Being A Product Designer is Cool
Being A Product Designer is Cool
Mariam Braimah had an idea in August 2018 to establish a formal program for Africans to learn product design. It would be rigorous, hands-on, and taught by seasoned designers from Silicon Valley and Africa.
Braimah was born and raised in New York and gained an early understanding of design when she noticed similarities between the architecture of low-income housing and prisons. It appeared as though she would study architecture, but that would require physics, which she "failed miserably" in during her time in architecture school.
After nearly five years as a designer at Netflix, one of Braimah's passions is assisting others in realizing their design dreams. Africa was chosen for the project due to her Nigerian ancestry. Kimoyo is a Bantu term that translates as "of the spirit."
The Kimoyo Fellowship began training its first cohort of product designers in 2019. Over 500 people applied for a three-month graphic design and design thinking curriculum. They were mentored by Airbnb, Twitter, and Facebook product designers.
Five fellows were chosen and matched with two mentors, one from the United States and one from Nigeria.
Although Braimah is residing in San Francisco, she works on the ground in Nigeria with Namnso Ukpanah, a product designer at Flutterwave.
This month, they began accepting applications for their second cohort. And, rather than remaining exclusively for Nigerians, Kimoyo has expanded to include residents of Ghana, Kenya, and Rwanda. (It closes on Monday, May 3rd, so apply immediately!).
Kimoyo's second cohort, like their first, will be a three-month-paced virtual learning program. After the program concludes, participants will be eligible for entry-level positions at Nigerian technology companies.
To be clear, the fellowship is not intended for individuals who are starting from scratch. Working knowledge of tools and a fundamental understanding of design is required. Otherwise, Kimoyo wishes to communicate with everyone.
Because this is a full-time program, students receive a weekly stipend and a monthly allowance for Wi-Fi. The first two months are dedicated to education and testing. The final month focuses on the intersection of product and business by tackling real-world problems.
What is The Long-Term Vision for Braimah?
She said that Kimoyo began answering questions about how to start a career in product design.
Andela, she says, was partially responsible for transforming that medium into a formal learning organization. Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, one of Andela's co-founders, serves on the Kimoyo Fellowship's advisory board.
On a more fundamental level, Braimah wishes to diversify the global design community. She wants to see more Africans in the sacred design rooms of Apple, Airbnb, and other illustrious design-driven companies.
And if you're going to do something like that, why not Africa?
Braimah believes that Nigeria's design community is now where San Francisco was eight to ten years ago. However, rapid growth is occurring in Lagos due to the rise of startup and design cultures. Kimoyo joins a growing list of design communities, including Usable, forLoop, Asacoterie, and Figma Africa.
Rather than viewing this as a competition, Braimah is convinced that more design groups, not fewer, are required to establish a strong foundation in the ecosystem.
“All of these communities must coexist because their values are distinct. Individuals are exposed to a variety of design opportunities,” Braimah explains.
Her plans, however, extend beyond routine training. Apart from the fellowship, Braimah has established a product design facility that can improve the professionalism and efficiency with which African technology products are created.
Testing with Kimoyo Insights
Kimoyo Insights User testing is a critical cog in the product development process, as product managers will tell you. However, how do you test product prototypes objectively and without being intrusive to users?
Kimoyo Insights, a web platform that emerged from private beta at the end of March, is Braimah's response. The platform is intended to “eliminate the wahala associated with obtaining high-quality feedback and user testers across the continent.”
By completing a survey on the platform, product teams can indicate the type of testers they desire. Kimoyo schedules participants and, upon request, can conduct interviews on behalf of product teams. Individuals can volunteer to be testers.
Braimah's commitment to building this demonstrates her long-term vision for what the product development space in Nigeria can become.
While the fellowship application cycle may come and go, Kimoyo Insights will always be available to help improve the usefulness and usability of African technology products.
Let’s export African Design
Ukpanah, Flutterwave's designer, is active in the Nigerian design community and believes that growth occurs. User-centric product interfaces and experience design. He wants to rethink healthcare delivery in Nigeria through a design-led approach.
At the moment, the majority of people take their design cues from companies like Apple and Spotify. Are we going to see products from Africa that define how the world views design in technology?
"Yes, and that time is rapidly and quckily approaching," Braimah says, noting that Paystack's design is comparable to, if not superior to, Stripe's.
That, one could argue, is the spirit that elevates Africa. It is up to designers who are "of the spirit" to advocate for that outcome.
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