I'm Malik, a PM type of Designer

MEST Africa ‘22 Alum, Jim Leech Mastercard ‘23 Fellow

If you are wondering how am I a PM type of Designer, here’s how...

I major primarily in Product Design, however due to working in some early stage start-ups and co-founded one myself, I always go beyond designing interface. I do what it takes, product-wise, to ensure successful development of a product. I engage in product strategy, market analysis, draft product requirement documents, manage product team, amongst others.

I am a Product Designer with 4 years of experience. Currently with my team, I design the experience at Farmerline Group, a company that develops solutions to increase access to farmers and simplify transactions throughout the agricultural value chain. My role as a Product Designer cuts across creating B2B SaaS and Mobile Application products that helps businesses collect data and make insight from their data, and handle their end-to-end agricultural transactions.

I have also worked with Sanwo Technologies Limited, a trusttech company devoted to enabling risk-free online transactions in Africa via escrow and mediation services. Building Sanwo helped me understand the extent of fraudulent transactions that happens outside of the regulated e-commerce space and the need for a trust value system to help unsuspecting buyers and sellers.

Other organisations I have worked with are Copianto AI, Capsa Technologies, amongst others.

A picture of me in my workspace

In January 2022, I got into MEST Africa Fellowship, a 12-months resident programme in software entrepreneurship based in Accra, Ghana. The fellowship is focused on building entrepreneurs in Africa, however, it also gave me a first hand experience on how the success of a product is not only by a good design. Consequently, this experience morphed me into the PM type of designer that I am today.

Outside of work, I love research and community engagement. On research, I am of the belief that inadequate access to carryout quality research is as much a major hinderance to African's development as the actions of the government. This is why I volunteer for Researchround as a Digital Technology Manager, using my experience as a seasoned product designer in contributing to and developing quality research systems in Africa.

On community engagement, I am an active member of Friends of Figma, Ibadan, a community of designers based in Ibadan, Nigeria where I contribute to the community in terms of events, partnership engagement amongst others.

Community engagement with Friends of Figma Ibadan

I love road trip, mountain climbing, and video games. I have explored 4 African countries by road and climbed the tallest mountain in West Africa, Mountain Afadjato in Volta, Ghana. One day, I wish to travel the longest land route in the world, from Capetown, South Africa to Magadan, Russia. I also wish to climb the highest mountain in Africa, Mountain Kilimanjaro.

I love fantasy Novels. My all time character in a novel is Robert Langdon, a fictional character created by Dan Brown. Robert Langdon appeared in the series; Angels & Demons, The Da Vinci Code, The Lost Symbol, Inferno and Origin. Occasionally, I write poems and help tell stories reducing people to sane madman through bit and bits.

I design from Ibadan, Nigeria with Sky up until February 2024. During that time, Sky and I not only design, we both tend to my wife's plant as well.

Image taken on Afadjato MountainImage taken on Idanre HillSky tending to my wife's plant

Image 1: Taken from the top of Moutain Afadjato, Volta, Ghana.

Image 2: Taken from Idanre Hill, Akure, Nigeria.

Image 3: Sky tending to my wife's plant.