Happy Hutch-A-Versary to Esther! She’s celebrating 3 years as a UI/UX designer on Top Drives. Keep reading to find out more about Esther’s time at Hutch, including why her favourite Hutch moment involves a gas leak!

The Basics

Q. How many years of Hutch are you celebrating?

A. It’s my 3rd Hutch-a-versary! It feels odd reminiscing after all this time working at Hutch. When I moved here I hadn’t even imagined I would be able to live in the UK this long!

Q. What brought you to Hutch?

A. I was attracted by the cool games Hutch developed, and it appealed to me that Hutch had been awarded the best place to work in the UK! I was eager to experience different working cultures because I had spent my whole career in South Korea, where I came from originally. Hutch seemed like a great organisation to learn and grow in. And it still does!

Q. What’s your job role at Huch?

A. I‘m a UI/UX designer for Top Drives. I’ve been working on UI for future game updates – from the early stage when I create wireframes, user flows and prototypes, and build mock-ups, to the UI implementation stage when I work on live ops content, as well as taking care of continuous quality of life enhancements to improve the game’s usability.

Being a Hutchie

Q. What’s been your favourite moment at Hutch?

A. One day in June, in the early afternoon we were told to evacuate the office because a gas leak was suspected in the area. We all left the building without knowing when the inspection would end. And Shaun, the CEO of Hutch, led people to a nearby pub for some impromptu drinks.

Fortunately there wasn’t any issue with gas! But we stayed in the pub having pints of beer regardless. I think that was the most British experience I’ve ever had! I miss the moments when we enjoyed the British summer with colleagues, making jokes and having laughs. Especially nowadays when all the pubs are closed and we can’t meet up because of lockdown.

Q. Which 3 words best describe your time at Hutch so far?

A. Fun, autonomous and supportive

Your role

Q. What’s the most important thing you’ve learnt at Hutch?

A. Being open to keep batting around conversation with peers to keep everyone on the same page is a key lesson. I sometimes prefer to spend time alone and immerse myself in work without disruption, but games are created by collaboration with people in various sectors so we should be conscious that we can’t achieve the optimal outcome alone.

Sharing ideas and keeping everybody up-to-date is crucial. Being respectful and listening to other voices is also important. In my early experience as an international colleague wrestling with cultural adjustments, feeling like I was being heard and listened to was a powerful and encouraging experience.

Q. What’s been your biggest challenge?

A. I’ve faced many challenges, but the biggest has been working in a second language in another country. Back when I joined Hutch, I was the only one who was from a different cultural background and didn't even have experience of proper studying or working overseas. But what I truly believe is that good gaming experiences for a larger portion of the audience come from a culture which embraces diversity and I was eager to be part of it. This was the biggest reason that I stepped out of my comfort zone.

Thankfully Hutch also trusted in my previous experiences in the South Korean games industry, and that I would be able to bring my authentic perspective and contribute to building Hutch’s rich culture. So as a person who doesn’t speak English as comfortably as native speakers, I’ve been striving to develop my own communication style, in a way that still clearly conveys my ideas.

Q. What advice would you give to someone interested in doing a similar role?

A. Although I mentioned the language barrier, from my previous experience of working in my mother tongue, I often found that even when people are speaking the same language, discussing the same topics and seemingly understanding each other perfectly, we can still end up drawing different ideas in our heads.

As UI designers, we have particular skills for visualising ideas - like wireframing, using graphic tools and even just doodling! I would encourage those working in UI / UX to really utilise those skill sets to improve communication in their projects.

Fancy joining Hutch? Check out our latest vacancies here: https://www.hutch.io/careers