Interview - Jayde-Olivia Sandy

Checklist Check-Ins is an ongoing series that asks designers about their best practices, and their experiences using checklists.

Today I'm chatting with Jayde-Olivia. I discovered she was a fan of Checklist and after looking into her portfolio, I was in awe. A mentor, speaker and juggler of a few interesting projects, this was a person I wanted to know more about.

Also, please check out her amazing project Olly and Franc (link at the end of interview!).

So Jayde-Olivia, how have you shaped your design thinking so far in your career?

Looking at design thinking as not only a process but also a mindset, I’ve been shaped by every experience I’ve had inside and outside of my career.

If we take the process of design thinking, it’s all about empathy, collaboration and ideation - these are things that have been further developed in me with each project I take on and every company I’ve worked at.

My design thinking mindset has been shaped through mentoring and being mentored, reading, podcasts, conversations, attending events and speaking at events - really being open to learning new things.

Jayde-Olivia's 3 best design practices

Champion diverse and inclusive design

Being a responsible design champion at work and someone from a diverse background, I aim to always consider the needs of ALL users throughout the design process, and to advocate for diversity in every room I have the opportunity to be in.

Collaborate not only with designers, but non-design stakeholders

For me, this means bringing everyone on the journey and being an advocate for our users.

Aim to continuously learn and improve

I once heard that doing driving lessons teaches you to pass your test, but you learn to drive within your first year of passing. I feel like going to uni is just like this - lecturers and teachers help give you the foundations but as you develop your career and experience different companies, clients and projects you learn how to really design. I don’t think the process of learning should ever stop, especially when you’re designing for a digital world.

Outside of your work, what’s a personal best practice you try to employ?

A balance of self-development and self-care. I love to learn and improve but I also understand the importance of well-being and taking time for yourself.

Travelling is at the top of my list of things to do when I’m taking some time out, there’s no better feeling than exploring a new country and watching the sunset in different parts of the world - I’ve been to 21 countries so far and plan to keep going (I would definitely like to spend some time living in another country too). I also enjoy calligraphy, painting, reading, watching TV shows and movies, and just having a nice time with family and friends.

Let’s talk checklists. Has a project ever gone wrong because you forgot something? Could a checklist have helped you out?

I’ll answer the second part first - of course! I think checklists can really help in most scenarios, especially in the early days when you’re first starting out. It’s easy to forget things throughout the design process, especially on big projects - checklists are always handy to have.

I can’t think of anything in particular that has gone wrong but I think it’s easy to forget things throughout the design process, especially on big projects and when you’re first starting out - checklists are always handy to have.

You're going into a new project, and you can only use one checklist from Checklist Design - which one is it, and why?

Oooo tricky question! I think it would have be accessibility as it applies to any journey/project I could be working on and is such an important factor. I’m extremely passionate about inclusive and accessible design.

Jayde-Olivia Sandy