by Marisol Morelos | Apr 12, 2024 | eCommerce
Discover how Artificial Intelligence is revolutionizing the travel industry: optimizing experiences, anticipating needs, and increasing efficiency.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the global travel industry by providing innovative solutions that improve the user experience, optimize operations, and increase business efficiency.
AI impacts travel, with customer service center efficiency being the most widely reported benefit. By next year, it is expected to influence the industry significantly. The most visible applications (new search, shopping, and booking options) will garner much of the attention, according to a study by Deloitte.
So-called generative AI is impacting this industry the most. This type of AI helps to understand the user, i.e. truly, it can understand the user at the language level.
For example, generative AI can understand what the user wants, and go beyond that, by anticipating what the person wants to book or the tickets they are looking to buy online, by knowing the routes the user uses the most. That is, it can recreate a personalization experience you normally get in a conversation with a person.
This 2024, according to the report conducted by Deloitte, is expected to be an exciting year for AI applications in travel, and the first game-changing integrations will begin to be developed.
How does Generative AI work?
We know that generative AI is making a major impact on the travel industry, but how does it work? Here we explain in more detail what this type of technology is all about.
Generative AI is a type of artificial intelligence that can produce various types of content, such as text, images, audio, and synthetic data, according to George Lawton, from the specialized portal TechTarget.
The recent boom in generative AI is due to the simplicity of new user interfaces for creating high-quality text, graphics, and video in a matter of seconds.
Lawton explains that generative AI is not a new technology; it was introduced in the 1960s in chatbots. But it wasn’t until 2014, with the introduction of generative adversarial networks (GANs), a type of machine learning algorithm, that generative AI was able to create compelling images, videos, and audio of real people.
How is AI being applied in the travel industry?
Airlines, bus companies, and hotel service providers know they have to improve the experience they offer or risk losing travelers. This means an investment in technology and an urgency to understand how generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) can improve the traveler experience.
In addition to focusing on operational efficiency, leading travel providers are expected to take more visible steps to improve end-to-end travel. Below we share with you the measures that will be taken, according to the study conducted by Deloitte:
- More automated digital features in the app to address common friction points.
- Traveler-specific services and enhancements through loyalty rewards and attractive personalized offers.
- Increased investment in equipment, including offering to keep up with advances in traveler technology.
- Continued innovations in attribute selling, and bundling. In addition to improving their products, travel industry companies are likely to redouble their efforts to connect guests with great experiences beyond rooms, coaches, and airplanes.
For a better understanding of how AI has its main applications in the sector, we will explain three of its applications and benefits for the travel industry.
Inventory and Capacity Management
AI helps optimize inventory management of flights, hotel rooms, and other services, ensuring better utilization of resources and minimizing overcapacity.
Personalization in travel recommendation
Personalization with AI in travel recommendation is based on the use of algorithms and artificial intelligence techniques to analyze large amounts of data about users’ preferences, behaviors, and travel patterns.
These algorithms can examine data such as search history, previous bookings, social media interactions, and other relevant factors.
Predictive Analytics
By using AI, companies can forecast future trends, destination demand, changes in consumer behavior, and other key factors to make informed, strategic decisions.
Reservamos SaaS Platform AI
Reservamos SaaS developed a technology called Platform AI, which adapts to eCommerce bus companies.
To enable these capabilities it was necessary to collect traveler interactions in eCommerce, enhance them with our technology, and store them in ReservamosONE, which not only acts as a powerful business intelligence system but is also crucial for optimal experience personalization and revenue management.
Special features of the first releases available in Platform AI are:
- Source and destination prefill
- Source and Destination Switching
- Calendar optimization – Select today or tomorrow
- Search-oriented behavior
If you are a bus company interested in taking advantage of technology trends, don’t hesitate to look for a specialized technology partner such as Reservamos SaaS. Our experience in the sector has allowed us to work with companies in Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, and Chile.
by Marisol Morelos | Apr 11, 2024 | Apps, eCommerce
In an interview, Pablo Bianchi, Corporate Marketing Director for Grupo IAMSA, shares with us the importance of implementing a mobile-first strategy in a bus company.
Nowadays it is unthinkable that a company that offers services or products does not consider the digital channel as a way to reach more customers. Especially when considering that consumer habits have changed, i.e., people are increasingly using mobile devices to perform various activities in their purchasing processes; from analyzing prices, benefits and disadvantages of a product, reviewing opinions, location of points of sale, consuming news, communicating with a brand, making reservations, entering social networks, and even buying a bus ticket to travel, avoiding lines at terminals.
