Who is Anna O.G.* ✨

Product Designer · Natural Collaborator · Artist

I’ve been learning and practicing UX/UI Design craft since 2020.
During this time I worked at:

  • Iversoft - Small but mighty software agency of 55 people

  • Deloitte - One of Big 4 consulting firms that has over 412,00 people

  • WSIB - Ontario Government agency that is responsible for work safety of fellow Canadians.

These vastly different and unique experiences helped me become a more rounded
Product Designer.

Someone who easily adapts to ever changing environments, and delivers impactful products regardless of the time, budget constraints, and project management style.

My superpower?

Before UX/UI Design, I spent 8 years working as a Customer Support Agent in multiple industries. As a result, I’m able to connect with people from all walks of life.
Resulting in better products that are built for humans.

*Anna Oleksiyevna Gordiyevska (brownie points if you can pronounce my name)

FAQs

What software do you use?

Design: Figma, FigJam, MIRO, Mural, AdobeXD, Photoshop, Illustrator, Lightroom, and AfterEffects.

Collaboration: DevOps, Jira, ClickUp, Monday, Loom, Google Suite, Microsoft Suite, and Slack.

If your tool is not listed here, either I missed it or I simply don’t know it yet.

Bonus: I got my Diploma with Honours 100% online thanks to COVID. As a result, I’m very good at learning quickly and independently.

Why did you choose design as your career?

Simple answer: to make the world a little less messy.

Longer answer:

I should have been a designer along time ago, signs were always there. But it took Global Pandemic for me to realize that, better later than never….right?

  • Always been the artsy-fartsy kid

  • Designed my first hobby website when I was 11

  • Learned how to crack Photoshop at 13 (Adobe, I don’t do this anymore! I swear.)

  • Driven by curiosity, I always ask questions everywhere I go

  • Graduated with Honors from Multimedia Design and Development Program at Humber College in 2022

  • Been working in the industry since May 2021

  • My father in law is legally blind, watching him struggle navigating the web motivates me to advocate for digital accessibility

  • I’m good at fixing printers and Wi-Fi routers

How do you pay it forward?

Growing up in poverty, I know first-hand what its like to not have something to eat for dinner. As a result, my partner and I are constantly involved in the community. Toy drives, soup kitchens, distributing goodie bags, hosting refugees families, cleaning up the streets, you name it.

In addition I’ve been mentoring people who want to break into design space since 2021. Why? Because it took community effort for me to land my first job as a UX/UI Designer. We all need help, so why not offer it when you can? Candle looses nothing by lighting up another candle.

Other tidbits

  • I paint, a lot!

    Since I was a kid, painting has always been my creative outlet. Painting helps me process life events and the feelings they arise.

    I hope one day to have my own gallery space where I can paint my heart out. Paintings larger than me.

  • Obsessed with animals

    And no, I don’t want help.

    In a pretty small apartment. my partner and I have 2 cats named Appa and Zuko. Recently we also added a dog named Feta.

    I always had animals growing up. At some point I even had snakes, tarantulas, and tortoises!

    During my nomad era, one of my streams of income was dog sitting. I also used to host birthday parties with animals for kids between ages of 2 and 8.

  • Ex Nomad

    For about 3 years of my life I was a nomad with a crash-pad in Toronto.
    During this time I would work 50-100 hours a week for 2 to 4 weeks at a time, and then I took off for 1 to 6 weeks at a time.
    This experience taught me:

    • How to be resourceful and creative with a pack of ramen noodles.

    • How to connect with people from all walks of life.

    • How to communicate with someone regardless of their background.

    • How to travel light.

    • About different cultures, history, and the world.

  • Blue sky and golden fields, representing Ukrainian flag.

    Born in Ukraine, raised in Canada

    You’re probably wondering what’s the origin of my name. Well if you guessed Polish or Ukrainian - you’re spot on!

    I was born in Odesa, Ukraine a few years after the breakdown of the Soviet Union.
    When I was 12 years old, my brother and I moved to Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada to pursue the big American Dream!

    Even though I have now spent more than half of my life in Canada, I’m still deeply connected with my roots. Some of my family and friends are even choosing to live back home during full-scale war.

  • Sunsets are my favourite

    If we’re driving somewhere and I see beautiful sunset, I’ll use every sales technique I know to make you pull over to enjoy the moment.

    One job that I probably miss the most is working at Pearson International Airport. Although shifts were long and brutal on my state, watching sunrises and sunsets from the airport is always something special.

  • Favorite holiday: Halloween

    This is probably because I didn’t get to celebrate it back home in Ukraine, but I freaking LOVE Halloween. Hands down, one of my favorite holidays.

    When I worked at WestJet, I even dressed head-to-toe as a clown. Pretty sure I scared some of our guests, but most of them loved it.

  • I love flying!

    To me, flying is the best part about any travel. I absolutely love it. There’s something magical about it. To me, it is a sweet reminder of how small and insignificant we really are, so maybe we shouldn’t take life too seriously.


    One of the goals I have before retirement is to earn a pilot’s license.