We Believe In People! To celebrate this core value of ours, we asked some of the people we believe in to share their Kolibri experience. From their first day at the office to daily life at the company, getting used to life in Berlin, and much more… so today, meet Anagha!
What’s your name and what do you do here?
I’m Anagha and I’m a UI/UX designer.
Where do you come from?
I come from Bangalore, in the south of India.
What do these two things mean?
UI stands for “user interface” and UX stands for “user experience”. Both go hand in hand. As a team, we are responsible for putting together how the player interacts with the game or if it’s fun for them — we basically build the experience.
How do you know where the right places for buttons or interface elements are?
A mix of understanding, intuition and science. Knowing how people function from a psychological standpoint and how they interact with things is the science of UI/UX. What’s important for us is to really pay attention to how mobile devices work and to keep in mind that our players are going to be distracted even while playing.
What do players see on the screen that you have worked on?
My job consists of a lot of polishing the interface and pointing players in the right direction. We make the game a bit more understandable in places where we think it’s missing.
If your parents were to describe your job, how would they describe it?
Ever since I switched to the gaming industry, they have this blanket statement that I “make games”, even though I am just a part of this huge cycle of things.
When you play games, how much do you enjoy playing them and how much are you trying to figure out how they work?
I hate to say this, but after moving to the games industry I am constantly looking at games from a different perspective — I don’t think they should be using that much text! Why is this button here? They stole this feature from that game, etc.
How long have you lived in Berlin for?
I moved here in March 2019 for Kolibri Games.
What do you think about Berlin?
I absolutely love it. The city is constantly throwing surprises. I feel like a little child coming to Berlin. The thing I like the most is that the city allows you to be who you want to be. It’s super safe and people don’t judge you.
Is there something you miss about home?
A lot of things! Maybe food. One thing I do not miss is the traffic. That’s one of the reasons why I wanted to leave.
What was your first day at Kolibri Games like?
I spent a lot of time hoping that no one was listening to my stomach rumbling. There are about four hours of time difference between India and Berlin and I am a person who eats and gets hungry on time, so it was really awkward because all you could hear in the silent office was my belly rumbling.
What’s your favorite Friday night food?
Sushi is not big where I come from, but I’m starting to really like it.
Do you have a weird, interesting or useless skill?
I have plenty and don’t really know which ones are the most useless. I can bleat like a goat and I can quote every line in “Mean Girls”.
What was the last thing you Googled?
It’s probably some cat-related thing. Actually, it is “Adventures of Business Cat”. I wanted to send this to my colleague to make fun of him wearing very formal attire.
What is your favorite thing on your desk?
I have this thing called a “channapatna toy”. It’s a woodworking toy made in south India. It was a gift given to me by my friend when I was leaving for Berlin — that’s very special to me.
When you’re talking to your friends in India, what will you tell them about Kolibri?
I don’t feel like a fish out of water here, I feel like I really belong. This was my biggest fear. I literally uprooted my life at my ripe old age from India to Berlin, and despite all the worries, I feel very much at home here.