According to Statista data, eCommerce is one of the uses of mobile devices that is experiencing a boom in recent years in Mexico.
In this regard, Pablo Bianchi, Corporate Marketing Director for Grupo IAMSA, comments on the importance of bus companies thinking about a mobile-first strategy. Grupo IAMSA is the holding company of well-known passenger transportation companies such as ETN-Turistar Lujo and Costa Line, and has established administrative synergies with major groups like GHO, which owns brands such as Autovías and La Línea.
Any company that today sells on the Internet, if you check your Google analytics, you will notice how desktop starts to have a tendency to decrease and everything related to web mobile starts to grow. -Pablo Bianchi, Corporate Marketing Director for Grupo IAMSA
Pablo shares that nowadays people don’t want to fill out a form every time they buy a bus ticket. He believes that they have become accustomed to what other pioneering eCommerce brands have developed; for example, Amazon, a company that developed one-click online shopping.
What people are looking for is to select a product and click on checkout without having to enter so much data. This is something that the app allows you to do because we already know who you are, it is already predefined so that the autofilling can be done. – Pablo Bianchi, Corporate Marketing Director for Grupo IAMSA.
Importance of having mobile apps in a bus company
According to Pablo, Grupo IAMSA had two applications that had been developed by a third party and represented 2% of total sales. However, they decided to simplify and unify all their applications with Reservamos SaaS technology and design.
We were able to obtain an immediate benefit, where we reached between 4% and 5% of the total share of sales. This implies that we were migrating people who normally consumed through a web page. – Pablo Bianchi, Corporate Marketing Director for Grupo IAMSA.
After the implementation of Reservamos SaaS technology, according to Pablo, they carried out an aggressive campaign to encourage the downloading of applications with a significant investment in app stores. All these efforts resulted in the fact that today apps, depending on the month, represent between 10% and 12% of total sales.
I estimate that in percentage points of total sales we have gained 5% through apps alone. Although it is important to understand that these apps behave differently in each company. In ETN the impact is 5% in total numbers of higher traffic. But we noticed that in companies like Costa Line and Autovías, which have their own apps and are a different market segment than ETN, the adoption of the app is much higher, but not the sales, because they are companies with the cheapest ticket and have different routes. – Pablo Bianchi, corporate marketing director for Grupo IAMSA.
Although they speak to different segments, Pablo says they have learned that people are starting to use their cell phones more for shopping, selling or communicating. They have realized that the mobile device, especially in segments C, C- and sometimes D, is their window of communication.
What we learn is to be very close to what the customer is using as a tool to communicate. –Pablo Bianchi, Corporate Marketing Director for Grupo IAMSA.
The main benefits of the implementation of apps, according to Pablo, is that it allows them to have greater knowledge of the traveler, direct communication through push notifications and greater segmentation with consumer habits.
We have a strategy to migrate as much as we can from travelers to a digital shopping culture. We have learned that the more possibilities you give a person to buy in digital media, which are easy to use, you will gain a customer who will be more loyal to you. To this we always add a pricing scheme, a loyalty program and a continuous communication theme. – Pablo Bianchi, Corporate Marketing Director for Grupo IAMSA.
By 2022, more than 79% of the Mexican population over six years of age are users of a smart phone or smartphone. Compared to 2015, the penetration rate of cell phones has increased 7.7 percentage points in the Mexican population, according to Statista data.
Marketing automation strategies with the help of ReservamosONE
Pablo says that knowing the traveler and having a better segmentation are key elements for the development of marketing automation strategies. That is why they have decided to add another Reservamos SaaS solution to facilitate this process. This is ReservamosONE, a data source that contains complete information on travelers and all their activity in the different sales channels.
The benefits of having this integrated intelligent database can be summarized as follows:
- Knowing the traveler.
- Offering a consistent experience.
- Optimize customer service.
- Improve growth strategies.
ReservamosONE allows us to have a single source of information that is transparent, without me having to do too many interfaces to get the fields I need in terms of customer behavior. For example, where in the funnel they stayed, how many times they have bought from me, data on when their birthday is, or travel references. – Pablo Bianchi, Corporate Marketing Director for Grupo IAMSA.
Grupo IAMSA opted for ReservamosONE because they have faced integration complications between marketing automation tools with existing platforms. That is why they decided to work with this Reservamos SaaS solution.
