Esther Babatunde’s Tech Journey to Product Design

Esther Babatunde is a skilled administrator based in Lagos, Nigeria, and she has amassed over 5 years of experience managing day-to-day operations in the real estate sector, including maintenance scheduling, property inspection and negotiation, account and budget management, employee and payroll management, and facility management. Esther is an individual who challenges the status quo and is always on the lookout for better approaches to producing excellent outcomes.

Esther has a bachelor’s degree in Secretarial Administration from Tai-Solarin University of Education in Ogun State, Nigeria, and is married with children. After a long period in real estate management, Esther decided to transition into technology in 2022, seeking fresh perspectives in product design and technology with the aim of solving human problems through creative ideas.

Esther enrolled in the Women Techsters Fellowship program after learning about the program through her husband while she was on maternity leave. Although she faced challenges during the training, such as power supply issues, fuel scarcity, and unstable network, Esther remained determined to improve her skills and overcome the challenges by watching videos online and attending tutorials. Esther’s dedication paid off, as she obtained certifications in product design, honed her presentation skills, and built significant connections with fellow beneficiaries.

During the program, Esther gained mastery of software skills such as Figma, InVision, Figjam, Notion, product management tools, HTML, and CSS, as well as developing soft skills such as presentation skills, organizing skills, and team collaboration. Esther also participated in the International Day of the Girl child through the Tech-Girls Drive organized by Tech4Dev, an event that left a lasting impression on her.

Esther secured an internship position as a Product Design Intern with Bamelo Health, an all-in-one wellness platform that helps Africans manage their overall well-being at their convenience before the Women Techsters Fellowship training concluded. Her key responsibilities as a Product Design Intern at Bemelo are: Engaging with stakeholders to refine product strategy and roadmap, conducting user research and market analysis to understand both the business and users’ needs, amongst others.

Moving on, Esther plans to contribute to her community to hone her skills further. Her advice to other women transitioning into technology is to remain passionate about learning and seek opportunities to collaborate with other professionals since technology can improve or solve relevant challenges.