Oil and water don't really mix - until the third element, an egg, is added. UX/UI designer Ayla Sybille Gürbüz explains what it takes to bring creative energy and corporate reality together in innovation processes.
In our "Meet the Creatives" format, we regularly introduce experts from our creative pool of around 70 people with whom we work together on innovation processes for companies. This time in the interview: Senior UX/UI Designer Ayla Sybille Gürbüz.
Ayla, when asked which image symbolises cross innovation for you, you sent us a picture of Majo. Why Majo?
Mayo symbolises what cross innovation means to me: oil and water don't combine until the third element, egg, is added. This is exactly how cross innovation works: when different perspectives, industries or disciplines come together, a product and an experience suddenly emerge that was not possible before.
"Good UX is like a conversation with a good friend."
As a UX/UI designer, you work at the interface of digital transformation, product development and user-centred design. How do you bring creativity and companies together in innovation processes?
My added value in innovation processes lies in asking the right questions. Good UX is like a conversation with a good friend: you are understood, perhaps positively surprised and leave feeling better.
User experience designers bring a special perspective: they consistently put users and their needs at the centre - even before processes, internal structures or figures. This creates areas of tension in which new perspectives and genuine innovation become possible.
Many companies want clear answers and fixed processes. How do you deal with the fact that user-centred and open innovation processes can initially bring uncertainty with them?
For me, uncertainty is not a disruptive factor - on the contrary: it is a space in which new solutions can emerge if you are courageous enough to ask questions. Open processes make it possible to gain insights early on and minimise risks. As a UX designer, I work iteratively: listening, understanding, testing, trying out, adapting. The process is the goal!
"For me, it was a moment in which creative energy and corporate reality meshed perfectly."
Can you describe a moment when something common suddenly emerged from different perspectives - your "Mayo moment" at the Cross Innovation Hub, so to speak?
A particular highlight for me was a project in which five creatives worked together with seven stakeholders. The energy in the team was absolutely special - we challenged each other, thought boldly and realised visions quickly.
I was particularly impressed by how open the stakeholders were when we scrutinised their processes, asked uncomfortable questions and brought in new perspectives. They experienced how our creative approaches changed their problems and led to new solutions.
In the end, everyone was highly motivated to take the ideas forward and stand up for them. For me, it was a moment in which creative energy and the reality of a company or public authority meshed perfectly.
In conclusion: What question would you ask a company that wants to challenge its innovative thinking now?
"What was your boldest change in the last year?" I would be interested in how companies live innovation, what insights they have gained from their decisions.
Ayla Sybille Gürbüz has been designing digital products, services, games and apps as a UX/UI designer since 2012 - barrier-free, intuitive and future-proof. Her work centres on real user experiences, lived inclusivity and the responsibility of design.