We are exploring migrating the CRM platform to a CDP that Google has that allows us to use ReservamosONE. We will put a filter with Google Analytics to start working with AI and my database combined with the universe of data that Google has. – Pablo Bianchi, Corporate Marketing Director for Grupo IAMSA
Knowing your customer and their consumption habits to generate strategies
Based on Pablo’s experience, he explains that it is essential to know who your customer is, how often he travels, where he usually travels, how often he buys and whether he travels alone or accompanied. He believes that the best tool to identify them has been the loyalty program, because that way they know who is really buying and who are the passengers who travel.
The important thing is always to have an identifier number to communicate, whether it is a cell phone or email that allows us to have that communication, to segment them in whether they are frequent or not, if they travel because they are students, if they are looking for a discount, if they travel with a pet, etc. These types of behaviors are what we are measuring. These types of behaviors are what we are measuring, and we are looking for this to end up in an AI that learns the behaviors and we reach a hyper-personalization of the traveler. –Pablo Bianchi, Corporate Marketing Director for Grupo IAMSA.
What is expected in terms of innovation in the bus transportation sector?
For Pablo, innovation in the bus transportation sector should be focused on the experience provided to the traveler. Above all, making the process of buying a ticket, boarding and traveling fast, easy and frictionless. Passengers should not have to waste time waiting in line.
The innovation has to be in making the passenger’s trip digital and automated. That is to say, that the sales areas instead of selling them a ticket become service areas so that they are attentive so that passengers have a pleasant trip. – Pablo Bianchi, Corporate Marketing Director for Grupo IAMSA.
Pablo is working together with his operational team and the guidance of Reservamos SaaS to realize a vision he has of the experience a bus traveler should receive, where the traveler enters a terminal with a QR code, goes to a waiting room where they receive individual entertainment to enjoy on a device, while waiting to board, and finally board a bus with the QR code. In addition to being in control of your device, knowing how long the trip will take, and even sharing the ride with family or friends.
To have the experience that some platforms taught us, where what we want is to know when, how and where. – Pablo Bianchi, Corporate Director of Marketing for Grupo IAMSA.
by Marisol Morelos | Mar 26, 2024 | Apps, eCommerce
We tell you why UX design helps deliver a smooth and enjoyable travel experience. Discover its importance in the travel industry.
The importance of ensuring an optimal experience for users using websites or apps in the travel industry cannot be underestimated. By focusing on creating an efficient and user-friendly platform, travel companies can offer an enjoyable and seamless travel experience to their customers and, at the same time, build trust and credibility.
This is why it is important to consider the user experience within the design and development of digital products implemented by the travel industry. These can be online points of sale such as eCommerce or Apps for selling airline or bus tickets, booking accommodations or contracting tour packages.
What is user experience?
UX, which stands for User Experience, refers to the way a person interacts and perceives usability, accessibility and satisfaction when using a product or service, such as a website, mobile application, software or any other digital system.
UX design, or user experience design, focuses on creating products that are intuitive, efficient and enjoyable to use for end users, taking into account their needs, wants and abilities. This involves research, design, evaluation and continuous iteration to improve the user experience over time.
The primary goal of UX is to ensure that any user gets maximum value and enjoys a positive experience when interacting with a digital product or service.
Why is it important in the travel industry?
UX is crucial in the travel industry because it determines user satisfaction when interacting with applications and platforms. In a highly competitive market like travel, delivering a seamless, intuitive and personalized experience is critical to stand out and retain customers. In addition, a well-designed UX can influence brand perception and purchase decisions, directly impacting the success of the business by increasing sales.
Here are the main advantages of UX in the travel industry:
- Facilitates booking and travel planning: A good UX design on websites or apps makes it easier to navigate, search and book tickets. This reduces friction and makes the process more streamlined and enjoyable for users.
- Improves customer satisfaction: A positive user experience increases customer satisfaction, which in turn can generate brand loyalty and recommendations to other travelers. This is crucial in a competitive industry such as travel.
- Build trust: Users tend to trust websites and apps that offer a smooth and intuitive user experience. Clear navigation, detailed information and secure payment options help build that trust.
- Adaptability to mobile devices: With the growth in the use of mobile devices to search and book travel, UX design must be responsive, i.e., adapt correctly to different screen sizes and deliver a consistent and functional experience on mobile devices.
- Personalization and recommendations: UX can help provide personalized recommendations based on the user’s preferences and search history, which improves the relevance of the options presented and facilitates decision-making.
How does Reservamos SaaS apply UX in its products?
As industry experts, by offering specialized technology to bus companies we consider UX important when designing products such as the eCommerce platform we offer to our allies.
