Remote Work in the US! A GO RIDE Designer's Working Style

GO RIDE has offices in Yokohama and LA, but there are also members working fully remotely.

This time, Mitsuaki-san, a designer working remotely from America and Chicago, was interviewed from LA's Wework.

Toyo: Today, the California-based team is delivering from the Los Angeles office Wework entrance.

GO RIDE NEWS articles, I can't even remember which employee interview number this is (laughs)

I used to keep count, but now I just can't remember.

This time, Mitsuaki-san, who is usually in Chicago, came to LA for a business trip, so I'd like to interview from the front of this LA office.

Thank you for today.

Mitsuaki: Thank you.

Toyo: First, could you briefly tell us about your background and how you became a designer, Mitsuaki?

Mitsuaki: I became a designer after graduating from art college. Initially, I worked a bit at a printing company, but then I joined a design office focused on web design. I worked there as a designer for about four and a half years, and then I joined GO RIDE.

Toyo: I see. At that web design company, what kind of design work were you doing?

Mitsuaki: Mainly corporate websites, entertainment-related music agency sites, and fashion brand sites. I also did some app design.

Toyo: So you were working on things like corporate sites, LPs, and app design.

Toyo: How many years have you been living in America now?

Mitsuaki: I've been living in America for about three years now.

Toyo: Although you work remotely from Chicago, you occasionally come to LA in this way. How does a typical day look like for you while working remotely from Chicago?

Mitsuaki: Yes, regarding the time, I work according to LA hours. In Chicago, I work from 11 AM to 8 PM.

So, I wake up around 8 AM, get ready, have breakfast, and take it easy in the morning since I start at 11 AM (laughs).

From there, I check emails from Japan and Slack messages, and I often have lunch around 2 PM.

After that, I work on my own tasks, and from around 5 to 6 in the evening, there are quite a few meetings with the Japanese team, so I usually attend those meetings from that time.

Toyo: There's a 2-hour time difference between LA and Chicago, right? So, working from 9 AM to 6 PM in LA means working from 11 AM to 8 PM in Chicago.

In the morning, I handle things that came from Japan the previous day, and from the evening, I have those kinds of meetings.

Toyo: As a designer for GO RIDE, what is expected of us?I think we might be specialized in e-commerce.

Mitsuaki: The difference between a corporate site and e-commerce is that with a corporate site, you can design quite freely, but in the case of e-commerce, you design according to the system.

When it comes to design, there are some challenges. I think designs that specialize in e-commerce often require a basic understanding of the Shopify system and themes, otherwise, it can be quite difficult.

In the case of e-commerce, I think it's necessary to know not just the front end but also the back end.

Toyo: Exactly. It's about understanding how the system works and then proposing a design that can be realistically implemented in terms of effort.

Mitsuaki: Especially with Shopify, there are parts you absolutely can't modify. If you create a strange design, it might not work, so I think a bit of knowledge is necessary in that area.

Toyo: I think Shopify, including things like Hydrogen, is becoming more flexible. It's about designing with an understanding of the system's constraints, right?

Toyo: Is there anything like designing with an awareness of conversion and such?

Mitsuaki: For example, making the "Add to Cart" button really stand out.

We suggest designs like displaying products to link movement from areas with high access numbers to product information.

Toyo: As a designer at GORIDE, you handle tasks like designing site structures, LP designs, banners, and creatives. Which area do you think takes up the largest volume of work?

Mitsuaki: Yes, designing sites is the most frequent task. I've also been designing the GO RIDE corporate site.

There are quite a few clients who want site renewals, so designing those sites constitutes a large volume of work.

Toyo: As a designer, what kind of people do you think are suited for GO RIDE?

Mitsuaki: That's right. GO RIDE is an environment where if you say you want to do something yourself, you can go for it as much as you want. So, if you're someone who wants to take initiative and is passionate, I think it's a great fit for you.

It's really a place where you can take on challenges. If you have the desire to do something, everyone will support you, which makes it a really great company.

Toyo: Thank you very much (laughs).

Toyo: Yes, that's how it is. Even now, the heat difference between day and night is intense. It was really tough filming without these sunglasses.

Toyo: Today, we had the designer Mitsuaki-san from Chicago.

Thank you very much.

Mitsuaki: Thank you very much.

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