Team: Myself, Developers
Timeline: 3 months
Skills: Visual Design, Interaction Design
Context
About Waterloop
University of Waterloo’s Hyperloop design team, with mission is to design and build a working, full-sized, scalable Hyperloop pod by 2025 to demonstrate the feasibility of Hyperloop pods in the transportation industry, ultimately to change the landscape of transporation within Canada and the world over.
My work
I was the first-ever web designer at Waterloop, where I initially led the design of the recruitment dashboard. Quickly taking on more responsibility, I became the design lead, guiding a team of five designers across multiple projects and driving key design initiatives.
Final Designs 🎉
Key Learnings
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Laying the Foundation for Scalable Design
As the first designer, I learned how to establish strong design practices, build a foundational design system, and create a standard that others could follow. From structuring Figma files to defining a clear, repeatable design process, I focused on ensuring consistency and scalability.
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Learning how to be a mentor
My first experience as a lead taught me how to guide a team, understand different design approaches and learning styles, and develop a leadership style that balances motivation with autonomy. I learned how to support my team’s success without overstepping, gradually finding my rhythm. By the end, I had gained confidence in my leadership and successfully launched multiple projects.