Meet Chris Mousa - Head of Design
As part of the launch of the new Virtuo app, we sat down with a few of the key figures in the creation of the new app. One of these key figures is Chris Mousa, our head of design and one of the biggest characters in the business. Chris has lead the design of every version of the Virtuo app and is the one who uses the latest in design thinking to ensure your experiences is visual yet surprisingly simple. We set down with Chris to better understand his approach to design and what we can expect from the new version of the app.
Who are you and what was your role in producing the new app?
I am the head of design at Virtuo. I have several years of design experience, with a focus on creating engaging and functional user experiences. I love to have an impact and focus on adapting behaviours of users in a more and more connected world. I lead the design team here at Virtuo focusing on creating an efficient interface that makes the rental experience as intuitive and simple as possible for our users.
How long have you been with virtuo?
I have now been with Virtuo for more than 3 years, having involvement in all three versions of the app as well as the website and communications. It has been a pleasure to be involved in each project from beta all the way to the final versions.
What are the key design principles when designing an app?
Always put yourself in the user's shoes. You are not designing for you, but for the users. There are so many different types of users and use cases, we are focused on understanding them and design a service that is easy to use and ensure everyone feels comfortable using it.
"Always put yourself in the user's shoes. You are not designing for you, but for the users."
What is your favourite part of the new app?
We have created some great error messages, however you will unfortunately never see them as there are no bugs in the app :P
How important is it for design to evolve?
Our sector is very competitive. Our customers are demanding more and more and as a result we must evolve with their needs. These days, everything is moving very quickly, especially in digital, where technologies, design, as well as users' needs and lifestyles, are constantly changing. We must always be ready to adapt and change.
How do you go about choosing the right amount of change to the design so that people can still easily navigate the app/ has the virtuo identity but so that the design is ‘new/ updated’?
No matter what are the volume of changes we bring to a product, we should listen to our users and take their feedback into consideration when building something new or different. That is what we have done for every update we have released and has ensure these releases have been successful. As with many businesses, we have made some mistakes but we learnt from it and this is the most important thing. We really hope that this new version will reflect how our product strategy has evolved through the years as well as the experience we aim to deliver.
