Meet the individuals behind the product: Betsy Kao

Meet Betsy, a senior software program engineer on our Engineering staff in San Francisco. Betsy tells us about constructing analytics merchandise for creators, how the staff evaluates utilizing new expertise in structure choices, and designing video games together with her good friend exterior of labor.

Inform me about your journey that landed you at Patreon. 

I’ve recognized about Patreon for some time as a result of I’ve a ton of creator pals who use our platform as their major supply of revenue. I bear in mind at my final job a good friend requested, “what’s the best firm you’d go to subsequent?” My response was truly Patreon as a result of I knew that I wished to work on one thing that individuals around the globe get actual worth from.

What sort of artwork are your folks making?

A number of my pals are within the comics- and fine-arts-related areas. For them, Patreon is a secure house with their followers to get suggestions and take a look at out early ideas earlier than they launch work out to the general public. I liked listening to about how Patreon is that this particular house for his or her communities and occupied with how my work would make that have even higher.

What excited you in regards to the staff and in the end acquired you to hitch?

After I was interviewing with the staff, I realized rather a lot about how energetic the tradition is and the way artistic, glorious, inclusive, and pleasant fellow Patronauts are. This actually checked all of the packing containers for me.

At Patreon we love creators and admire their grit, artistic course of, and reference to their audiences. How does creativity present up in your work at Patreon? 

A number of my teammates are artistic individuals themselves. Because of this after we construct options for creators, we’re typically placing ourselves of their sneakers and occupied with the frequent wants throughout several types of creators. 

Now we have to determine the way to construct options that work for a lot of several types of creators. We find yourself utilizing the information of various creator communities throughout the engineering and product staff in order that we discover a resolution that’s actually strong however versatile. This implies what we construct has to work for an enormous range of creators, whether or not they’re illustrators, podcasters, video creators, journalists or players.

What forms of persons are you working with? 

As a result of I’m an engineer working instantly on bettering the product, I work very intently with product managers and designers. However one of many issues that’s so distinctive and particular about Patreon is that I additionally collaborate with individuals throughout the group to get enter, recommendation, and concepts about the way to assist creators. I’ve been speaking rather a lot just lately with our Creator Success and Neighborhood Happiness groups. They supply a ton of suggestions about our options, and we find yourself collaborating very intently to grasp how particular options would possibly work or not work for creators they discuss to day by day.

What sort of issues are you studying in your position? 

We’re presently revamping our creator analytics which is a really data-heavy engineering challenge. I’ve labored on analytics platforms earlier than, however I’ve by no means constructed one from the bottom up. There are a ton of technical design concerns and product questions we’re answering in rethinking analytics.

One of the thrilling elements of this challenge is that we’re capable of convey contemporary eyes to the applied sciences we’re utilizing for the general engineering design and structure. We’re consistently evaluating state-of-the-art applied sciences and people evaluations have been inspiring, as they’ve pushed us to ensure what we’re constructing is really the very best of what’s on the market.

What’s been stunning you latterly in regards to the work, creators, patrons, or the creator economic system extra usually?

I’m regularly shocked by the variability and variety of creators on the platform. Due to this range, creators can actually get artistic with our instruments and merchandise to swimsuit their wants. This poses tremendous attention-grabbing challenges for us as a result of we’re not constructing for a one-size-fits all person.

We have to adapt our product to the immense scale and variety of the creator economic system.

What’s totally different about constructing for creators? 

Earlier than Patreon, I used to be primarily constructing enterprise expertise. It’s so totally different to construct for creators. Many firms don’t care as a lot about usability — they’ve fastened and set requirements about how they ship issues. For us, usability is a core factor of our designs. 

The opposite distinction is that function requests from creators include a excessive quantity of care. Creators care a lot in regards to the worth that they’re delivering to their group on Patreon and the time they’re capable of spend on their artwork. They’re coming from a spot of genuine want to attach extra deeply with their largest followers.

Within the function releases I’ve been part of, my staff has gotten suggestions from creators that the brand new a part of our product is enabling them to make extra stuff, join extra deeply with their followers, or have time again to dream about their subsequent artistic endeavor. That’s a brilliant significant affect to have versus the affect I felt I used to be having in enterprise companies. 

What would you say to a future teammate contemplating becoming a member of Patreon? 

The work is difficult however extraordinarily rewarding. In the event you love creators, it’s so fulfilling to know that what you’re constructing will instantly enhance their lives.

Exterior of labor, how do you spend your time? 

I’ve been studying piano once more which has been so enjoyable. I realized piano once I was very younger however was by no means very severe about it. Lately I’ve been selecting up songs and following no matter forms of music I’m it. I even have an engineering aspect challenge that I’ve been operating with my good friend for just a few years. We’re doing story-based sport design —  she’s the author and artist and I’m programming the video games

Favourite creator on Patreon? Favourite creator not but on Patreon? 

I like Juniper Foxx, which is an animal sanctuary account that shares wonderful content material with their members. 

By way of creators not but on Patreon, I’m actually all for seeing extra creators around the globe start to make use of Patreon. A number of my pals in Taiwan are artists however they’re utilizing different platforms. So I’m excited for the work we’re doing round internationalization with currencies, languages, and localization that’s making it manner simpler for creators in different nations to make use of the platform.