QueensLab: Where tech meets people
Queenslab is a consulting agency in Gothenburg that provides software development, UX and other design services. Sharing the same values and a focus on technology, and both being innovation hubs gathering technology lovers from across Sweden, Queenslab and Women in Tech-Gothenburg (witgbg) entered a partnership in January 2022.
Starting in 2017 with only four people onboard, Queenslab has had a few years of extreme growth, and has quickly become one of the leading players in design & tech with now more than 30 employees on the team.
Queenslab has their own unique atmosphere. It's not simply because of their business model that embraces both design and developer experts, but also due to their corporate culture that aims to build somewhat of a second home for their employees. This is especially felt by Zane and Sandra, two women who have found their dream career in tech. We interviewed them about their journey into tech and about their time at Queenslab.
“I'm a developer at Queenslab. I became a developer three years ago”, Zane tells us. “I decided to change my career after turning 30, which is maybe a little bit special and kind of a story point. I am very happy that I turned to tech, and the only thing that I really regret is that I didn't do it sooner.”
“I decided to change my career after turning 30.. I am very happy that I turned to tech, and the only thing that I really regret is that I didn’t do it sooner.”
“And I'm a front-end developer at Queenslab. I also became a developer about three years ago, in my mid thirties”, Sandra says. “I've been working at Queens lab for about two years after working as a designer. When I decided to do something else I found tech. I get the perfect combination of tech and design while working as a front-end developer. And yeah, I'm really happy with my choice.”
“I get the perfect combination of tech and design while working as a front-end developer. And yeah, I’m really happy with my choice.”
Female employees feel more at home at Queenslab
Unlike many technically-skilled women who have to navigate the male-dominated environments that are mostly technology firms, female employees at Queenslab seem to feel at home right away. So what did Queenslab do to make that happen?
“One good thing for me while working at Queens lab is that I can go directly to my boss and my colleagues and ask them questions, such as what should I do with the booking program or how do I write something”, Zane says. “Every time I have something on my mind, I know that I can send a message to our CEO & CTO Stefan, because he isn´t just my boss, he is also very happy to help. Like when I was struggling with some decisions, I could grab a lunch with him or other colleagues and get advice. That´s really nice and in that sense, I think Queenslab is very unusual when it comes to the relations between bosses and employees.”
“I know that I can send a message to our CEO & CTO Stefan because he isn’t just my boss, he is also very happy to help.”
As part of the partnership, Queenslab has generously opened up their new office at Västra Hamngatan 11 in the central parts of Gothenburg to the WIT Venture Studio team, making the two organizations office buddies. We look forward to hanging out with their remarkable team, and we also hope that by sharing Zane’s and Sandra’s stories, we will inspire more women to follow their hearts in pursuing a career in tech.
“Do it, just do it! Give it a try! You’ll see that it’s a good thing.”
“Do it, just do it! Give it a try!” Zane says.“You’ll see that it's a good thing. I doubted that I was smart enough, but you don't need to be that particularly smart to begin with. You just need to be curious.”
“Just try it out, in small steps.”
“I totally agree!” Sandra says. “If you aren´t sure, try something smaller first, such as a three year education, or maybe just attend a workshop or whatever.. Just try it out, in small steps.”
If you want to know more about Queenslab, you can find the website here and follow them on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.