Working in UX Design

Episode 29: Predicting the Future of UX with Gideon Simons

Part technologist and part psychologist, Gideon specialises in designing experiences with emerging technologies such as AI, IOT and Automation, and brings over 15 years of experience of working in Startups, Corporates and Consulting where he has worked on a wide variety of products and projects which range from Fintech, Insuretech to Media, Health, Telcos, E-Commerce and E-Learning.Synopsis: UX has come a long way, from a term only used in academia, making its way into the industry and becoming part of day-to-day language.At the same time, UX practitioners are constantly going through a roller coaster ride with changing role titles and terminologies, and the industry slowly calibrating the formulas to building products.And now, with AI and no-code platforms starting to look like they can conquer more chunks of the UX process, it just makes you wonder what's next for UX...Join us to hear us cover:- How UX started and matured as a practice- Existing trends we see today- What's the future of UX going to look like

Episode 28: Women Leadership in Tech with Upasna Bhandari

Upasna started as a UX Researcher (Team of 1) in the fintech industry solving user problems related to finance needs specifically in the APAC region (think loans, insurances, investments etc) and then grew into a UXR leader growing research teams. Having worked for startups and corporates, Upasna knows what are the advantages and challenges that both environments bring and has been coaching researchers to align where they truly fit. All this only to realise that empathy and organisational culture stand at the core of what she believes in. Since then she has been trying to nurture and grow user research not only as a craft but also grow researchers in a way that is both nurturing and helps them demonstrate the value of what they deliver within the organisation effectively. With a background in human computer interaction and behavioural design she turned her systematic approach to problem solving into processes and framework that help her teams achieve the results they want without compromising on work life balance. Armed with time management and ruthless prioritisation she believe she truly can have it ALL! Join us to hear us cover:- Transitioning from UX Research to Management track - How to create a space for yourself to shine as a potential leader- Creating opportunities to start mentoring/coaching and establishing yourself as a referent- Prioritization and creating your portfolio- Finding work life balance

Episode 27: East meets West Product Design with Kuei Tien Huang

Kuei Tien Huang is a Product Design Manager with Rakuten Viki who manages and develops the product experience design team. Whether it’s solving a complex design problem, or just making people happy in the office, she aims for simple, intuitive solutions that will improve the lives of those around her. Kuei Tien has previously also worked as a Senior UX Designer at Rakuten Viki as well as a Product Designer at Carousell. She has also done UX and Visual Design work for Migme and Bread Of Life Christian Church.Join us to hear us cover:- How designing for the western market at Viki differs from designing for the Asia market at Carousell?- Lessons learnt from transitioning from a UX individual contributor to a manager- Tina's career journey: Finding a job in Singapore and transitioning from a Mathematics major- UX maturity in Taiwan

Episode 26: Bridging Tech and Design with Yi Xin Ang

Yi Xin is a senior product designer specializing in UX and UI with over 13 years of experience of solving problems and crafting great user experience for businesses and consumers. Her experience in software engineering and frontend development knowledge to be able to work with product development teams seamlessly to translate vision into functional and delightful experiences. She was previously from Stripe and Amazon Web Services and had also led UX and Design in multiple projects at Open Government Products, GovTech such as Parking.sg. RedeemSG used for CDC Vouchers scheme and Vaccine Appointment System.Join us to hear us cover:- How proficiency in coding helps you design better?- Difference between designing for local vs global, for government vs business- Yi Xin's career journey: From a game artist to a product designer- Staying resilient during the tech layoffs- Side projects tinkering with code and design

Episode 25: Scaling a Product Team in a High Growth Startup with Jared Chan

Jared is an experienced product leader with over 15 years of experience in product management and digital innovation across various industries. He is a design-thinking practitioner who enjoys creating products that empower people. During this tenure leading the product and design team in CARRO, he found passion in coaching and mentorship, helping others in their growth. In his personal life, he is a proud fur-dad of 4 rescued dogs.Join us to hear us cover:- Scaling product and UX design teams, especially with resource constraints- UX strategy (including hiring a strategist) and how it plays a role in taking the team to the next level- Helping to keep Carro’s design language distinctive from competitors- What new design leaders should know in their first/second year of their job

