Alumni Stories – Tatiana Soldatova

Who are you and what do you do?
Tatiana Soldatova, Operations Manager, IC/things at Idea Couture

What project/job/event/research are you currently working on? Please tell us a little about the impetus, content, expected impact of this work.
I work at Idea Couture, a global innovation design firm – my scope is within the sociotechnical practice of IC/things. My daily activities include resourcing the team of developers, engineers, industrial designers, and UX designers. Overall, I help with managing complex projects and work with creatives to drive results.

In what ways did the work/research you did at parsons prepare you for that transition and the work you’re doing now?
Parsons is a great incubator for exposing you to working with many people and their backgrounds, it also teaches you to sell your strategic thinking and build a new lens of communication. My daily activities involve interaction with clients and developing processes that impact the team, being able to develop proper design thinking and appropriately communicate that was really important to my growth at IC.

List any awards, recognitions, etc. that you’ve received since leaving Parsons.
Seminar presenter at IIDEX Canada 2015, and 2016.

How has the MS-SDM program challenged you to grow as a strategic designer?
Since I come from a design background as a registered Interior Designer, the design thinking component came easy to me – but the business thinking was where I grew the most. Creating business models and pitch decks for showcasing a process was where I learned a lot from MS-SDM program.

If you were to give one piece of advice to current students, what would it be?
Learn from your fellow peers – they will propel you forward.

What book are you reading right now?
Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport