5 Questions with Maire Chew, Engineer III at Flatfile

We’re thrilled that Maire Chew recently joined Flatfile as an Engineer III responsible for creating beautiful and engaging product experiences for our customers. 

Let’s get to know Maire!

Q: Why Flatfile? (And what do you do here?)

A: I was actually contracting for a while before I joined full time. If more companies can follow that model, I’ve found that it’s really helpful because you get insight into how the company works before you decide to come on full time.

What attracted me to Flatfile was the pace and how everyone on the team had input that would then immediately be put into action. That really stood out for me. 

At Flatfile I’ll be owning the front end development of our Flatfile’s data onboarding platform which I’m incredibly excited about!  

Q: Your background in software development has been focused on UI design, how did you get involved in that particular area? 

A: I was trained as a full stack developer and then I started doing front-end work and really fell in love with beautiful products and product design. I knew I wanted to be the one accountable for building something beautiful which was why I started focusing heavily on front-end work.

I also have a dance background so there’s something about the arts and the ability to create something truly eye-catching that motivates me. 

Q: What brands are knocking it out of the park when it comes to great design? 

A: Simple Habit and Headspace are mindfulness apps and I think they do a tremendous job of creating a seamless experience. The output of what you’re supposed to be getting by using these apps is clearly demonstrated in the way they’re designed. You need a mindfulness app to feel relaxed so that you feel relaxed. As you move through the app it feels very light which is intentional. Simple Habit and Headspace both do a great job of creating that “light” feeling and experience through design.  

I also like Pinterest because they brought back the masonry layout, an oldie but a goodie. There’s a lot of chaos on the page yet it’s very consumable at the same time. 

Q: In your career, can you talk about a tough problem you’ve solved or a specific challenge you overcame that you’re particularly proud of? 

A: Transitioning from being an individual contributor to an engineering manager was a really tough transition. You go from being accountable for your work to being responsible for everyone's work. Now that I’m back in an individual contributor role I feel like I have some perspective that others might not have - unless you’ve made that transition back and forth. Even though you’re only doing your work, there’s connections to everyone else. Being accountable for others and then being accountable for yourself is an interesting career move because you’re more aware of your impact as an individual. 

Q: You only get to listen to one album for the rest of your life, what is it? 

A: Post Malone’s Hollywood’s Bleeding

Want to join Maire? We’re hiring! Learn more about Flatfile and our open roles.