Episode 24: Product Thinking & Product Design with Justin Leong

Product Designer at SPH based in Singapore focusing on implementing user-centred, data-driven and business-oriented design.He has been involved in various stages of product delivery, from doing 0 to 1 work in Xendit (YC15) a hyper-growth unicorn startup to scaling up B2B, B2C and B2B2C products in an array of different industries across multiple platforms.His best work happens when he is crafting solutions and championing human experiences in a collaborative, ambitious and innovative team.Passionate about Design, he coaches and mentors early-stage designers or transitioners in the field of design by either helping them land their first design role or accelerate their growth as a designer. He has helped more than 50 mentees and was recognised multiple times as a super mentor (Top 1% recognition worldwide) on ADPlist - A design mentorship platform.Join us to hear us cover:- 1.5 years experience in a high-growth startup- What do Product Designers do vs UX Designers?- Product Thinking between PMs and Designers, where is the line drawn?- What does being a top 1% super mentor on ADPList mean? What have you noticed in portfolios?

Episode 23: Working in UX Research in the USA with Monica Chan, EdD

UX Researcher at Amazon, Monica Chan, is a Singaporean living and working in the United States. She recently graduated from Columbia University (Teachers College), where she completed her doctorate in Education Technology and focused on K-12 maker / STEAM education. Now at Amazon Alexa, she investigates interactive experiences between humans and voice assistants, in areas such as personalization, customization, and proactivity. She recently started mentoring at ADPList and Open Door Policy, an organization that helps refugees upskill to find remote jobs, as she is passionate about supporting upskilling/reskilling opportunities and career transitions for underserved populations. In her free time, Monica keeps up-to-date with edtech and emerging tech trends. Join us to hear us cover:- Do you need a PhD to work in UXR?- Projects and processes at Amazon Alexa- Reframing your experience and CV for UXR- Experience working for US Tech companies like Uber, Pinterest & Amazon

Episode 22: UX Research & Strategy with Homaxi Irani

With over 20 years in experience design, the last 15 years have seen Homaxi Irani in roles providing leadership to build and elevate UX research and design maturity within organisations. She has worked in Australia and Asia in Group and APAC roles, in both corporate and consultancies. Homaxi’s motivation to share her experience and learn from others drives her to invest time in the design community as an educator, coach, and mentor. She is currently looking for global or regional opportunities to drive design maturity and customer centricity at an enterprise level. Homaxi enjoys collaboration with business partners that accelerates the product design partnership and results in richer customer experiences. Come down to hear us cover:- UX Design Research vs UX Strategic Research- How to be more strategic as a junior designer- Interview preparation for a UX Researcher role- Enterprise vs Startup UX

Episode 21: Building and growing UX circles with Khai Seng Hong

Khai Seng has been in the UX design field since 2004, focusing on design research and interaction design. He was formerly the Head of Singapore for Foolproof, a UK-based experience design agency. He is a firm believer in holistic experience design spanning digital, spatial, product and service domains. However, he also thinks that delivering great design for a client is only part of the equation – it is also key to help clients bring sustained impact and cultural change in the way they work.Learning and people development are in his blood. He has taught at Republic Polytechnic and helped developed the curriculum in anthropological studies, interaction design, experience design and design thinking. He has also spent time growing the UX community in Singapore through organising the UXSG conferences and monthly meet-ups.Throughout his career, Khai Seng has facilitated many workshops and training programmes with C-suite executives and working professionals to drive cultural change within organisations around design and innovation. Khai Seng is also certified as an Integral coach by New Ventures West – that involves helping clients to create and maintain habits of excellence that are self-generating and self-correcting. Come down to hear us cover: - Journey of leading a UX firm and subsequently a Dojo to help leaders and organisations - What leaders should know about the power of facilitation? - Why Studio Dojo organised design challenges for the community?

Episode 20: Learning and Networking as a UX-er with Wenshu Kwek

Wenshu is a senior product designer at Shopify with a background in industrial design. He helps reduce risk in product development and solves high-impact problems with elegant and thoughtful solutions. He works best in cross-functional teams and has 7 years of experience shipping successful B2C and B2B products and services. Beyond working with leading global technology companies, start-ups and government agencies, he tries to find time to give back to the local design community.Come down to hear us cover: - Growing from a junior to senior UX-er - Why designers should learn from non-designers - How networking and community participation helped Wenshu in his career transition - Designing for B2B vs B2C digital products