Kiasu Design Life

What’s it really like designing digital tools you can’t talk about in Singapore’s defence tech space? Sharon and Dionne take us inside their work at CSIT, the leading cybersecurity agency in MINDEF, where they build mission-critical systems that government users rely on every day. This episode dives into the creative, complex, and surprisingly human side of designing for national security. ___ Our guest for today are 🙋🏻‍♀️ Dionne (LinkedIn) and 🙋🏻‍♀️ Sharon (LinkedIn) from CSIT (LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook) CSIT's post on Odyssey (LinkedIn) - first-ever defence tech design meet-up ___ Timestamp: (00:00) Hello, hello! (01:36) Introducing Dionne and Sharon! (08:43) Embracing unexpected career paths (11:06) So... what do they actually design? (16:29) Deep dive into a brag-worthy project (23:28) Tooling and tech with high security (30:19) Who's cut out for CSIT + Interview tips (33:05) Your mala dala IG questions — answered! (40:09) Closing thoughts & shoutouts! ♥️ We're self-funding this podcast, so if you’re enjoying the episodes and want to support us, we'd be so grateful for any donations. Every little bit helps—thank you so much! ♥️ Reach out to us on Instagram, where we hold post-release discussions with our supportive listeners or email us at kiasudesignlife@gmail.com ___ Behind Kiasu Design Life: Adilah - Website | LinkedIn Hsuan - Website | LinkedIn

Ever wondered what it’s really like to make the leap from a UX bootcamp to a product design career in Singapore? Well, we’re about to find out! Join us for a candid, no-holds-barred chat featuring both Alicia, a recent bootcamp grad and currently a Product Designer at Open Gov Products, plus our very own Adilah! Through an unfiltered conversation, Alicia and Adilah share their honest experiences, challenges, and lessons they've learned along the way. ___ 🙋🏻‍♀️ Our guest for today is  Alicia Chong! (Linkedin) ___ Timestamp: (00:00) Happy 2025... again! (01:50) Why This Episode? (05:30) Meet Alicia! (09:33) Alicia’s Big Career Switch (13:38) Choosing the Bootcamp Life (18:17) Bootcamp Breakdown: How It Works (21:36) More Theory, Less Practice? (26:54) Bootcamp Struggles (31:24) Aha Moment: Biggest Bootcamp Lesson (33:25) The End of Bootcamp & Job Hunt Struggles (45:55) Culture Shock as a Bootcamp Grad (52:02) Advice for Future UX Bootcampers (56:05) Our New Year's EVOLUTION! ♥️ We're self-funding this podcast, so if you’re enjoying the episodes and want to support us, we'd be so grateful for any donations. Every little bit helps—thank you so much! ♥️ Reach out to us on Instagram, where we hold post-release discussions with our supportive listeners or email us at kiasudesignlife@gmail.com ___ Behind Kiasu Design Life: Adilah - Website | LinkedIn Hsuan - Website | LinkedIn

📹 🔴 This is a recording of a talk we did for  the pilot meetup of "The Good Circle" back in November 2024 where we shared how simply being open thrusts ourselves towards starting something we both believe in. Hailing from different backgrounds and upbringings, hear how we embrace and turn our identities into self-empowerment. The Good Circle hopes to drive greater visibility for women, with the intention to close the gap, particularly in leadership. ♥️ ___ Timestamp: (00:00) Happy 2025! (02:01) When was the last time you thought of starting something? (04:27) #1: Recognising a need (07:48) #2: Opening up (10:58) #3: Coming together (19:17) #4: Owning our identity ♥️ We're self-funding this podcast, so if you’re enjoying the episodes and want to support us, we'd be so grateful for any donations. Every little bit helps—thank you so much! ♥️ Reach out to us on Instagram, where we hold post-release discussions with our supportive listeners or email us at kiasudesignlife@gmail.com ___ Behind Kiasu Design Life: Adilah - Website | LinkedIn Hsuan - Website | LinkedIn

