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Oct 18 2017

Meet the design team in Facebook Israel

By Meta Careers
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Overview of the design team

The design team is one of the key partners for what we do at Facebook. The design team in Israel consists of product designers, design managers, content strategists and interns, working on four unique products: Onavo, Facebook Lite, Free Basics and Express Wi-Fi. What unites product designers at Facebook is their passion for creating the very best experience for the 2 billion people that use Facebook. Here are some reflections from the people designing products at Facebook Israel.

Describe your journey to Facebook

Arielle: Although I don't come from a purely product-oriented background, I feel that becoming a product designer at Facebook was a natural transition for me. Since graduating from the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, I have experienced the product lifecycle from multiple perspectives. I worked at a branding agency, built a start-up, became a founder and head of product of my own initiative, and created a program at Columbia University about teaching cross-functionality. After experiencing these various approaches, I felt it was time for me to learn how to craft, think and breathe products that serve billions of people.
“I joined the Facebook Lite team a few months ago and have been learning something new every day since I started.”
Vika: I graduated from College of Management Studies in 2006 with a degree in industrial design. Back then, I planned to work on everyday consumer products and help create versions that facilitate more delightful interactions. I learned how to consider usability, ergonomics and aesthetics of mass-produced goods and work to improve their design, function and engineering in collaboration with other specialists.
Although I never ended up working as an industrial designer, I practiced everything I learned in various roles – as a graphic designer, GUI designer, UX/UI designer and even the owner of a design studio. Transitioning to product design felt "right". It's a holistic method of design that drives results from understanding the mission, defining the targets, working with data and eventually crafting the design from scratch through implementation. Today, after 3 years working at Facebook, I still find myself continuously evolving as a designer and moving forward with the industry.

How is product design different at Facebook?

Rotem: Product design is a holistic practice. It means overhauling the process of product development and being involved in every step: identifying opportunities, understanding problems, suggesting solutions and crafting the design. It's a circle where we're also responsible for constantly learning from data or research in order to keep on iterating and perfecting the solution.
Product designers at Facebook work in collaboration with engineers, product managers, researchers, content strategists, and data scientists. We work together as one team where each functionality contributes to coming up with the best solution.
Yael: As product designers, we are involved in all aspects of the product. We have the ability and the tools to create new features and share them with people that use our products in the real world. Also, working on a large scale, our work reaches millions, if not billions of people from all around the globe.
“The design culture here gives us the opportunity to work with so many talented designers and get inspired all the time.”

What's the most challenging project you have worked on?

Itay: Though I consider most of what I do to be challenging and interesting, building Facebook Lite's design guidelines has definitely been the most challenging project to date. Facebook Lite is the lightweight client for Facebook, aimed at intermittent networks and basic Android phones. Facebook Lite was, in the spirit of “move fast”, put together quickly and became the fastest growing Facebook platform to date. With more than 200 million people using it, we now set out to build strong and coherent design principles that keep Facebook Lite part of the Facebook ecosystem, while placing a strong emphasis on the needs of people in emerging markets.
Moriah: Last year I collaborated with the Express Wi-Fi team to help define a new feature that communicates what data rollover means when you buy a mobile data pack. We aimed to enable people to get the most out of their mobile data and alleviate fears surrounding upgrading to monthly data plans. Coming from a data management-focused product, it was imperative to bring in my knowledge but to also stay open and not make assumptions. Some things could carry over, but other aspects had to be researched from scratch. In return, I was able to translate many of those learnings back into my product work.

Where have you travelled to meet people in emerging markets?

Rotem: The most exciting experience for me was traveling to Kenya to learn more about the leading digital payment product, M-Pesa. We wanted to enable people to pay for Express Wi-Fi using M-Pesa. In order to do that, we needed to learn how this system worked and people's habits first-hand. My interest in M-Pesa started long before I joined the team. I learned about it while researching technology innovation in emerging markets. Getting the chance to learn more about it in-person, in Kenya, was incredible.
In another research trip to the Philippines, I witnessed people interacting for the first time with a product that had been in development for almost a year. It was amazing to see that they found great value in it.
Vika: If I had to choose what excites me the most about working at Facebook, I would say it's the opportunity to travel around the world meeting people who use Facebook products. Last year, I had the privilege to design a new app that helps people understand how they use their mobile data plans, protect their personal information and help save money. We travelled to India to meet people using the app, understand their pain points and see how we can improve the product to make it even more relevant for them. It's always fascinating to see how differently people react to the same feature. Sometimes they are confused, sometimes happy or just surprised, but eventually it's clear to me where I can make product improvements.

What has been the stand out moment for you while working at Facebook?

Arielle: I was recently asked to represent designers on the Growth team in our quarterly meeting. This was a huge honor, especially since I had only been on the team for a few months. It was exciting that one of my first projects evolved into something that interested all of the product designers. I flew out to present this in Menlo Park and felt truly humbled to speak alongside designers that I admire.
Yael: On my second day at work, I joined a research trip with the Free Basics team to Peru. Two weeks later, I flew to Menlo Park for on-boarding and product road-mapping. Now that I'm back in Israel and getting to know my team, these experiences continue to inspire me throughout my learning and involvement in all aspects of product development.

What does collaboration look like in Facebook?

Moriah: Teams in Facebook are encouraged to openly discuss, share and document their work. Widening the audience of our work is essential for getting diverse and comprehensive feedback. It also helps other teams to learn from our processes and move faster. In many situations, other teams have tackled problems similar to mine. It's great to be able to look at their research and insights and incorporate their learnings into my work. It's easy to reach out to people across the company to help make us more informed and influence our product work.
Arielle: Facebook Lite, the product I work on, requires a lot of collaboration with teams across Facebook. A lot of our communication happens over video conferencing or Workplace. We have also been hosting many designers from across Facebook at the Tel Aviv office and working together. This has been an extremely positive experience for both sides - we've been able to share our knowledge about Facebook Lite, and in return, we've learned a lot about various products and the wider Facebook eco-system. It's also a great way to make friends across Facebook offices!

What are the team's three favorite things about Facebook Israel?

  • We move fast, so you get to see your work come to life quickly
  • We launch products that hundreds of millions of people use
  • We build teams and products from scratch

Opportunities in Facebook design

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