Runecast Behind the Scenes with Jakub Prasek

Jakub “Kuba” Prasek is a man of ideas. He technically specializes in Customer Experience (CX) Design for the Product R&D team at Runecast, but he is frequently invited to other teams’ creative brainstorming sessions for his contemplative input, fresh perspectives, and big-picture understanding of overall business goals. And he greatly helps us to keep the customer at the forefront of everything we do, because...

He also has a big heart. For example, when a new team member joined the company in mid-2019, even though Kuba was about to leave the company for a while, he was still remarkably the first person to reach out to that newbie to make him feel as welcome as possible. It’s the small things that set the tone of a company culture, and Kuba provides much harmony in that regard.

When we heard that he was coming back to us earlier this year, we were grateful – to Perun, Svarog, Radegast and all the other deities of his forefathers – for his return.

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As an introduction, how would you describe yourself in 3 sentences?

I'm a jack of all trades. Given all the experiences and challenges I've been through, I try to maintain a healthy balance of technical knowledge, marketing & business focus, mixed with passion, craziness, and courage. Also, I listen twice as much as I speak.

What do you enjoy most and least about your primary expertise area of Customer Experience (CX) design?

That it's not the work of a single person, but rather the result of work of every single person in a company.

As someone close to design with a good eye for compelling visuals, what fascinates you most about design?

That it's not about what’s eye-catching so much as people tend to emphasize. Good visuals is just one of the aspects of the information that is communicated well to a target audience. Design is the way you put content within a context and get the desired result. Visual appeal might be only one of the qualities you aimed for.

What’s the most exciting thing you’ve experienced thanks to Runecast?

Ability to touch every single aspect of the company. 

*Raises grateful eyes to Heaven* 

Thank you for such an opportunity and experience in my life.

You worked in Runecast before, several years ago, left, and then came back. What was the reason why you decided to change your career?

Over time, Runecast had started to be crazy-successful and all over the place. That was the moment I started to feel imposter syndrome as well as overloaded. Also, at that time our family was going through some troubles with house building, which also required a lot of thought and managing things.

I needed a slow-down, to be again a part of a wider creative/design/marketing team. To learn and gain some knowledge from others, and be more relaxed. And also to take a break from IT-focused products after 6 years.

And why did you decide to come back? 

Ever since I left, I knew I'd eventually go back home to Runecast. I just didn't know when. And it's now :) Runecast is a family.

Do you see some differences in the company after your homecoming? 

A lot of them! I bet everyone can imagine the difference between 12 and 70 people. Now I see fewer generalists and a vast number of experts with deep specializations in every department.

Also, I can no longer know what the weekend plans are for every single Runecaster :(

What do you enjoy when you aren’t working?

I'm a regular family guy, sounds boring right?

Naah, I got the best wife ever and 2 already handsome sons. We've recently built a house, so we all enjoy spending time together in our backyard doing some gardening, playing games, relaxing, and observing mother nature.

There is no better thing than a good story. That's why you can also find me tasting craft beers from all over the world, sipping distinct wines, and eating locally.

You can interact with Kuba on twitter @jakub_prasek