One undeniable and hard truth we all know about UX is that "the design process never linear". But what other truths exist in this realm? Today, with insights from the internet and our listeners, we're diving into that very question! ___ Timestamp: (00:00) Hello! (03:25) Topic intro (06:02) "No respect for UX" (10:00) "Advocating for UX" (15:00) "Not investing in UX" (17:46) "Design leader = QOL" (20:00) "Overruled with gut feeling" (28:02) "Low hanging fruits" (30:30) "Teamwork takes time" (32:52) "UX is not creative" (37:52) Closing thoughts ♥️ We're self-funding this podcast, so if you’re enjoying the episodes and want to support us, we'd be so grateful for any donations. Every little bit helps—thank you so much! ♥️ Reach out to us on Instagram, where we hold post-release discussions with our supportive listeners or email us at kiasudesignlife@gmail.com ___ Behind Kiasu Design Life: Adilah - Website | LinkedIn Hsuan - Website | LinkedIn

Heard of design thinking for kids? That's right - kids as young as 10 years old are learning coding, researching, brainstorming and even pitching in primary schools!   Get ready to meet Team GummyCare, the young innovators on a mission to advocate for healthy eating! 🥕🥦 How did they come up with their awesome idea and will they take over our jobs? 😱   Let’s get inspired by the next generation of big thinkers! ___ Our guests are Mrs. Tan Qili (Teacher), and Team GummyCare consists of Amelia, Karyn, Luke, Ying Xuan and Rui Jie from Ai Tong Primary School.  This episode is in support of the People of Design Campaign by DesignSingapore Council.  Image courtesy of the DesignSingapore Council. ___ Timestamp: (00:00) Welcome Team GummyCare! (06:25) How Ai Tong Pri. Sch. brings design thinking to kids (13:00) How did Team GummyCare came out with their great idea? (16:54) Ingenious ways to quickly validate their ideas (18:54) Final showcase, prototype & meeting the minister! (29:05) How Ai Tong Pri. Sch. students are encouraged to "design-think" (33:50) Students' learnings, memorable stories, and teacher's takeaway (36:40) Students very realistic dream when they grow up ♥️ We're self-funding this podcast, so if you’re enjoying the episodes and want to support us, we'd be so grateful for any donations. Every little bit helps—thank you so much! ♥️ Reach out to us on Instagram, where we hold post-release discussions with our supportive listeners or email us at kiasudesignlife@gmail.com ___ Behind Kiasu Design Life: Adilah - Website | LinkedIn Hsuan - Website | LinkedIn

Imagine this: lion dance meets active ageing! Singapore is one of the fastest ageing nations in the world, and staying active is key. But what if we take that a step further? That's what Hao Jie and Edmund from NextOfKin Creatives did by combining the vibrant rhythms of lion dance with the concept of active ageing. Listen in and get ready to redefine what staying fit and fabulous means in your golden years! ___ Our guests are Hao Jie and Edmund. This episode is in support of the People of Design Campaign by DesignSingapore Council. Check out NextofKin Creatives, and their latest initiative Public Design School. Do you know there's a cafe in Singapore run by senior citizens called SASCO@Khatib? ___ Timestamp: (00:00) Hello! (03:54) About Silver Pride Lion Troupe (06:46) How did this project start? (10:06) Immersing and brainstorming at a senior-ran cafe  (14:45) Edmund & Hao Jie's role: Micro vs Macro (20:51) What's their design process and challenges? (34:05) A day in a life of a senior in Silver Pride Lion Troupe  (40:10) Advice to designing for senior-care (43:40) Memorable moments  (48:36) Learnings from designing this programme (51:26) What's next for the Silver Pride Lion Troupe programme? (55:12) What's next for NextOfKin Creatives? ♥️ We're self-funding this podcast, so if you’re enjoying the episodes and want to support us, we'd be so grateful for any donations. Every little bit helps—thank you so much! ♥️ Reach out to us on Instagram, where we hold post-release discussions with our supportive listeners or email us at kiasudesignlife@gmail.com ___ Behind Kiasu Design Life: Adilah - Website | LinkedIn Hsuan - Website | LinkedIn

