Automattic Women: Elizabeth Pizzuti
Business
Enjoying a mocktail on New York’s Lower East Side
Welcome to Automattic Women—conversations with some of the
remarkable women working all over the world to design and develop Automattic
software and make the web a better place. Today’s interviewee is designer
Elizabeth Pizzuti.
Who are you, and what do you do?
At Automattic, I’m the design lead working on improvements
to the admin experience of WooCommerce.
For example, if you create a new store you’ll see the onboarding and home
screen, which is part of a relatively new UI that’s modernizing WooCommerce
core. Sometimes we’re making small iterative improvements and sometimes
embarking on future state projects, but we’re always focused on helping store
owners create and manage successful eCommerce stores.
What’s a typical day like for you?
Western riding in Texas with “Trigger”
It’s hard to say what a typical day looks like. We have
weekly design and project team meetings, and other communication is async
unless a meeting is required.
In terms of the project life cycle, my team aims to follow
the double diamond approach where discovery is followed by iteration and
testing. I work alongside developers who I collaborate with from an early stage
of ideation all the way through to implementation.
Product designers on the team have ownership of all aspects
of the process, from conducting our own user research to final visual design.
Also, the design and product leads facilitate collaboration
with the whole team on roadmapping for their focus. Starting with qualitative
and quantitative data and various channels of customer feedback, we workshop
and form initiatives based on the biggest problems to solve. Then, the proposed
roadmap is adjusted based on overall business goals.
One of my favorite things is helping out with hiring, so
I’ll have around two designer interviews each week on Slack!
What drew you to Automattic and what keeps you here?
One of my first freelance projects about 10 years ago was a
WordPress site. When I had the opportunity to join Automattic, I found it
really cool to be part of a team that creates a more human-focused
internet.
What keeps me at Automattic, besides the awesome people and
mission, is my comfort with autonomy and focus on personal growth. I think
these are two qualities that are almost requirements for navigating working
here as well.
If there’s an area that you’d like to grow into that’s
inside or outside of your role, that’s highly encouraged. Also, there’s an
unlimited budget (within reason) for professional development and education.
I also appreciate the culture of feedback that’s predominantly asynchronous. This gives my somewhat introverted self time to comfortably absorb, process, and share with my teammates in a thoughtful way.
Tubing the Truckee River in Lake Tahoe
What motivates you most?
I’m drawn to design because I can use my knowledge and
experience to improve people’s lives and lift others up. The more challenging
the problem, and the more I know it will positively impact people, the more
motivating it is.
Find out more about Automattic and their jobs HERE!