Women In Design feat. Alexa Muir

In this feature, we speak with Alexa Muir, the Founding Senior Product Designer at tem., a UK-based start-up revolutionizing the way businesses connect to renewable energy. With a background in various creative fields, she brings her passion for clean energy and sustainability to the forefront of her design work.

Here she shares insights from her journey in UX, discussing the importance of teamwork, continuous learning, and collaboration in achieving impactful design solutions.

Could you please introduce yourself as well as your background? 

I’ve been working with the UK-based start-up tem. as their Founding Senior Product Designer. Our platform connects businesses to renewable energy that is more direct, fair, and traceable, bypassing the energy wholesale market and matching their energy consumption directly with our network of renewable generators. 

Before finding my way into UX, I worked in several different creative fields. I began as a freelance designer and eventually enrolled in a UX bootcamp. I also worked in design education for a short period before moving into the world of start-ups.  

I thrive in environments where I can make a real impact, tackling complex and ambiguous problems—especially in spaces I’m passionate about, such as clean energy and sustainability.

What are 5 “stand-out things” you’ve learned that you’d like to pass on to your peers as well as the future generation of talent within your sector? 

1. The product is important, but the team is more important. 
   I am fortunate to be working on a fantastic product that I’m deeply passionate about, but I’d recommend prioritizing the team. Product development is a team sport, and alignment and collaboration can significantly affect outcomes. My leaders at tem. empower and support me in bringing real value to users. Sometimes that’s through quick wins, but we are equally committed to long-term vision projects. My team’s dedication and high standards inspire me to bring my best every day.
2. Use all the tools and resources available to you.
   These days, we have access to an unprecedented amount of knowledge. For instance, you could master Figma using YouTube tutorials alone. Plugins and public libraries can save you weeks or months of work, and the optimization becomes exponential if you can harness a few AI tools.
3. Get user feedback any way you can.
   If you have the resources for extensive user testing sessions, take advantage of them. However, even if you can only speak with one customer, make that interaction count. If the budget doesn’t allow for expensive card-sorting software, improvise with free tools like FigJam. The most important thing is to gather feedback from your users, as this will guide your decisions. Remember, you are their advocate within the company, so it’s crucial to understand their needs.
   
4. Get space and stay inspired.
   Step away from the problems you’re tackling. Go outside, take a walk, read a book, or do something you love. When you return to a challenging issue, you’ll approach it with fresh eyes and renewed inspiration. Also, literally adding more white space to your designs almost always improves them.
5. Embrace collaboration, not perfection.
   Great design rarely happens in isolation. Focus on iterative design—rapidly prototyping and refining ideas based on feedback. It’s more effective to iterate quickly and make improvements along the way than to strive for perfection from the start. Collaboration enhances this process, but the key is to remain open to feedback and continuous improvement. 

What is your take on the importance of role models? 

Especially in small teams or a start-up environment, I’ve found it invaluable to have a sounding board—someone with experience and expertise who is open to listening, supporting, and sharing. My mentor, Piers Cleveland-Copeman, Head of Design at Goss, has been instrumental in my growth in the field. He’s talented, thoughtful, and his work is stunning. His support has had a significant impact on my career. While I don’t think you’ll find a mentor as good as mine, I strongly recommend you try. 

On the flip side, having gained some experience myself, I’ve found it incredibly rewarding to pass along some of that knowledge to the next generation of designers. Honestly, it’s a two-way street—I often find that I can work through something more effectively when explaining or teaching it to someone else. I believe we have a responsibility to form relationships that help move us all forward. 

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If you’re inspired by the stories and wisdom shared in our ‘Women In Design’ series and would like to contribute your own experiences, we’d love to hear from you. Creatives at all levels, please email us and your story could be the next we feature.