Working at Nevion – Q&A with Maren Ytterdal Krogsrud
Meet Maren Ytterdal Krogsrud, UX lead for VideoIPath at Nevion in Norway.
Say hello to Maren Ytterdal Krogsrud! In this edition of our ‘Q&A with the Architects’ series, we spoke with Maren about her initial journey to joining our team, how her switch to the UX department better matched her interests and why she finds the inclusive culture and passionate individuals at Nevion so inspiring.
What attracted you to join Nevion as part of your career journey and what is your role there now?
I wasn’t aware of what Nevion did before I joined, but I was introduced to the business after taking part in a Norwegian training program called the Experis Academy. It essentially offers upskilling opportunities to professionals looking to kickstart their careers in IT. While at the academy I had the opportunity to interview at Nevion and it sounded like a really interesting company, so I was eager to join. My current role is UX Lead for the VideoIPath team.
How has your role progressed whilst you’ve been at Nevion?
My first year at Nevion was focused on simply gaining work experience while I was on the Experis course, and then I officially joined the Nevion team in 2022 as a Software Developer. While I really enjoyed my role, I naturally started gravitating towards being a UX Designer after a while. My Team Lead helped identify early on the parts of the role I found the most interesting and fun and helped guide my career in that direction. I really like the UX side of the business because I enjoy the challenge of devising modern, up-to-date solutions that enable ease-of-use for both technical and non-technical customers. Sometimes our products can be quite complex in terms of the technology, so it’s a fun challenge to make them accessible for everyone!
What three words would you use to describe Nevion?
When I think about Nevion as a business, I think about the great people we have here, so my words align with that. I would say that the culture is best described as passionate, talented and inclusive. Everyone is very knowledgeable about the industry and always eager to learn, but also ready to help others if they ask for assistance.
What interested you about working in the broadcast industry?
I have a bachelor’s degree in film production from Kingston University in the UK, and I developed a real passion for broadcasting during that time, so the sector already appealed to me. It was a little different to the TV production projects that Nevion solutions usually handle, but it’s all very much part of that wider broadcasting world that I’m interested in.
Can you tell us about a project you have worked on during your time at Nevion that you are most proud of?
Because I work in the UX department I’m usually involved in a bit of everything, rather than individual projects. But I have particularly enjoyed working on VideoIPath’s Panel app, which essentially allows users to perform parameter control with a range of widgets like sliders, buttons and toggle switches. A piece of software like the panel app can always be refined for the user, so one of my responsibilities is to improve it on a continuous basis and make it more intuitive.
What is your favorite thing about working for Nevion?
It has to be the people! There are a lot of intelligent individuals here. Everyone is very open-minded and willing to teach others about the industry and new technologies, but we also have a lot of fun at the same time. I feel like the team are allowed to be themselves and are encouraged to speak up with their opinions and thoughts, no matter what position they hold in the company.
What new technology/ innovation excites you the most in the broadcasting world?
Due to my role I’m not hugely involved in all the sector’s innovations, but I am keeping an eye on where AI goes from here. If I look at it through the lens of what I work with day-to-day, it’ll be interesting to see what role AI will play in UX design and how it will impact the end user.
