Behind the scenes: Different career paths in tech at Unit4 part II
A few weeks ago, we had the opportunity to meet three inspiring women from Unit4, each working in distinctly different tech-related roles. They shared valuable insights about their backgrounds, what a typical workday looks like, and their unique career paths. This month, we’re taking a deeper dive into the specifics of their roles, with targeted questions tailored to each of them. Let’s jump into the second part of the article!
As all of you have different tech related roles within Unit4, we would like to deep dive into some role specific insights, therefore we would like to start with Paulina Rothermel.
Our first question to you is: Technical writing seems like such a balancing act. How do you make sure your documentation is technically accurate while still being friendly and accessible to different kinds of users?
Paulina Rothermel: I can always count on the team’s support, which helps me understand technical aspects that I first need to grasp myself before I can explain them to others. Once I know how a new feature works, I can describe it accurately, using language that’s as simple as possible. What matters most to me is that most users don’t expect elaborate wording from us – they simply want to quickly and effortlessly understand how our products work. My job is to make that easier for them. In this process, AI becomes a great assistant, helping automate routine tasks and letting me focus on strategic content design.
We are also curious to hear what skills have helped you succeed in documentation that might surprise someone considering this career path?
Paulina Rothermel: I think passion for technology and the desire to understand how different solutions work matter more than specific skills. What might surprise people thinking about a career in technical documentation? Contrary to appearances, this job is more technical than literary. If you’re not open to learning new tools and technologies, you’ll need to become so, because that’s what you’ll spend a lot of your time on. In the age of artificial intelligence, the concept of “Documentation Developer” has grown several times in importance – we’re the ones who make sure a company’s knowledge is ready to work with AI.
And last but not least – even though you work a lot independently, it’s really the collaboration with the team, product owners, experts, managers, and others that lets you succeed and be happy in this job.
Thank you, Paulina Rothermel. It was really interesting to hear more insights from you!
Next, we would like to hear more about the role of a Senior Quality Manager. Monika Jaguś, testing requires such a creative mindset. Can you share some of your favorite approaches to finding those tricky issues that might otherwise slip through the cracks?
Monika Jaguś: Of course! I agree that testing requires creative thinking. The longer I work as a tester, the more I notice this.
I love finding bugs, and to do this, I first ensure that the application covers all the required test cases. It’s crucial that the requirements are 100% met. Then it’s time to find the elusive bugs that often hide in edge cases and unexpected user behavior. At this stage, I no longer follow strict requirements but explore the application as an end user would – clicking, trying strange combinations and pushing the boundaries.
This approach often reveals usability problems and hidden bugs. I often use boundary value analysis in my work. Bugs love to hide at the edges – whether it’s minimum/maximum input lengths, date ranges or quantity limits. I focus tests around these boundaries to catch logical errors.
In my opinion, it is important to think like a “malicious” user. I deliberately input incorrect, unexpected or distorted data to see how the system handles it. Thanks to my experience with the application, I can predict potential error-prone areas and focus my testing on those, e.g. particularly where issues have frequently occurred or where users commonly make mistakes.
Wow, sounds like a very interesting mix of ensuring the quality and functionality as well as being able to work explorative to find out the user experience behind the technical setup!
Our next question for you is how has your role changed as Unit4 has adopted more agile ways of working? Has this shifted how you collaborate with the rest of the team?
Monika Jaguś: As our company has adopted more agile working methods, my role as a tester has evolved significantly. Now testing is important at every stage of the development process, so testing is not just the final stage, but is now a continuous activity.
This means that I am involved from the beginning as a tester in the process, for example I attend sprint planning meetings to understand upcoming features and prepare test cases accordingly. I work closely with the developers. Daily meetings and regular retrospectives ensure constant communication and quick problem solving. So, if a developer encounters a bug, we can discuss it immediately and find a solution together, rather than waiting until the end of the development cycle. Of course, in agile, automation has become key, and this is the direction I would like to develop as a tester.
Thank you so much Monika for sharing these insights with us! It is really interesting to hear how you discover bugs and where they are most likely to appear.
Our next questions are directed to Marta Szafraniec-Szpak. We are really fascinated by the research behind good design. How do you gather insights about users and incorporate them into your design process here at Unit4?
Marta Szafraniec-Szpak: User research is an important part of my work. At Unit4, we often work with customers and internal stakeholders to understand real user needs, especially as business software needs to support a wide range of roles and workflows. I use a mix of methods – interviews, feedback sessions, user testing and sometimes data analysis – to gain insight. What’s important to me is not just gathering input, but translating it into clear, actionable design decisions. I also make sure that the research is visible to the whole team, so that everyone stays connected to the user perspective throughout the design process.
Enterprise software can be quite complex! What are some of the unique challenges you face when designing interfaces that need to handle complicated processes while still being user-friendly?
Marta Szafraniec-Szpak:The biggest challenge is that a simple interface doesn’t mean a simple problem. Users of business systems work with large amounts of data and carry out complex processes, and the designer’s role is to hide that complexity wherever possible, without taking control away from the user.
Day to day, I work on the AI assistant at Unit4. Although its interface is simple and conversation-based, there are many design decisions behind every response. What matters isn’t just what information to convey, but also when and how to show it, so the user can quickly make the right decision.
Good UX means the user doesn’t have to think about how the system works – they can focus on getting their task done.
Each of us looks at problems through our own lens. What unique approach or perspective do you bring to the team thanks to your experience?
Marta Szafraniec-Szpak: I feel most at home in situations that seem complicated or disorganized at first glance. I like to organize information, ask questions, and get to the heart of a problem before we start designing a solution.
I believe the best solutions come from collaboration and combining different points of view, which is why what I bring to the team above all is curiosity and empathy. I also like translating complex problems into solutions that are understandable to both users and the team.
If you were talking to a young woman considering a similar career path, what advice or support would you give her?
Marta Szafraniec-Szpak: I think the most important thing is to give yourself time to grow and to accept that the start of a career is a stage of discovering your own path. For me, it was hugely important to surround myself with people I could learn from and exchange experience with. Getting involved in the UX community helped me not only develop my skills, but also build confidence and the conviction that my perspective has value.
Everyone brings something unique to the team – not only through their skills, but also through their way of thinking and collaborating with others. UX isn’t about having all the answers. What matters far more is curiosity, the ability to listen, and openness to different points of view – those are what help create solutions that truly meet people’s needs.
Thank you all for sharing your experiences and insights. It’s a real pleasure for us to highlight the diversity of talents that contribute to Unit4’s success and to showcase the significant impact women have in the tech industry—both in their day-to-day work and in their specialized roles as Senior Documentation Developers, Senior Quality Manager, and Senior UX Designers.