Yulio VR Employee Highlight Reel: Interview with Dani Spiroska

February 21, 2019

Welcome to our Yulio VR Employee Highlight Reel where we introduce to you to an on the team - and the people whose ideas and sense of how VR and AR should work have shaped Yulio from the ground up.

The Yulio VR expert team are working in roles that for the most part didn’t exist 5+ years ago, the VR job market was pretty minuscule. So the variety of experiences that led people here have created both expertise and variety in our team. And our history may lead you to the perfect VR job.

This week, we’re sitting down with someone who has been with Yulio even before Yulio was a company -- Dani Spiroska! As the head of Quality Assurance, Dani tests all of our new features and web updates, making sure Yulio works seamlessly with our pre-existing features and on all platforms, VR headsets, and mobile devices. Being our “last line of defense”, her work is absolutely crucial to our team and your experience with Yulio. As she digs through all our use cases and devices, Dani ensures that all of you have the best user experience possible. Thanks to her detail-oriented and patient personality, Dani is successful in executing her role to the highest degree.

 
Dani Spiroska, Head of QA at Yulio
Meet Dani -- our Head of Quality Assurance!
 
So, Dani tell me a bit about yourself.

I have a degree in Mathematics from the University of Waterloo.  Initially, I worked in the financial sector until I figured out I really didn’t enjoy finance and then went back to school for a second degree in Computer Science from UofT.  I enjoy getting into the smallest details, which is probably why I was drawn to quality assurance. I love the outdoors, I really love to run and have competed in over 70 races from 5k to full marathon.

How did you find Yulio?

I was involved in the earliest stages even before Yulio was officially a company - I got to test the very first VR prototypes that eventually formed the basis for the Yulio platform.

Tell me a bit about your role at Yulio

As the head of QA I am responsible for testing and test strategy.  That means I get to spend A LOT of time in every type of VR headset under the sun and work with the developers and business team to make sure we are launching the best experiences possible.

Tell me a bit about your first experience with VR?

I have been lucky to have access to every type of VR and AR headset since the introduction of the first Oculus Rift DK. I remember kneeling down in terror in the Brookhaven Experiment while the zombies swarmed me, and I vividly remember ‘flying’ at SIGGRAPH in the first generation of the ‘Birdly VR’ flight simulator.  Both times I remember telling myself “That was incredible, this is going to change the world!”

If you got to dream up any VR experience and immerse yourself into it, what would you choose?

I have tried just about every type of VR application and game out there, but the ones I really love are the ones that get me moving.  Games like BeatSaber and BoxVR are so much fun you don’t even realize you’re getting a workout until you run out of breath. I’m really looking forward to the next generation of VR exercise apps.

Outside of your VR job, what are your hobbies?

I love to make things.  A few years ago, my partner and I renovated our home from top to bottom and we did everything - design, carpentry, drywall, electrical, plumbing, even landscaping - I loved that when we were done we got to live in our creation.  Maybe that’s why I’m now an avid sewist - I love that I get to wear what I make.

What’s your favorite Friday afternoon office game that we’ve played?

I like Blind Pictionary, Yulio Feud, and pretty much  any game where I get to be on Chris’ team - her team usually wins :)

 

Yulio team playing games on Fridays
A glimpse into what our Friday Canteen's look like!

 

We’d like to say a big thanks to Dani for taking the time to sit with us for a little Q&A about herself! Stay tuned for some more interviews with Yulio VR's employee, and discover how we’re all learning more every day about our VR job!


If you want to learn more about the VR/AR industry, and things to consider when you’re looking into VR solutions, then sign up for our FREE 5-day email course to get up-to-speed with VR. Want to try Yulio for yourself? Sign up for a free 30-day trial with full access to our feature set!

Author


Rachel Chan

Rachel Chan

Rachel is a writer for Yulio, covering all things VR. With a keen interest in creativity and innovation, Rachel enjoys seeing how businesses use VR in their workflow, and how they have been transformed by it.