Meet our passionate and happy UX/UI designer at Singleton, Martine!

Martine joined Singleton in 2020 and that took us to the next level: we now have our very own designer. And what a good one indeed. “My aim is to satisfy the needs of a customer by adding usability and visual prettiness to their idea,” says Martine. Sounds simple but sometimes can be quite time-consuming and more tricky than it seems at first.

Fortunately, she is passionate about design as well as life in general. Martine has studied design at the Estonian Academy of Arts and the Tallinn University.

Learn more about Martine below and get a brief aim of the good vibes of Singleton.

The happy Martine in the early hours of the day already working on the latest project.

What are your primary responsibilities at Singleton and what does your day-to-day look like?

I have always liked things that look good but more than that I have come to appreciate the combination of “pretty” and “functional”.

This is what a UX/UI designer does daily - not just making things beautiful but also figuring out how they can actually be seamless, quick, and logical for the potential users.

Design is a field where everything is constantly changing so a part of my everyday work-life is also keeping in touch with the best practices and newest developments in the field. So that I can offer the most up-to-date ideas and solutions to our clients.

What’s been the most memorable experience during your tenure so far at the company?

I have been a part of the Singleton team for a short time at the moment but during that time I’ve been constantly amazed about the vibe we have here.

It feels like people are seen and heard here and that we are all more friends than co-workers.

For example this year for Women's Day the founders of Singleton drove to the houses of each of the female employees in order to deliver flowers and a very surprising gift containing quality items for a small spa-night at home.

It was really nice to be appreciated in such a personal way.

What advice do you have for prospective SG candidates?

Be you!

Singleton has a slogan: attitude over skills! And to my surprise, it is actually true here. If you know anything, even a little, about development, design, and analytics then more skills can always be learned. But if the attitude doesn't match then there really is little to be done.

I think that Singleton thrives on this very idea of bringing in people that match with each other, that give out the same vibe. This creates a collective where you want to do your best.

What is on your wishlist for the next 5 years with Singleton?

I hope to work with projects as different as possible so that I can challenge myself, learn and experience new things. I'd love to have projects where I could do all the aspects from start to finish, from user experience to user interface.

Also - I’d love to conduct a lot of usability testing. Unfortunately, this is something that often seems to the clients to be a waste of time and money. In reality, it is the other way around.

Getting something done right from the beginning will save you the time of working with a half-hearted product for a few years, admitting it to have failed and then having to spend the extra money anyway in order to make it better.

How do you spend your time outside of the office?

Depends on if I'm somewhere where there is a sauna. If yes, then I'm in the sauna. I really love it. I'm not even sure why but I am even willing to drive 3 hours in order to go to the sauna with my friends for a few hours and then drive the whole way back.

If there is no sauna around then spending time with my family is a big part of my life that I really enjoy and value. I have a big family and gathering for a barbeque or going on a trip together have always been anticipated events for everyone.

Martine spending a sunny day with her cute son. The precious moments that really matter.

How do you define success in life?

Success is dependent on the personal values of a certain person. For someone it may lie in a lot of money, for others success is conquering a mountain-top or learning to stand on one's head.

For me, success is if all the members of my family are healthy and if I can offer happiness to them.

This is of course connected to being successful in my work. If I can perform well as a designer, get good feedback and belong to a great team then I have the inner resources to offer happiness to others as well.

What is the next life milestone you want to achieve?

This is a great question. And the answer can vary greatly depending on the life stage a person is at.

Personally, I hope to have two more kids someday. The idea of having a big family has always been in my head and the image of my three kids gathering around the dinner table is something that really motivates me.

Professionally I hope that life gives me many opportunities to work with other designers who really inspire me, who are my role models, and who have brilliant ideas.

When are you the happiest?

I am happy when there is no unnecessary stress in my life.

Positive stress is something different instead. You can feel pressure at work and a day can be very intensive but that doesn't have to mean you feel stressed out.

I am a happy person by nature and I like to keep it like that. For myself as well as for others.

Martine taking part in a fun and stress-free step challenge in the beautiful woods of Estonia

What is the best vacation you’ve been to?

Oh, traveling! This COVID year has put a hold on experiencing the world and I really miss it.

We once took a trip to Key West with the whole extended family and this is the first vacation that comes to mind when asked about “the best one”. It was a very happy time spent together. A lot of music, different cafes, new experiences. A lot of good vibes.

If given a chance, who would you like to be for a day?

I'd like to be a professional surfer and spend that day in Australia or the USA catching the best waves and really enjoying being one with nature. Yes, that would be a good day indeed.

If I can't be that then I’d like to be Elsa. No, not the one from the Frozen cartoon but Elsa Pataky. She is dating Chris Hemsworth… I don't think any further explanation is needed.

If you had to eat one meal, every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Chicken curry. I don't even know why. Maybe I'm just really hungry at the moment. But yes, why not. Chicken curry.

If you could witness any historical event, what would you want to see?

I'd love to witness how the Egyptian pyramids were actually built. It seems mind-blowing to me that without all the modern tools and materials they were actually able to build them. I can't seem to wrap my head around it so I’d like to see it with my own eyes.

This was Martine. Fun - we know! Get to know more of the great people at Singleton!

We are so happy that Martine is a part of our team. If you would like to ask Martine any questions about UX/UI at Singleton or meet any of the other team members, please contact us and we will be happy to help.