Humans of Bujeti: Meet Ruqayyah AKA Design Queen

Ruqayyah is many things to many people, to some she’s the design queen, to others she is a certified space hostess, but at Bujeti, she’s everything to us.

On this episode of Humans of Bujeti, Ruqayyah walks us through how her career path led to a job at the company. She tells us about what it was like starting four months ago and gave advice to those looking into starting careers in product design.

Hi Ruqayyah, Can we get to know you?

I am Ruqayyah, a product designer, a twitter spaces host, writer, and a cat mum.

What is the most interesting thing about you?

I am confident, friendly and reliable. My personality makes it easy for me to make friends with anyone that I meet — even if they’re from a different generation or culture! I’m a good person with the skills and drive needed for success.

My personality makes people want to be around me 24/7! Additionally, when something needs to be done in my life — no matter how difficult-I somehow find time to make sure that everything gets taken care of without fail.”

How did you become a product designer?

In 2019, I heard about product design from a guy who used to post his designs on Twitter; I was captivated because I thought about the imagination of building something from scratch with no restrictions or limitations. However, there were other considerations such as whether or not it would be boring for me because of how quickly bored I get with things when they become mundane tasks in life. Omoh, in 2021, the pressure got werserrr and I had to decide on what to do because I didn’t want to depend on my parents, so I hit up a friend that was into product design to guide me, which he did.

Before reaching out to my friend, I spoke to someone about it, and he said, “oh, this is not something you can do,” so I spent six months of my learning trying to prove them wrong. Even though at first glance his words seemed daunting- I set a target that I would have mastered product design in one year, get an excellent job, and earn decent pay. I spent all my time working towards achieving that goal whatever steps needed to be taken because nothing would stop me from reaching my goal! I learned the basics; my friend taught me how to use Adobe, and with that skill, I taught myself how to use Figma, and I started taking courses, reading books, and landed myself a job. Three months after I left the job, I landed another one in Bujeti. Everything I did from the start landed me where I am currently in my career.

Oshey Superwoman. Tell me about your Bujeti Story.

That day, I was designing at a friend’s place because sometimes I lose inspiration and go over to my friend, who is also a designer. So while I was working, I got an email from Achille, saying he saw my designs on Behance and he wanted to have an interview with me. At first, it amazed me, and I asked myself who’s this person that wants to scam me because the email came in French, and I showed my friend, who said there was nothing wrong with exploring it. So, I responded that I was open to conversation, and he asked if I could take a call immediately, and I said yes. He then called and said he saw my landing page design, was impressed, and would like to have me on his team. It was a very informal interview, and I got the job immediately. It felt unreal even after I got onboarded. It took me four months into the company to accept it was real.

What has it been like?

Bujeti has a great culture and everyone is involved in each other’s tasks, there is room to grow, and they take into cognisance the mental health of all their employees. For example, we have meetings where they ask questions like what employees’ highs, lows, and blockers are, and they also take note of everyone’s blockers and provide help where help is needed. Although we are all individuals from different backgrounds who have come together for a common goal, everyone cares about the other person on the team, which I find pleasant, mainly because I previously worked for a design agency. There, we were all rushed on different projects, barely having time to see and working in isolation. Coming here felt awesome.

Aww, this is beautiful. Walk me through a typical workday at Bujeti.

A typical workday starts at eight and ends at five, but I’m more productive at night. So, on Mondays, everyone syncs about our weekly goals, after which I have a rundown with my teammates regarding tasks to get a clearer picture. I do this because I don’t particularly like spilling tasks over the next week, as it makes me anxious and disorganised. I ensure I start a new week without any pending tasks. I also sync with the project managers and the developers, which is very important, because they like to stress me (laugh) and I stress them. (This writer lives for product designers vs. engineers beef). My typical work hour is between 11 pm to 3 am, so during the day, I gather insights, take notes, seek inspiration, and then work on it at night.

What is your proudest Bujeti moment so far?

My proudest moment happened during a meeting; I had just completed a design, and Achille liked it, so he spoke about it during the session. Before delivering that task, I had a blocker, and it felt like I was not measuring up, but he called me out during the meeting and said, “This is what Ruqayyah did. It’s fantastic, and she is growing.” He always commends my work, which makes me happy. He’s constantly giving feedback where needed but never criticizing or lowering your self-esteem if you don’t meet expectations — he will still find ways for improvement even though someone might have done alright by comparison

Who’s cutting onions? When you are not working, what are you doing?

I am hosting Twitter spaces and writing articles. To me, it’s a way to give back to my community because when I started, I did not have access to enough resources. I had to search for these things on my own, so I made it a goal to give back to the community in the little way I could.

The gist is I have always been a giver, and I go out of my way to give to people. I knew from when I was younger that whatever I did, I always needed to carry people along. The articles are for people who don’t have enough resources or funds to tow the design paths. The spaces are where I talk about my journey, give insights, bring in speakers with design knowledge, and discuss tech-related articles, newsletters, and a look into my thought process. When I am not doing the above, I’m watching movies, listening to music, eating, or reading design-related books.

Tell me about your cat.

The cat is a family cat, which my brother brought from camp. I never liked cats because of the stereotype I got from watching Yoruba movies growing up. But this cat is the sweetest I’ve ever seen, and I watched her grow from a kitten to a mother; she gave birth to three kittens, and we had to give two away.

What word of advice do you have for aspiring product designers?

Do not compare your journey to any other person’s journey in life; everyone has a different path. Someone’s ability to achieve something within two months of starting their career doesn’t mean it will be the same for you. You must do the work, show up daily, and make sure people know.

Also, do not listen to what everyone says; you must learn how to block the noise. There are many noisy people around; find one person you connect to and stick with them. Always reach out to them, and share your questions and worries with them. Network, you never can tell who will help you.