At Reservamos SaaS, we recognize the importance of UX design in our products and work closely with our design team to ensure an exceptional user experience.
It’s part of the challenge of understanding users and delivering solutions that they really like and enjoy. For example, when the Product Design team receives a request from a partner for a product, the first step is to communicate with the design team.
Our teams have the expertise to consider usability and user experience as a whole. They evaluate whether the typography is appropriate and whether the workflow will allow users to follow the sequence they are familiar with, or enhance it, among other functionalities.
Better experiences for higher loyalty
The importance of user experience (UX) design in the travel industry is undeniable. By focusing on providing an efficient and user-friendly platform, companies can ensure an enjoyable travel experience for their customers, which in turn builds trust and credibility.
UX is not only about creating products that are intuitive and efficient, but also about understanding the needs and desires of users. In the travel industry, this translates into clear and simple navigation for booking flights, hotels and activities, as well as personalizing recommendations based on users’ individual preferences.
In short, UX is a fundamental element in the travel industry, and its effective implementation can make the difference between a positive and a frustrating experience for users. By prioritizing user-centered design, companies can stand out in a competitive marketplace and build strong relationships with their customers.
by Marisol Morelos | Mar 13, 2024 | Culture, eCommerce
Reservamos SaaS has a team focused on electronic payments and fraud prevention. Learn how they drive security and efficiency in transactions.
The digital payments industry is constantly changing and this in turn creates new needs. For example, as payment methods change, so do the ways in which electronic fraud takes place.
From 2020 to the end of 2022, Condusef (institution in Mexico) recorded a total of 391,182 controversies for possible fraud, with an increase in electronic fraud, which could be mainly due to the increase in eCommerce and electronic transfers.
After the pandemic, there was a boom and a revolution in eCommerce.
Analleli Villalón, Payments Associate Analyst at Reservamos SaaS.
Analleli comments that the profile of the user who is going to defraud is constantly changing, so it is a great challenge to be aware of fraud trends in such a changing industry.
That is why at Reservamos SaaS we look for the best players that can synergize with our entire technological infrastructure and provide not only the best service, but also the best attention to our allies that decide to implement our eCommerce technology to offer bus ticket sales in their digital channels.
How does Reservamos SaaS face the challenges of the digital payments sector?
At Reservamos SaaS we are very aware of the challenges in the digital payments sector. But how do we work to address them and offer a better service? According to Analleli, at Reservamos SaaS we surround ourselves with the best players in the payments arena.
Being close to anti-fraud providers such as payment processors that are already acquirers in each country, that is, they do not need a third party to be able to have this communication with the banks, can generate greater trust.
Analleli Villalón, Associate Payments Analyst.
That is why it is so important to have a payments area in Reservamos SaaS, since the Payments team ensures that the user of our allies, in addition to having a very good experience when paying, can complete their payment quickly, efficiently and feel secure.
In eCommerce, a lot of money is invested to attract users. The user arrives, browses, you have an incredible website, but if at the end the payment does not go through and you ask for a lot of unnecessary data, the user ends up leaving and does not complete the purchase. If this happens, the user does not come back.
Analleli Villalón, Payments Associate Analyst
Also at Reservamos SaaS we look for the best processing options by seeking higher approval, lower fraud and lower cost. As well as maintaining the sanity of transactions in the face of banks.
Higher acceptance of electronic payments and lower fraud
As for the value that the Payments area brings to Reservamos SaaS partners, Analleli comments that the main thing is the security and confidence that we are taking care of their transactions and generating value by increasing their sales. This is done by reducing fraud and processing costs, by looking for partners that can give us better details.
We at Reservamos SaaS give our allies in Mexico the possibility of having 85% acceptance. It’s super positive. The team is constantly monitoring to achieve these metrics.
Analleli Villalón, Payments Associate Analyst
The 85% means that of the entire population that is trying to pay, 85% is completed and of that percentage only 0.08% is the cost of fraud that our client is going to have to assume, says Analleli.
This 85% acceptance rate translates into higher profitability. So, if you have a higher acceptance rate and the level of fraud remains low, this will definitely be reflected in sales.
By studying the user, you need a payments team that is constantly monitoring transactionality, constantly analyzing trends and working together with vendor tools to optimize the process.
Analleli Villalón, Payments Associate Analyst
Analleli explains that Mexico has high levels of fraud and having an 85% acceptance rate is above the national metric. In 2023 we will close with a national metric of 65% in Mexico. We at Reservamos give our allies in Mexico the option of having 85% acceptance.
