3 UMSI alumni share insights on UX design and their work at Duo
Monday, 06/20/2022
Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Duo Security provides secure access for hundreds of thousands of users worldwide through its two-factor authentication process. The company handles more than 1 billion authentications each month. Co-founders Jon Oberheide and Dug Song are University of Michigan graduates.
Since its founding, Duo has hired students from the University of Michigan, including many from the School of Information. Several UMSI alumni have design roles at Duo, including Sierre Wolfkostin, a senior product designer who has led the work on a new Duo prompt coming soon to every U-M user.
Here, three UMSI graduates share some of their insights on design and their work at Duo.
Sierre Wolfkostin
Every idea begins with a blank page, a design jam and a plethora of brightly colored sticky notes littering a wall. Oh, and lots and lots of snacks.
At least, that’s how it works for Sierre Wolfkostin, a senior product designer at Duo Security. Wolfkostin earned her Bachelor of Science in Information (BSI) from University of Michigan School of Information in 2019.
“This is where the magic happens,” she says, pointing to the sleek, green walls at the Duo headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan. “There’s infinite possibilities with what you can do.”
The magic she’s referring to is the Duo prompt, which provides secure and reliable access to the accounts of more than 30 million people worldwide.
For two years, Wolfkostin has been working on the user interface of the Duo prompt, which helps enable secure account access for users by requiring multi-factor authentication.
“As a UMSI student, I wish I had known how much of our work really impacts people,” she says. “It’s easy sometimes to be so focused on a page, a given sketch, or a small detail, but when you look beyond that, some of the products we work on impact millions of lives.”
For Wolfkostin, this is the most exciting part of being a UX (user experience) designer: creating products that make people’s lives easier and more secure through smart technology.
“That’s what drew me to UMSI,” she says. “I was seeing people design accessible technologies to help people collaborate and interact with each other and I wanted to learn how to do that.”
Alice Shih
Advocating for users, designing for social good and practicing empathy is what attracted UMSI alumna Alice Shih to UX design.
Shih graduated from UMSI in May 2022 with her Master of Science in Information. While completing her MSI through an accelerated master’s program at UMSI, Shih interned at Duo. She will soon be returning to Duo as a product designer.
“I think what I enjoy most about being a UX designer is that I get to step into someone else’s shoes,” she says. “As an immigrant, I really value empathy and being able to see different perspectives from around the world and connect people with each other.
“When you solve problems as a UX designer, you really have to think from the user's perspective and understand their needs,” she adds.
Mike Wojan
Mike Wojan, a senior product designer at Duo, is a 2014 graduate of UMSI. After earning his BSI degree, Wojan worked at various companies before landing his current position at Duo. He says UMSI fostered a sense of community and curiosity in him that continues to help him thrive in his career.
“I think UMSI taught me to think very critically about the people that I'm designing for and the products that I'm creating,” he says. “And whenever possible, ask more questions, be curious and break down problems.”
Wojan, Wolfkostin and Shih, with the help of the Duo team, will soon be launching an updated version of Duo for U-M. They say their experiences at UMSI paved the way for their love of UX and their passion for helping people.
Their advice to students? Be yourself, find your way and don't be afraid to explore.
“Lean into your interests and see where they take you,” says Wolfkostin. “Spend time getting to know who you are, what you value and what you love exploring.”
RELATED: