Johanna Spieler-Keil

Johanna, how did you join knowis?

At the time, my husband was still working as a Solution Engineer at knowis, and I often accompanied him to the company’s events. I was working at a language school, teaching integration courses for refugees. When Gerald learned that I was a linguist, he came up with the idea to bring me on board for a Proof of Concept (POC). The collaboration was successful, and soon after, I was offered a permanent position at knowis.

 

What is your career path like?
I studied General and Comparative Linguistics. During my studies, I already had some exposure to IT, as our department worked closely with information science. After completing my studies, I initially worked at a language school. The transition to knowis was an exciting development, as it allowed me to combine linguistics and technology in a meaningful way.

 

What motivated you to switch industries as a career change?
I was drawn to personal and professional growth. The tech world offers endless opportunities for further learning and specialization, which I really enjoy. I also wanted to apply my linguistic expertise in a new, dynamic industry. Although the transition as a career changer was challenging, it was also very exciting.

 

What are typical tasks in your role as Product Owner and UX/UI Designer?
In my role, I have dual responsibilities – I am both a Product Owner and a UX/UI Designer. As a Product Owner, I work closely on the interface of the product, which is what the user actually sees and how they interact with the application. My tasks include managing the entire backlog in the frontend area, prioritizing features, and coordinating with other Product Owners on which features should be implemented next. The UX/UI side involves writing user stories, translating requirements into intuitive experiences - creating UI designs – sketches of how the user interface should look. I’m also currently expanding my expertise with UX training.

 

How has your experience as a mother changed your work style or perspective in your career?
Parenthood has definitely taught me to prioritize better and work more efficiently. You quickly learn what is truly important, and this perspective has significantly shaped my professional life. It’s not always easy to balance work and family, but at knowis, there’s always great support. I know I can rely on the company’s flexibility, such as when my children are sick or during parental leave.

 

How was your experience returning to work after parental leave?
I’ve been fortunate enough to always return to my role after taking a break, or even to an improved one. After my first parental leave, I transitioned from Junior Product Manager to leading the entire ISF product, which was an exciting challenge. Even after my second parental leave, I was able to expand my role further and take on even more responsibility.

 

What does flexibility at work mean to you personally, and how do you experience it at knowis?
For me, flexibility means primarily being able to organize my working hours myself. Especially in my role, which requires close collaboration with others, it’s not always easy to arrange my time completely freely. But at knowis, I have the opportunity to coordinate my working hours well and work from home, which saves me a lot of time and helps me find a better work-life balance.

 

What achievements have you accomplished during your time at knowis that you are particularly proud of?
I’m especially proud of making it to the position of Product Owner as a career changer. For me, that was a personal achievement because I was able to establish myself in a completely new industry. Another success was that I have now become relatively proficient with Git, which seemed daunting at first, but I stuck with it and now enjoy using it in my daily work.

 

Is there a project or task that brought you particular joy because it advanced you both personally and professionally?
I’m lucky to work in a position that brings me a lot of joy both as a Product Owner and a UX/UI Designer. I enjoy being a PO and writing requirements, but I also find it particularly exciting to delve into UX design and continue developing my analytical and creative skills.

 

How would you describe the company culture in a few sentences?
The company culture at knowis is very open and internationally minded. I really appreciate working in an environment where many different cultures are represented. It makes the collaboration incredibly enriching and exciting. I love working in international contexts, which is also reflected in my side job - I teach at two universities in Japan.

 

You have a side job, how do you manage that with knowis?
I teach at two universities in Japan as a side job. This is a very enriching experience for me, and I make sure to balance it with my work at knowis. When needed, I use my vacation days strategically to make both commitments work.

 

Is there a moment in your career here that you will particularly remember?
A particularly memorable moment was my first POC. There, I worked with various colleagues to figure out how we could integrate a word processing tool powered by artificial intelligence into our product – something that seemed futuristic at the time. Seeing that technology evolve was incredibly exciting and rewarding. In my studies, I had a module on corpus linguistics, where I did text analysis. It was fascinating to apply this knowledge in practice and see how it came to life in product development.