Meanwhile in Colombia, according to Analleli, it is one of the countries where there are high levels of electronic fraud with credit cards. However, there is an advantage that 75% of electronic payments use Pagos Seguros en Línea (PSE), a payment method established by Colombia’s central bank and tends to be more secure. Only 20% are card payments, and that is where the Reservamos SaaS team’s work lies in managing risk.
In PSE our management is to monitor that payments are going through correctly, as sometimes there are intermittencies on the part of our suppliers. In Reservamos SaaS we have an overall acceptance rate of 65%. And we are working to increase the credit card part specifically.
Analleli Villalón, Payments Associate Analyst
What are the trends in electronic payments?
In the case of Mexico, according to Analleli, since the population is underbanked, there is a real diversification of payment methods.
Generally the user uses more debit cards, although he comments that they have perceived that with these new changes in the industry, credit cards are gaining relevance in the population.
Also, alternative methods such as wallet and payment buttons, where you try to pay and you are redirected to the Paypal or Mercado Pago page, or in the case of Colombia of Nequi or Daviplata.
These are payment options that allow users to be sure that their data is protected within an electronic wallet. This is the trend we are observing, that more and more people are going for the most secure part.
Analleli Villalón, Payments Associate Analyst
The importance of having an electronic payment analysis area
Analleli comments that she is proud of the people who make up the electronic payment analysis area. She highlights the joint work that has been done with payment providers and risk management. Analleli considers that the team is better able to identify suspicious trends and to be aware of fraud.
In this sense, another achievement of the team has been the improvement in the chargeback process, because they have been consolidated in the process of identifying fraud threats, disputes. The result of this work has been that banks see Reservamos SaaS as a stronger and more reliable player.
The chargeback process has really helped us a lot so that issuers see that we are committed to our level of fraud and therefore open more doors for us. We have polished it up a lot and it has had a lot of benefits. We have more focus on the actions that come through the different channels and that could become fraud.
Analleli Villalón, Payments Associate Analyst
Analleli also shares the importance of adding more women to this sector of finance to make the teams even more diverse.
How do we add more women? By inviting them to lose their fear. Mentoring is an excellent option. Getting close to a woman we admire, or who has already walked the path we want to take, has helped me a lot. Seeking mentoring among women is very positive.
Analleli Villalón, Payments Associate Analyst
by Marisol Morelos | Mar 12, 2024 | Culture, eCommerce
Learn how women drive UX/UI design at Reservamos SaaS, creating intuitive and accessible digital experiences for any user.
It is very common that in our day to day we interact with applications or websites to send messages, transfer money, buy a product, check our social networks. But how do we achieve those pleasant experiences by easily interacting with the digital products we use in our daily lives?
Behind these interactions there are people who are dedicated to facilitating the use of applications to avoid any friction. These are UX/UI designers who have the job of designing experiences that are embodied in applications and websites that we use every day, from banking applications, pages to book accommodation, streaming platforms or even in any type of eCommerce.
But before moving forward it is important to know, what is UX and UI design? The UX (User Experience), according to the UX en Español, is a set of processes, techniques, methods and methodologies, with which digital or physical products are developed.
While UI (User Interface) is defined as the design of interfaces that help create a point of communication between users and the digital product, such as an application or a website for eCommerce.
At Reservamos SaaS we have an eCommerce platform for the bus sector, whose purpose is to transform the direct sales channel of the companies, so that more travelers can purchase their tickets online without complications and securely.
Behind this technology there are several teams working to offer a digital sales channel that adapts to the needs of each bus company and travelers. One of those teams is the Product Designer team, where there are UX/UI designers who work together to offer the best user experience.
At Reservamos SaaS, UX and UI is female-driven
Teresa Carbajal, product designer at Reservamos SaaS, shares that in her almost 2 years on the team it has been a very pleasant experience and one that she has enjoyed because of the changes and the constant search to find the path that generates the greatest impact among users.
“It can be a challenge because we have to think very carefully about what we are going to design that will really help users, that is user-friendly and that they like. I think that’s part of the challenge of understanding the users and offering solutions that they really enjoy.” Teresa Carbajal, product designer.
Aurora Chapa, UX/UI designer at Reservamos SaaS, comments that in UX/UI design there are so many things involved that there is never time to get bored.
“You can spend some time on the methodological part of UX, research or copy. You literally never get bored. That’s very cool.” Aurora Chapa, UX/UI designer.
For her part, Brenda Orozco says that she always wanted to work developing applications, although she studied graphic design.
