It’s Jane
The People of Ueno, Part 1: Liz Donovan talks to Jane Meredith, developer at Ueno SF.
The People of Ueno is a series of posts where someone at Ueno talks to someone else at Ueno about whatever they want. Literally anything. In this first installment of this thing, Liz Donovan, Marketing Director at Ueno NYC, talks with Jane Meredith, developer at Ueno SF.
Liz Donovan: Hiya, Jane! So, to give our readers some context, how long have you been working at Ueno?
Jane Meredith: I have been working at Ueno for roughly 15 months. And I’ve been working in the creative industry for more than 13 years — holy shit! — which means I’ve already spent more than 10 percent of my career at Ueno. Sadly, it will never be 100 percent.
What’s a typical workday like for you?
I start my day at the office by making an epic breakfast of some sort, and eating with my fellow early birds. Outside of my meal routine, my days can vary a lot. Wednesdays are one of my favorite days because in the San Francisco office we basically start the day with our company-wide all-hands meeting. (Is “company-wide” and “all-hands” redundant? I don’t care.) There is something about being surrounded by the entire office in one smaller space that creates a great energy to start the day. Oh — and Wednesday is also “roof day” at the SF office!
Other things I might do in a typical day include … a project stand up, a client meeting, a 1:1 meeting, a coffee walk, playing Rocket League, or modeling in a photoshoot. But most of the time I’m building something — a web page, or site component — ensuring everything looks and behaves as expected, which means I also spend a fair amount of my day browsing documentation, reading Stack Overflow, and scouring Google.
Who or what inspires you?
A recent inspiration crush of mine is Simone Giertz, who is best known for creating “shitty robots.” I always find myself most inspired by people who aren’t afraid to make “bad” work, as usually it ends up being pretty amazing. It’s something I’d like to get better at.
I’m also especially inspired by people who bring comedy into their work, a sense of play. Nicole He is one person who really embodies this. She’s been described as, “one of Brooklyn’s foremost tech weirdos.” It is my goal to become her — in a non-creepy, non-“Single White Female” way.
Oh, and I definitely get distracted by the Ueno.design Chrome extension when I open a new tab sometimes.
VERY important: how do you choose your hair color?
I am not sure I even know the answer to this question! … It does depend, at least a little, on what color it has been, and how faded the old color is, how grown out my roots are, and what colors I happen to have on hand — which depends on what’s available when I go shopping. I recently switched brands — the brand I had been using off and on since high school just wasn’t lasting very long — which means I now have a lot of new color options to try.
What are your skills and interests outside of work? Anything people might be surprised to know about you?
I don’t know how surprising it is, but the thing that keeps me busiest outside of work, other than watching YouTube videos, is volunteering. Just a few days ago I was on the “Clean Hands Team” at the Roadworks Steamroller Printmaking Festival, pulling the finished prints off the plates after they were steamrolled. My regular volunteer gig lately is for Creative Mornings OAK, where I especially like doing the artwork for their chalkboard A-frame sidewalk sign.
What makes a project really exciting for you to work on, as a developer?
I can get excited about really simple things, like the project I am working on right now has very consistent type styling, throughout all the pages, and the sections. Having details like this really dialed-in means that I can spend time perfecting them once, rather than adjusting small differences here and there, which leaves more time for making other areas of the design come to life.
What’s unique about working at Ueno versus other companies you’ve worked for in the past?
Oh wow, almost everything. I think the thing that is most different, and at the same time the most cliché answer, is the people. I have never worked somewhere with such a hugely diverse team. We are a company of individuals who all bring something unique and important to the table. Our individual perspectives and experiences make each person that much more irreplaceable. It’s a really cool feeling to be a part of.
What frustrates you about the state of the creative industry today? What would you change, if you could?
Oh wow, almost everything.
Just kidding ;)
The importance of social media to the success of any creative endeavor concerns me. We are living in strange times.
What makes for a strong, collaborative designer + developer relationship?
I appreciate the level of trust our designers have in all us devs — we don’t need to have our hands held. But sometimes a warm hand (off document) to hold (and reference) makes things so much smoother. Other times, all I need is a well organized design document and a reference source, for animations, transitions, behaviors. Being in the same office makes it easy to get any questions that come up from either side answered quickly.
How do you handle stress or when you’re having a bad day?
I find it helpful to take a short break; either go sit on the roof in the sunshine for a while, or getting a coffee from one of the cafes nearby. I actually find my slow days, when I am between projects, to be more stressful than my busiest days. I like to feel productive, finding ways to keep busy, in a valuable way, can make me anxious. I find writing posts like this one are one good way to fill my time — even though I’m actually pretty busy right now.
What is the one quality you most admire in other humans? And why?
Honesty. It’s hard to be honest a lot of times, but it’s usually worth it.
Who do you want to interview next, and why?
I’m going to interview Grayden (Creative Director, SF) because even though I talk to him almost every work day, I know there is so much I don’t know about him.
Next up:
The People of Ueno, Part 2: Jane talks to Grayden
The People of Ueno is a series of interviews where the people at Ueno find out more about the people they work with — the designers, tinkerers, builders, people people, dog people, writers, and doodlers. With 60 people from 20 countries, working from four different locations, it’s a good way for us to get to know each other. Follow #ThePeopleofUeno on Instagram, or check out our Instagram Stories for more. Thanks for reading.
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