Remember back in 2021 when we used to ask each other, “Have you been vaccinated?” Fast forward to 2024, and now the greeting is, “Have you found a job yet?” This year might feel like a rollercoaster of hope and rejection for many of us.In Part 2 of Kopi Chat, we dive into the real talk about job hunting after a layoff and tackle some tough topics like salary cuts! Grab your coffee and join us for a candid conversation about the highs and lows of the job search journey. ☕✨ ___ Timestamp: (00:00) Hello! (02:55) Shitty job market + more layoffs... (03:20) Observation of Singapore's design job market (08:15) Desperation energy (10:20) More contracts vs perm roles? (11:34) Getting rejected :") (17:15) Framework for your "dream job" (18:10) Lower salary and taking a cut (25:40) Embracing "failures" than "wins" (28:50) How to accurately suss out a company culture? (31:50) Mind-shift as a renewed employee after a layoff ♥️ We're self-funding this podcast, so if you’re enjoying the episodes and want to support us, we'd be so grateful for any donations. Every little bit helps—thank you so much! ♥️ Reach out to us on Instagram, where we hold post-release discussions with our supportive listeners or email us at kiasudesignlife@gmail.com ___ Behind Kiasu Design Life: Adilah - Website | LinkedIn Hsuan - Website | LinkedIn

Oh parenthood! It’s a whole new world that no manual can truly capture the essence and make you feel prepared. You will only experience the reality of it when you are in it. 😅 Heyo - we're back from a short break with a kopi chat. Come sit down with us in your singlets and FBTs, and your favourite kopi/teh. This episode is part 1 of 2 of our casual design life update focusing on being a parent AND a designer! (stress) ___ Timestamp: (00:00) Hello! (04:40) Becoming a parent..once again (06:50) Thoughts around employment and pregnant (09:36) Experiencing life in seasons (11:40) When should I take a break in the midst of trying? (13:30) Being more than your job as a Designer (18:02) Reality of being a working designer parent (21:19) Managing design work and parent work (23:40) Anti-parents co-workers? :( (24:32) Stop over-explaining to colleagues (27:33) Being tactful in sharing your design process (28:37) Green & red flags of a family-friendly workplace (32:00) Competitive advantage of a "designer x parent" ♥️ We're self-funding this podcast, so if you’re enjoying the episodes and want to support us, we'd be so grateful for any donations. Every little bit helps—thank you so much! ♥️ Reach out to us on Instagram, where we hold post-release discussions with our supportive listeners or email us at kiasudesignlife@gmail.com ___ Behind Kiasu Design Life: Adilah - Website | LinkedIn Hsuan - Website | LinkedIn

🎥 The video version is available on YouTube! 🎥 Now that we've wrapped up "My Robot Gets Me" in our book club, let's hear it straight from the author herself! Other than her journey into writing the book, we dived into her life as a educator of 4D Design at Cranbrook and how it's so closely parallel to our work as UX Designers! ___ Our guest: Carla Diana Personal Website My Robot Gets Me book ___ Timestamp: (00:00) Meet Carla and how she got into "Robotics" (06:05) How did Carla came out with the framework (09:42) Carla and her experiences with digital products (14:26) Are robotic products better now? (18:50) How Covid affected her experience writing the book (23:22) Her provocative Ted Talk and Twitter reactions (26:31) Peek into her 4D Design program at Cranbrook (32:47) The magic of design-dev collaboration in schools (38:28) Carla's son interactions with social products (42:28) Carla's message to those who haven't read her book! (43:20)  What's next for Carla! ♥️ We're self-funding this podcast, so if you’re enjoying the episodes and want to support us, we'd be so grateful for any donations. Every little bit helps—thank you so much! ♥️ Reach out to us on Instagram, where we hold post-release discussions with our supportive listeners or email us at kiasudesignlife@gmail.com ___ Behind Kiasu Design Life: Adilah - Website | LinkedIn Hsuan - Website | LinkedIn

