Meet Wilmer Molina, a Senior Design Engineer based in Colombia. With eight years on the Modularis team, Wilmer is one of our longest-tenured team members!
Wilmer has a natural gift for user experience and product design. It’s something that’s hard to find, and it’s so complementary to everything else we do. He’s responsible for the user experience for all of Modularis’ in-house products and he’s the design lead for many of our clients’ products . . . and he’s just getting started.
– A.J. Singh, CEO, Modularis
What is your role at Modularis?
I’m a Senior Design Engineer. I help the team create great user experiences (UX) and user interfaces (UI). I also work on designing customer applications and help with front-end development as a part of the design team.
What does delivering value for your customers mean to you?
The goal at Modularis is to make sure our clients can deliver better results to their own customers. This means we need to develop faster, with less friction, and make sure the end users are getting maximum value from the final product.
How did you hear about Modularis?
I had the opportunity to work with Jaime on a contract project for about six months, so I had firsthand experience working with this team well in advance. A year after that contract project, a former coworker joined Modularis and later reconnected me with Jaime, and A.J., who initially brought me on as a contractor to work on an application design. It was during that project that they offered me a full-time position. I immediately accepted, and here I am!
What made you decide to take the job at Modularis?
Modularis truly cares about the people who are around them – that’s really the main reason I decided to come on. Many companies say they treat you like family, but here at Modularis, it actually happens – in all the best ways. They support us, they trust us, and they live their values – which is just great.
What did you do before you joined Modularis?
I was a multimedia engineer, so I learned a lot of subjects like video, visual effects, and animation. I briefly worked as a 3D modeler before going into website design and motion graphics. My main experience before Modularis was really in web design – the whole process, from writing code to the design itself.
Where did you go to school and what did you study?
I went to school here in Colombia at the Universidad Militar Nueva Granada. I focused on multimedia engineering. I have always liked designing, drawing, and being creative. In my last year of high school, I started mixing art with technology. I was really interested in graphic design but ultimately decided on engineering because of the computer and tech components. I feel like I found the perfect combination!
What motivated you to make that transition to using your artistic skills in a different way?
Before joining Modularis, I noticed that many software companies focused strictly on the development; the code, the algorithms, and other common development elements. Very few companies focused on design and the final UX. Modularis is one of those few – we have this mentality that it’s time to look beyond the code and into the final delivery – the business goal or the user experience. My graphic design background, coupled with my coding knowledge, made this very attractive to me.
Modularis has been the perfect place to shine because they build great software and have terrific engineers. I have had the opportunity to offer my expertise to improve the UI and UX on these projects, which improves the customer experience, and ultimately helps our clients earn more revenue with their products.
What is your favorite project you have worked on at Modularis?
My favorite project so far is actually a special inside project I’m working on right now. I’m working on a flagship software tool that will accelerate the process of designing and coding software as part of PlatformPlus®.
I’ve been working on this project for many months. It’s taking shape and going very well. I have a very special feeling about this project and it’s definitely one of my favorites. If I ever expect to win an award for something, it will be this project!
Everyone seeks Wil out for advice or insight or support. He’s had an outsized impact on the team—he touches everything— and he brings such stellar instincts, talent, and kindness. He’s also always there for our clients who need to deliver something truly compelling and find the most elegant solution. -A.J. Singh
What do you want people to know about Modularis and how we support the unique challenges of software development and product management to promote growth?
This is not a sales pitch, but I want people to know that Modularis is committed to its work and our customers. We want them to be the hero of the story; our customers should shine and get all the credit. We are here to give them the opportunity to succeed and to guide them.
We aren’t a huge company, but we definitely have a dream team! I respect everyone I work with here; they’re all professionals and I always feel like I have the best team next to me.
On the tech side, Modularis offers real efficiency and speed in the development process. We reduce friction, from discovery and design all the way through to the end of the project. We truly offer a full solution and help clients identify what their real needs are through discovery and research. Not all development companies offer this!
Tell us about your life outside of work. Family life? Hobbies?
I love spending time with my family. My wife and I just had a daughter. She’s five months old and has changed our lives. I feel blessed to be her parent, and we are very excited to be sleeping more now. I also enjoy drawing and illustrating in my spare time, and I like to play video games.
What are your personal values and how do they help you in your work at Modularis?
I’m a big family guy; I care for the people around me, including my coworkers. I try to make their days easier and help in whatever way I can.
As the sole designer, I work with and help everyone, even the small groups. I treat people how I want to be treated, with kindness and respect. This is important for me on a daily basis, both at home and at work.
I try hard to learn something new from everyone, we all have something to teach. We’ve hired some junior developers recently, and I feel like I can learn a lot from them, just as I do from the senior people. I strive to learn something new every day.
This mentality has helped me in my work. Part of my work is to understand the needs of everyone and translate that into software design, so it’s a good fit.
Wilmer lives our belief that we have to continuously improve ourselves. He’s a lifelong learner, and he’s open and lovable. He brings a sense of confidence, purpose, and vision to product design and development—I haven’t found anyone else who can match that. We’re very lucky to have him as part of our family.
– A.J. Singh, CEO, Modularis