An Introduction
My name is Victor Amusan and I’m a Product Designer. I’m a Nigerian and I studied Computer Science from Federal University of Technology, Akure. I love Building Products to meet human needs, and I’ve been doing that for more than 5 years. I’ve served in this capacity and more in different companies from Memmour in 2016, to Remita, and now in Healthtracka where I serve as the Product Designer and Co- Founder.
How would you explain what you do within the organization to a toddler, someone below 5?
Hmm, everyone gets sick at one time or the other. But sometimes, people don’t become aware of the sickness until it is so bad and their body starts hurting. When this happens, they spend a lot of money in the hospital to treat themselves and get better. This can be prevented if people check their bodies regularly to be sure that everything is working fine. My organization (Healthtracka) helps people to arrange these regular checkups through tests, so that more people can stay healthy. My role in my organization is that I manage the team that’s building the software to track your health.
What does your typical day at work look like?
Most days, you’d usually have me indoors because I work from home. When I don’t have early morning meetings, I start work by 9am. But before then, I try to wake up early so that I can enjoy some alone time. I spend this time in prayers, meditation, and thinking. It helps me to put my day in clear focus. I also go to the gym on some mornings. Once it’s 9am, I start work with calls to my Operations team and Developers. We discuss the tasks for the day and everyone knows what to do.
Thereafter, I get busy with any Design work that needs my attention. Then I have more calls with the Company stakeholders and prospective partners. These calls last hours, depending on the matters arising.
By 3pm, I’d have done enough talking and brain work to need a break, so I pause work to rest and do some other non-work things. I get back to work by 6pm with a review call with my team members. We talk about what each person was able to achieve during the day, and tidy up loose ends of each person’s task. I usually end my day by 9pm. Depending on how I feel, I play videogames- either FIFA or Call of Duty, and I also watch a few episodes of my current favorite series. Of course, I find time to eat in between one task or the other.
Were you always in this line, careerwise? if not – what inspired you to switch and what was the process like for you? Tell us about the skills you had to hone, the networks you had to build and how long it took before you started to master this craft.
Well, I’ve always been passionate about Design and computers since I was a young boy. And that was what influenced me to study Computer Science as an undergraduate. From there, I became interested in Product design. Officially, my career in Design started as the Co- founder/Product owner at Memmour in 2016. At that time, my role revolved around conducting user research, deciding whether or not the team’s idea’s were viable and designing the interfaces for the Product. From there, it’s been over 5 years of working as a Product Designer with different companies. Just before I decided to join Healthtracka, I worked as the Team lead and a Senior Product designer in my previous company. So with regards to my technical skills, it won’t be out of place to say I’ve mastered it over time.
On the other hand, when it comes to the non technical skills required in building Healthtracka, I’ve had to do a lot of learning on the job. I saw this solution as an opportunity to serve and I bought into it as soon as Ife (the CEO) had a conversation with me about it. I knew that it’d be of help to so many Nigerians and I wanted to be a part of it. To be honest, I wasn’t sure I had what it takes to build a solution like Healthtracka when I decided to be part of it, but I wanted to serve and I made up my mind to. I was certain that I’d figure out the other things that I didn’t know on my journey, and so far, I was right about that.
What do you enjoy the most about working in a startup?
First, I enjoy the flat hierarchy that comes with building a Startup. It helps us make quick decisions as a team since there’s little or no bureaucracy. I also love that execution of decisions is very fast. Since it’s a Small team, there’s that autonomy that allows us to execute what needs to be done as soon as possible.
Apart from these, I love the fact that because it’s a Small team, everyone is accessible and I’m able to interact with every member of the company at least once a week. Finally, I love the learning curves that I go through. Building a Startup means you’d be wearing so many different hats when need be, and in doing so, I’ve learnt a lot. From using my skills as a Product Designer, to learning new things in AWS, Operations and other subjects when need be. I find all these exciting.
What growth plans does the company have for the next 10 years and how would you play an instrumental role?
In the next 10 years, our goal is that Healthtracka would be the 23andme or Letsgetchecked of Africa. We want to be the first brand that comes to mind when people think of medical tests; and more importantly, medical tests from the comfort of your home.
My role in achieving this is building a very stable Product. We’ll need to make Product iterations until we achieve Product market Fit. I’d be working to ensure that Healthtracka has a Product that meets the needs of our customers and prospective customers.
What strengths are most important to have for anyone looking to be in your position?
To start with, you need to have strong leadership skills. That is the ability to understand people, anticipate their needs and proffer applicable solutions. This is very important. Also, you must be a fast learner. A lot of things happen simultaneously on the go, so you have to be able to learn fast and keep up. Another strength is the readiness and ability to work outside your work hours. You must also learn how to delegate tasks, because as much as you want to, you can’t do everything. You must be a good manager of resources, both human and material. And finally, it’d be a plus to have an eye for talents. This would help you hire the best hands to get the job done and in turn make things easier for you.
Rate your work-life balance on a scale of 1-5. Outside of work, what do you spend most of your time on?
To be honest, right now I spend more time working, than I do on any other thing. So I’d give myself a 3.5. However, I’m hopeful that as time goes on, it’ll get better. When I’m not working, I spend time with my family. We go on dinner dates, movie dates, picnics and bond over any other activities.