“My first job was as a UI designer. Fortunately I fell in love with different stages of design: copywriting, design, programming, component interaction. In Reservamos SaaS I totally evolved because it was not only something visual, but I had to see programming. I always dreamed of making applications from scratch, and it’s a dream that has somehow been fulfilled here at Reservamos SaaS.” Brenda Orozco, UX/UI designer.
How is the UX/UI design process at Reservamos SaaS?
Lilibeth Ramirez, product manager at Reservamos SaaS, describes that when a customer requirement arrives at the product level, the first thing they do is talk to the design team because they have the full experience of thinking about usability and the experience the user can have.
Lilibeth comments that there are not users of a specific age, but of many ages and you have to think about them when designing. This implies knowing if the typography is correct, if they will be able to follow the sequence to which users are already accustomed, or if it is necessary to improve it without affecting the experience.
“That work is done very well by the design team. We have been thinking about comments that people have shared with us. For example, they often thank us for extending the purchase time, because they are older people and it is difficult for them to complete the purchase in a certain time, because we chose to put the font larger, or they tell us that the purchase flow is very good and simple for them. That is a great motivation for us and tells us that we are on the right track.” Lilibeth Ramirez, product manager.
Alejandra Castro, product designer at Reservamos SaaS, says that end users range from 18 years old to seniors. So they have to think about how they are going to make the process clear to everyone, or the interactions with the product they are designing.
“Those challenges are the ones that have caught my attention and that older people do not have the same interaction as digital natives.” Alejandra Castro, product designer.
In that sense, Lilibeth Ramirez shares the importance of thinking about people who do not constantly use technology, or those who may be delayed in doing a process.
Knowing the users is an important part of this process.
“Not only do you know the user, the brands also have a very high level of expertise in the business. We also listen to the brands, because they have been doing a lot of years doing a job and they know their users. Asking both the brands who are the direct customer and also the end users who are indirect, but they are the ones who use the tool and who we impact with our work. This helps to make a good product.” Lilibeth Ramirez, product manager.
Impact of UX/UI design on end users
Aurora Chapa mentions the relevance of analyzing user behavior within each eCommerce of our allies, to know with certainty how many people complete an online ticket purchase process. Thanks to data analysis, they can measure the impact that their UX/UI design work has on the end users, who are the travelers.
“It’s quite satisfying the fact that it’s our work and it stays behind the curtains, but it impacts a lot of people and the overall metrics of the company. It’s a pretty satisfying thing and it makes you feel good about yourself.” Aurora Chapa, UX/UI designer.
The product designer team analyzes how the user behaves using the applications developed for our partners in order to draw conclusions in addition to the analysis of the data generated in the interaction with the digital sales channels of each partner brand.
There is a hard work of analyzing metrics and feedback to know how to improve or add to the product.
“Something cool is that we make decisions based on facilitating access and interactivity. It’s very inspiring to keep creating these experiences and make them more intuitive and accessible.” Teresa Carbajal, product designer.
Advancement of women in technology
Regarding the incursion of women in the technology sector, all agree that there has been progress, but there is still a long way to go for more women to study careers related to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, classified by its acronym in English as STEM.
With regard to the technology sector in Mexico, only 10% of people dedicated to programming or software development, 14% of ICT professionals and 15% of professionals in new technologies are women, according to a study published by Laboratoria with the support of SAP.
In the academic field, women are slightly better represented, but constitute only 34% of the faculty involved in technological research.
“Here in Mexico we need to publicize what we do in UX/UI, because not all people know about it. We also need to get rid of these prejudices of thinking that studying technology is more for men. We are already in this field of technology, and hence the importance of making our work more visible so that people know about it.” Alejandra Castro, product designer.
A study published by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) showed that 35% of the country’s population believes that men are more suitable for scientific and technological professions than women.
“Many women are not encouraged to enter these STEM careers due to a lack of role models.Many women are discouraged from entering STEM careers due to a lack of references, because they do not have as many references or do not know as many success stories, they become demotivated and choose another type of career. We, who are in the sector, could make this change and get rid of our shyness to inspire other girls in the technological field. So that they don’t underestimate themselves and enter this exciting path”, Aurora Chapa, UX/UI designer.
Aurora recommends them not to be afraid of failure and not doing things right the first time. She believes that for that there are junior positions that allow them to learn and forge their career.
For her part, Teresa recommends that they take advantage of online learning opportunities and look for projects to practice and apply what they are learning.
“Don’t be afraid to try new things and ask for feedback with mentors.” Teresa Carbajal, product designer.
