Jessica Myk, a Quality Designer on FIFA, started her career with Electronic Arts (EA) as a Quality Designer Intern while completing her Masters of Arts program at the University of Ottawa. The flexibility of her role at EA allowed her to work remotely in Ottawa with plans to relocate to Toronto in the near future.

What made you transition from the public sector to EA, and what is it about Quality Design that piqued your interest?

“My work in the past was focused on tech and research for the government, and I wanted to find a role that incorporated my passion for gaming as well”. Jessica transitioned from the public sector to private to seek a different pace and challenge. Jessica joined the FIFA Quality Verification team, where work was structured around FIFA’s annual launch cycle, giving her the pace she was looking for. The core of her role as a Quality Designer is to solve problems that impact the environment and our players.

“When I saw the Quality Design role, I thought it would be interesting to work on a wide range of products and processes.”

Team Culture and Dynamic are the reasons why I stayed with EA.

After her internship ended, Jessica decided to stay with her current team and was hired as a regular full-time employee. 

“I enjoyed working with my team. I felt EA cared about their employees and has made an effort to reflect a sense of community and belonging.”

As a Quality Designer and a gaming enthusiast, Jessica wanted to have a positive impact on the gaming industry, and through her work, she’s been able to contribute in a meaningful way.

Being a Quality Designer is about making an impactful difference in our games.

The role of a Quality Designer leans into the employee's expertise and varies from one another - which is the beauty of this role. In my role, I investigate and meet with stakeholders in our game areas to understand their test management practices. Using this information, we are drafting and piloting a framework incorporating existing and relevant techniques, workflows, and metrics that will be implemented across our teams.

A project that I’ve been working on that highlights some of the critical aspects of a Quality Designer has enabled teams to merge with industry-standard software test management practices to optimize the design, execution, and analysis of our tests. The goal is to improve the quality of the game by achieving the highest levels of excellence in quality assurance.

Women in tech mean equal opportunities and support

“It’s about giving women the opportunity to grow and feel supported in their role, and I feel like we’ve done a lot in this space with room to grow.”

There is a growing trend of women at EA as individual contributors and leaders. In Jessica’s words, “When more women choose to join EA, there is a huge opportunity for positive influences to create an inclusive space for women both as employees and as players.”