Meet the Pathfinders

Gabrielle Burger

While Gabrielle is a relatively new addition to the OnBoard team, she’s already had a tremendous impact, bringing her own unique experience as a board member to make OnBoard the intuitive, easy-to-use platform users know and love.

Meet Gabrielle Burger

Role: Senior Product Designer

Department: Product Development

Joined: November 2021

What She Loves About OnBoard:

“Everyone is so welcoming, and I think the size of the company makes it seem more like a family. Everyone feels good about the work they’re doing because they have an opportunity to have such a direct impact.”

In terms of design, I think we started off with a really clean design and we’re always able to improve upon that. I think that’s what makes OnBoard stand out from a lot of other products.

What does the day-to-day life of a Senior Product Designer at OnBoard look like?

A lot of the day-to-day is problem-solving, whether that’s for design or development. We start every day with a standup (meeting). That keeps us accountable for what everybody is working on. All the designers are paired with a product manager. So we’ll talk a couple times a week to discuss what kind of features we’re working on and address any impediments or questions that we have. I work primarily in a design tool called Figma, putting together wireframes and high-fidelity designs.

A couple times each week we have design meetings where all the designers share what they’re working on and get feedback from each other. Then, a few times a week, we have larger meetings with the product team and each product manager and designer team will share the bigger picture of what we’re working on.

What attracted you to OnBoard?

Before I joined OnBoard, I was at another SaaS company. It was applicant tracking software used by HR and recruiting teams. Even though they’re different products and different types of personas, I’ve found there’s a lot of overlap.

When the recruiter from OnBoard initially reached out about this opportunity, I wanted to hear her out. Initially, I was a bit worried about how small OnBoard is compared to my previous company, but I think that’s why I like it so much. During the interview process, I met my supervisor, some members of my team, and some others from engineering. I was really impressed with the product and how knowledgeable and dedicated everyone was. It felt like a really good opportunity.

One recurring theme in user reviews for OnBoard is that the platform is intuitive and easy to use. What are your thoughts on that?

The product team as a whole does a really good job of researching what our users are looking for and trying to fit those in as new features come up. We’re also really good about getting feedback directly from our customers. They have the opportunity to suggest things that we’ll end up putting into our roadmap.

In terms of design, I think we started off with a really clean and intuitive design and we’re always improving upon it. I think that’s what makes OnBoard stand out from a lot of other products. Some bigger products are too complicated. We do a good job of designing complex features that are easy to use.

You’ve served on a nonprofit board. How does that experience inform what you do at OnBoard?

I was really involved in the local arts community in New York, which is where I live. Naturally, I started working with RiverArts, which is a small arts nonprofit. After a couple years I joined the board for a three-year term. I think it’s been really helpful getting to understand the product from the perspective of a board director since I’ve been in that position. Having firsthand experience of how boards and board meetings work has been really helpful too, as there’s a bit of a learning curve there.

How do you stay connected to your team (and the company as a whole) when working remotely?

A lot of people are still remote, even if they’re in Indy. Our team’s done a good job having regular, remote happy hours. It gives us an opportunity to catch up on what’s going on outside of work and get to know everybody on a more personal level. I also have meetings throughout the week, including 1-on-1s, which is a nice way to get to know people’s personalities. Then just this week I traveled to Indianapolis and had the opportunity to meet everyone in person. That was a lot of fun, too.

What do you like to do in your free time?

My partner and I just bought a house a little over a year ago so we’ve been fixing that up. Now that it’s nice out, we’ve also been gardening. We’re also expecting a baby so we’re trying to fix up the house to get ready for that. It’s an old house so there’s a lot of work to do, but now we have a timeline that we have to follow.

On top of that, I’m still involved in the arts nonprofit. I’m a producer for their artist open studios, which happens every year. If I have any extra free time, I like to make my own art – painting mostly.

What would you say to someone who was considering joining OnBoard?

Initially, I was nervous about going to a smaller company, but I think that’s what makes it so special. Everyone is so welcoming, and I think the size makes it seem more like a family. Everyone feels good about the work they’re doing because they have an opportunity to have such a direct impact.

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