Anna Filou | Manual for working with me

I’m Anna, a digital native UI and Product Designer. You can read more about me here.

Note: Don’t take my having a ‘manual’ as a request for special treatment. If we’re working together, or will be, I’d love to read your manual or learn about your preferences!

I’d describe myself as…

… someone who thrives on new ideas and challenges. I’m both creative and analytical, with a strong drive for autonomy and passion about the quality of my work. I shift between structured, goal-oriented work and more fluid, exploratory thinking.

My predominant personality type is INTP-A, and I share the structured way of thinking of the closely related INTJ.

Note: I consider personality tests a reflection of your self-perception at the time when you took the test. They’re not horoscopes and they change as we grow. They only serve as a way to package certain insights about ourselves and deliver them to others more efficiently.

I do my best work when…

… I’m given the freedom to find my own solutions for tasks which are meaningful and intellectually engaging. I care deeply both about my craft and user experience. I work best with those who share this mindset.

Working patterns

I often go through phases of intense focus on specific tasks or projects. I need uninterrupted time to focus on deep work. Flexible hours and remote setups help me adjust my work to match my energy throughout the day and week.

Communication

Direct communication works best for me—get to the point without fear of hurting my feelings. I appreciate being involved in higher level decision making and planning. If that’s not possible, then at least explain the “why” behind decisions so I can stay aligned with goals.
Information silos stifle progress and give rise to misunderstandings. I’m a big fan of shared knowledge bases and/or task management systems, where everything is laid out clearly for the entire team to reference. (Think Notion, Slite, Saga and the like.)
I usually prefer async communication (e.g. Figma comments and Looms) over calls, but know when a meeting could be the best way to push a project forward.

When giving me feedback, it’s important that…

… it’s focused on the facts and desired outcome. Instead of vague comments like “I don’t like this,” tell me what doesn’t meet expectations and why. For example, “This isn’t achieving the user engagement we hoped for”. Feel free to suggest solutions, but also allow me to potentially come up with my own proposals.

If I become unresponsive, the best way to support me is…

… by challenging me to reach milestones or asking me to delve into a different area of the project. Seeing things from a new angle helps me re-build momentum and enthusiasm.

As a designer

My designs focus on functionality and clarity, not only aesthetics or personal preferences of stakeholders. I will consistently advocate for user-centric solutions. Remember that user needs more often than not align with business goals. Pushback on bad ideas is part of how I help projects succeed.
I enjoy building and maintaining design systems and component libraries. If I have to do something more than twice, I’d rather automate it.
I’m most effective when I have ownership of my designs and involvement in the technical implementation.
While I trust my knowledge and instincts, I appreciate consulting user research and data to inform higher-level decisions. If it’s not available, I love taking part in collecting it by talking with users and designing experiments.

PS: The prompts have been adapted from the classic edition of Manual of Me.