Zinzy

Manual

Hello, I’m Zinzy Waleson Geene

I’m a senior researcher and designer currently employed by Gerimedica, an enterprise software provider in the Dutch healthcare space. This page is inspired by Jamie Tanna’s manual and Manual of Me and seeks to help coworkers make the most of working with me. You may be interested to learn more about me.

If I came with a warning label, it would say

If golden retriever energy and the Law of Two Feet had a love child that periodically throws glitter in your face.

Here’s what I do at work

I’m a UX team-of-one operating alongside all scrum teams in our department. As the PO’s sidekick, I do whatever is needed to ensure a smooth trajectory of product ideas, from discovery to production. My deliverables are feature design as well as broad-scope research projects that usually involves a lot of research, stakeholder management, and facilitation.

My availability

I like an early start, so you can usually expect me to be at work anywhere between 07:30 and 18:00. I spend at least one full day at the office, as well as at least two mornings or afternoons. This way, I get to see as many people in person as possible. I enjoy a day off every other Monday.

Structure of my day

I prefer to not be engaged in daily standups unless I’m actually a member of a scrum team. If I do need to check in with one or more people, I prefer to do so between 09:00 and 10:00. This gives me time for deep work in the morning. I prefer a fixed time for lunch every day because I helps me unwind, and don’t take lunch meetings as a rule. My one-on-one meetings last 30 minutes, and I generally will do my best to get out of group meetings that last longer than one hour.

I do my very best work when

  • I get to work in a multidisciplinary setting, building bridges between people and teams, and aligning closely with engineers
  • I have the autonomy to work at my own speed
  • I get to take ownership of solving problems I see or experience
  • I can help facilitate a smooth development process by carrying out data-driven design in the right amount, at the right time

I prefer communicating in these ways

  • Slack: if you want to catch up, skip the hello and instead just say so. If you need something from me, I’m happy to help. Make sure to give me some context of what you’re looking for. If your message is time-sensitive, lead with that (e.g. “Contains time-sensitive request”). I enjoy asynchronous communication, because it helps me manage my inboxes
  • Figma: any questions or feedback regarding specific designs are the perfect reason to write a Figma comment. It helps us document properly, but more importantly, it keeps the conversation going in a place where we can all see it.
  • Video / Voice / Live: I’m often available for a huddle, especially if it pertains to time-sensitive work keeping engineers busy. Are we both at the office? Pull me aside, let’s grab coffee. I like connecting with coworkers!
  • Email: Here’s a coming out moment, I detest email. If you need a paper trail, or if external people need to be involved, feel free to shoot me one.

When receiving feedback…

  • If you are able to and comfortable, give it to me face-to-face. I use cues from your tone, face, posture, and demeanor to contextualize what you’re saying. It may help for me to ask some clarifying questions, too.
  • The maxim Praise in public, criticize in private is important to me, particularly the latter part. If you have feedback about something I handled poorly or should stop doing, I prefer we speak about it one-on-one.

What motivates me to come into work each day is …

  • At heart, I’m a problem solver. I love that I get to do this for a living
  • I have a strong mission-driven work ethic, and I feel most comfortable at companies that do something that seeks to fundamentally address the things that make working life challenging for essential workers
  • Having the ability to grow as a researcher and designer, as a coworker, and as a human

I put boundaries in place between work and home in the following ways, please help me respect them…

I diligently use the 🤫 emoji on Slack to let my coworkers know I’m in focus mode. Other than that, when I’m not on Slack, I’m not at work. Please don’t call me or text me about work matters outside of my working hours.

When I’m stressed, the best way to support me is …

By asking me what I need. I struggle when people try to solve my problem, because it makes me feel I like autonomy, and I’m unable to explain my perspective accurately.

I last updated this on

January 25, 2024