle of.
Thank you Solveig for sharing your story with the WIN community!
Photos by Juan Lozano
Edited by Meera Pathak
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