Mathew Mayaki, our Guest on Signals Lagos dissected the tech world in the simplest way possible. When asked about product, design, and technology, he stated the easiest way to explain them is problem-solving. He further explains the easiest analogy is similar to building a house, likening the different functions of the architects, builders, and the person who evaluates it. Also, design is typically about understanding users, because nobody wants to solve a problem no one needs. Product engineering means putting all the factors together to solve a problem. Mathew further explains the difference between UI and UX, UI stands for User Interface which is the navigation around the website. On the other hand, UX which means User Experience talks about the flow and sequence of the website or app, and how responsive it may be.

Product design is a very long journey and it starts with having a passion for it. A lot of people who fail in this journey do not have a passion for product design, many individuals go into product design simply to make money. Basically, a passion for product design has to be curiosity, asking the right questions about how things are done, this will enable one to forge ahead in the tech space. Likening this process to someone who wants to become a race car driver and hasn’t learned how to drive the manual transmission. The fundamentals required to excel in the tech space are to take the basic rules of programming, algorithms, and data structure. Before this, depending on the program, you have to learn the variables and the functions. As an upcoming tech person, Mathew learned Python before learning java, he confesses to Java being difficult because rules have to be followed religiously, adding that if you can learn java, you can learn any other thing in the tech world.

Mayaki advises firms in Nigeria not to think of themselves as local champions because Nigeria is a small country compared to others, your software engineer can be with your organization today and be in Germany tomorrow, also the organizations should train their staff as well as they can. He states that Nigerians are in search of greener pastures outside the country, and if there’s a healthy workspace, competitive salary, and the loyalty of the individual to the organization. Transitioning from a conventional job to the tech space will be easy because there are various departments where the required skillsets are still required, although there may be a need to take some courses.

I feel we have to conclude this with advice from Mathew Mayaki who stipulates that going into tech is not the easiest path, but it is a rewarding one if you put in the work. He also advises students who are affected by ASUU to take a course and learn about coding and product design.