From design to code: Meet Hailey's UX duo

Who ensures that technology adapts to humans, rather than the other way around? At Hailey, the UX team consists of Kim Langenkrans and Maria Jacobson, two product designers with different working methods but a shared passion for usable design. They are the ones who constantly ask "why?" and whose main mission is to protect the end user in every aspect of the product.

The path to UX design

For Kim, the journey towards UX design began in a software development classroom. "I was actually studying to become a developer, and took a course in interaction design where I had a lecturer who floored me. He talked about the importance of accessibility, and he was very inclusive and nice in that way. After that interaction, there was nothing else. I knew what I wanted to become after that."

Maria found her way to UX through her interest in both technology and art. "I've always wanted to combine both of these things in what I do. I started studying a programme that mixed the two in an exciting way. There were many people there who focused on UX design, and that's where I discovered UX."

Building the future of HR tech at Hailey

What drew them to Hailey wasn't just the product, but the opportunity to shape something meaningful. For Maria, it was exciting to build something new: "I thought it felt like a fun product and that it was at a stage where there was still much to build upon."

Kim, who joined Hailey a year before Maria, liked the close collaboration with development: "When I first spoke with Kristofer and Peter (two of the founders), I understood that I would be working closely with development. There was a sense of community in how things were built, and that attracted me. Being there from the start of a journey is always exciting too."

The art of problem solving

At the core of their work lies a clear mission, as Kim puts it: "Above all else: to protect the end user." A job that involves extensive collaboration between departments and iteration in the development process.

"In the beginning, it's quite open," explains Maria. "Many different people are involved in making their voices heard: product owners, us, developers and system architects. Then it's about turning and twisting the problem from different perspectives."

Kim describes their iterative process colourfully: "Sometimes it feels a bit like coming home from Ikea with a new Ivar or something. Then you throw away the manual and start screwing things together, you assemble something and then you take it apart again, we iterate everything extremely much and I like that."

Balancing creativity and usability

Their approach to problem-solving combines inspiration from various sources with original thinking. "I don't think you should be afraid to copy," admits Kim. "We especially look at areas outside of HR tech. Since we put the employee first, we need to look at products that employees actually use daily, it's called consumer-grade UX. It could be Netflix, AirBnB or the clock app on an iPhone."

One of the biggest challenges in the industry, according to Kim, is that many established players get stuck in old patterns: "It's common for the old dragons in the industry to directly translate traditional paper processes to the web, and then it often isn't particularly usable. It just becomes what it's always been. It doesn't have to be that way. We can question the old ways."

Maria shares this view: "We know that these are complex processes and problems that we need to solve, but we can challenge them too. You don't have to do things the way they've always been done, you can make it simpler and more enjoyable."

This mindset permeates their work in making complex HR processes more accessible and user-friendly.

From challenge to strength

What makes their collaboration special is their complementary working methods. "Kim and I have quite different approaches really," reflects Maria. "I'm perhaps a bit more cautious and structured while Kim is a bit more daring. I see that as something positive, and feel that we both constantly learn from each other and develop because of it."

Kim acknowledges that their partnership took time to develop: "When Maria started at Hailey, it was probably a tough start for both of us. I've always had a clear vision of the UX in my head, and putting that into words for someone else wasn't easy for me then." But the collaboration has blossomed into something special: "Maria is creative and incredibly good at drawing. Her ability to visualise seeds of ideas into finished delivery helps us take the product forward in the right direction."

Never stop challenging

Despite Hailey's rapid growth, the goal remains the same - to keep the platform simple and intuitive. "One thing I've learned from Kim," Maria shares, "is to constantly question things and continue doing so even with things we've built. Something might have felt right at one point, but to keep being critical is important."

For both Kim and Maria, the best thing about working at Hailey is the people. "To build something together with people you appreciate and like, that's what it's all about. Solving problems with those people is really fun and so rewarding when we actually contribute to making a product that's appreciated," reflects Kim.

Kim and Maria's collaboration exemplifies what makes Hailey special - a combination of different perspectives, mutual respect and a shared commitment to creating technology that makes work better for everyone.