Meet The Team - Haruka Kakei

A: It is the first time I've worked for a startup company like RazorSecure and I was quite impressed how flexible the company is and how the company culture is growing with everyone. I feel I have participated to build the company culture and my opinions are always listened to from when I first started working here. For instance we constantly change the meeting hours so that it fits everyone, changed the agile span from 4 weeks to 2 weeks, changed teams, changed how we do the company event, how we manage the Slack messages. I think being flexible and open minded is something special about RazorSecure and this is so important to me as it shows this job fits me in different life stages and gives an opportunity to grow in the long term.

Q: What’s something you wish more people understood about your job?

A: Recently, I have been working more in frontend development, it is always impressive to see how much work is put into something that looks simple in web application designs. I think this is because we try to make it look simple and intuitive for the user on purpose but that doesn't mean it is simple to build. I'm learning more every day myself about it but I wish that everyone knew how much effort is put in to build a reliable and smooth application design.

Q: What’s a non-tech skill or interest that’s surprisingly helped you in your career?

A: I love interior design and I find many things I learnt from that surprisingly apply to application development too. For instance, researching good examples and trends, analysing why it feels good when you find a professional's work is an important thing. You can't design something from scratch with a blank mind. You have to plan really well and try different patterns to find the best one. Those are something shared in both fields. For instance when I added an eye icon to reveal the password in our login screen, I researched first how other major websites implement that. I tried a few different patterns and tried myself which feels the most natural to use, just like I do with the interior design, I make an image board with different patterns, layout and colours before installing anything.

Q: What achievement at work are you most proud of?

A: I moved 3 different teams in RazorSecure as I returned from my maternity leave and as the company structure changed. I'm proud that I have always adjusted to different environments quickly and learned the new projects, skills and culture of the team. I work as a junior full stack developer and being flexible is one of my skills. It is true it always feels a little nervous when you start something new but on the other hand, working in RazorSecure is never boring and keeps you excited.

Q: What’s one project that stands out as a personal favourite, and why?

A: A bit personal but when I was pregnant with my second baby, I participated in the Hackathon event at work which was held a few weeks before the due date and I still won the prize! As a mother I always have a dilemma to balance my work and family life but I think this project was a proof that with a great support like I had, mothers still can challenge their potential at their career and don't have to give up anything.