A journey to confidence | From feeling like a young girl to knowing my worth

As a UX Designer (short for User Experience Designer) at ORTEC, Melek works closely with product owners to investigate customer wishes and needs to design the best-suited products. She explains: “I believe designing is being idealistic. As a designer, I take responsibility for imagining that there can be better ways of practicing everyday life on behalf of society. My duty is to fight against what is, on behalf of something else, something better.” Next to her daily activities, Melek also really likes to empower the next generation of innovators – she regularly gives workshops at various internal ORTEC events about Design Thinking, and she has been mentoring graduates in their final design projects.

⭐️ Striving for a future where everyone thrives

To create an environment where everyone within her own department feels valued, included, and empowered, Melek decided to become the captain of her department’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) team. “Within our DE&I team, I act as a facilitator of progress, ensuring our innovative projects align with our DE&I goals and make a meaningful impact. Together, we strive for a harmonious future where everyone thrives.”

✖ One size fits all some - gender bias in design

As a UX designer, Melek is surprised to see a great amount of (hidden) gender bias in product design. “Design can have a gender problem. Some totally forget about women,” she says. She gives some examples - one of the examples even put lives at risk: “Can you believe that female drivers are 47% more likely to be seriously injured in a car crash, and 17% more likely to die!? This all has to do with how the car is designed – and for whom.” For this specific example, crash-test dummies were – until 2011 - based on the ‘average’ male.

“If you are like me and interested in gender bias in design, I can really recommend you to read the book Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez. It explains more about the car design example I just mentioned, and many other eye-opening examples. It’s a great read!”, she says. For those who are into podcast, you can also hear stories from this author in the 'Visible Women' podcast on Spotify.

Growing confidence

Melek's first few years working as a woman in Tech were quite challenging. She recalls: "I had to find my way in a world that was full of men. On the one hand, there were the professional, older men, and then – along a few others - there was me, a young women (<30 years) from a different cultural background. I wondered: Do they even see me as woman, or as a young girl? Altogether, I felt rather uncomfortable and lacked a sense of belonging."

“My journey in confidence took a transformative turn when I found an internal mentor. Her belief in me became the catalyst for my own self-belief.”

Melek continues: "My journey took a transformative turn when I found a mentor within ORTEC. She is an experienced woman in tech who recognized the potential in my unique background and perspective. She not only provided guidance but also instilled in me the confidence to carve my own space in the industry. Her belief in me became the catalyst for my own self-belief. And when you believe in yourself, others follow. Through her, I understood the power of mentorship — that having someone to guide, challenge, and believe in you could make all the difference. Also, the support from female friends around my network was very significant building my confidence. Their wisdom, shared experiences, and encouragement — irrespective of whether they were in tech or not — became my extended reservoir of strength. Their genuine support was a reminder that I wasn’t alone in my journey."

Today, while challenges persist, Melek feels a deeper sense of belonging. She explains:

“I've learned to look at my unique background no longer as a disadvantage but as a distinctive lens, bringing invaluable insights and perspectives to the tech world.”