Google panelists hold Q&A
Photo by Crosby Ignasher.
On Monday night, SCAD’s student center hosted Google panelists Mike Buzzard and Andy Dahley, both members of the company’s design team. The representatives first answered questions that students had submitted beforehand, then took to answering questions from the audience.
Many different majors attended the evening’s panel. Visual artists, motion media designers, and service designers are just some examples. This allowed for a great diversity of questions for Buzzard and Dahley.
Buzzard began the conversation by describing a bit of his history with Google:
“For seven years I peeked through the door and on the outside I was a self- taught web developer, [but] at Google I don’t have the CS background so they see me as a designer. It’s been interesting to me to see where my value lies.”
He then went on to talk about how Google creates its design teams:
“Some teams are merged together in a studio environment, it depends on what’s best for both the product and designer at the time.”
“It is not one type of designer we are looking for. You might have one center but you need to have a little breath across those disciplines,” added Dahley.
The level of positivity and efficiency that Google infuses into its office environment is evident in both its hiring process and its mentoring system.
“The hiring process takes 6-8 weeks and is very in depth,” said Buzzard when asked about how Google goes about selecting new designers. “We hire for the greater good of Google, not just for a specific need of a specific team.”
When asked about mentoring in the workplace, both Buzzard and Dahley had a great amount to share.
“We have a really big community where people ask questions all the time and are ready to help … Every week we have presentations of what’s going on, so it’s pretty easy to ask everybody what they’re doing,” said Dahley. “We even have a mailing list for all designers across Google.”
“Everyone is eager to help you find your way,” Buzzard added.
Included in the pile of previously submitted questions, an anonymous student asked for advice for the average SCAD student.
“Stay uncomfortable, push yourself and your talent. Also, the more you understand how to work with other people, the better,” Buzzard said in response.
When rumors of Google’s employee benefits were addressed, benefits that included special workplace massages, both panelists explained together the company’s system of credits. These credits come from the manager and can be spent in a variety of ways.
“There are more interesting benefits than just the massages,” Buzzard said. “I get to see and talk with important people in a more social and personal context.”
At the panel’s end, Buzzard and Dahley stuck around with students to answer even more of their questions.
“My experience has been challenging, but in a very exciting way and I am excited to have so many talented people. Everyone I know has come in being the top of their class and now, you’re the new normal, which creates an interesting tension,” said Dahley. “Once you get used to that it is really fun. Once you trust and work around people, they can really excite and motivate you to just keep going.”
“Push yourself, and if you get it wrong, step back and push again,” said Buzzard.