🎥 The video version is available on YouTube! 🎥 Here's another chat with a local designer and content creator - Fiona Lim! With 18.5k followers and 6 years of experience under her belt, she's here to share what it takes to build and grow your personal branding. ___ Our guest: Fiona Lim Find her on Instagram Read her articles on Medium Once again, thank you Alistair and Brief for sponsoring the space! ♥️♥️ ___ Timestamp: (00:00) Meet Fiona and how she got into UX design (06:05) Our first time doing video podcasting! (08:05) Fiona's career (10:17) Fiona x Adilah: Meeting fellow UX content creator  (14:08) Becoming a UX content creator  (19:55) How being a content creator impacts her day job? (28:28) Interactions with other UX content creators (32:47) Journey as a content creator (+ downsides!) (40:05) Additional income streams! (42:10) Fiona's plan to grow her audience (55:05) Advice for aspiring UX content creators (59:27) Closing thoughts ♥️ We're self-funding this podcast, so if you’re enjoying the episodes and want to support us, we'd be so grateful for any donations. Every little bit helps—thank you so much! ♥️ Reach out to us on Instagram, where we hold post-release discussions with our supportive listeners or email us at kiasudesignlife@gmail.com ___ Behind Kiasu Design Life: Adilah - Website | LinkedIn Hsuan - Website | LinkedIn

YEEEHAWWWW! We've reached the final stretch of this book! We wrap this journey up by talking about ecosystems - how products work together to enhance your life, the difference between AI and AGI, and our responsibility as designers for social products" 📣 Also, look forward to our exclusive interview with Carla Diana, the author herself!  Timestamp: (00:00) Time flies! (01:05)  Ch7: Ecosystems! (04:23) Benefit of a robot in an ecosystem (07:13) How ecosystem relate to UX? (12:26) Ch8: AI & Social Savviness (17:12) What is AGI and is it possible? (18:30) Wise approach to designing socially intelligent product (20:34) Ch9: Takeaways and now what? (23:32) Is there a SG version of Moxi?! (24:49) Hsuan's horror story of Neato and Dusty (28:23) Potential & danger for designers (30:30) WE DID IT & our genuine thoughts!! ♥️ We're self-funding this podcast, so if you’re enjoying the episodes and want to support us, we'd be so grateful for any donations. Every little bit helps—thank you so much! ♥️ Reach out to us on Instagram, where we hold post-release discussions with our supportive listeners or email us at kiasudesignlife@gmail.com ___ Behind Kiasu Design Life: Adilah - Website | LinkedIn Hsuan - Website | LinkedIn

Chilli padi is back! We scoured the internet to find 6 UX portfolios worth mentioning and explained why we like it!  Portfolios we mentioned: IC PortfoliosAng Yi Xin 🇸🇬 [Link] Yuan Jie 🇸🇬 [Link] Billy Tseng [Link] Strategy/ManagerJoel Califa [Link] Tarryn Lambert [Link] Jonny Czar [Link] ♥️ We're self-funding this podcast, so if you’re enjoying the episodes and want to support us, we'd be so grateful for any donations. Every little bit helps—thank you so much! ♥️ Reach out to us on Instagram, where we hold post-release discussions with our supportive listeners or email us at kiasudesignlife@gmail.com ___ Behind Kiasu Design Life: Adilah - Website | LinkedIn Hsuan - Website | LinkedIn

Have you ever find yourself saying "Why is this person so weird?", or "Gosh this product is dumb". This 2 chapters help us to peel the layers and explain in a structured manner. And in turn, teach us how to engineer a socially smart product!   🗓️ Final chapters 7-9 discussion will release on  3 Apr 2024 📣 Also, look forward to our exclusive interview with Carla Diana, the author herself!  Timestamp: (00:00) Welcome! (02:29) Ch5: Interactions (06:50) Interactions in UX (07:35) Sensing & inferring = interaction (10:40) Sensors & actuators making interactions possible (11:36) psst~ A mini announcement ;) (12:35) How products sense, hear & see us (21:19) Ch6: How robots are contextually aware (24:34) Robots in SG restaurants (26:20) When, where, for whom is key to context (34:28) Enactment & storyboarding to gain context ♥️ We're self-funding this podcast, so if you’re enjoying the episodes and want to support us, we'd be so grateful for any donations. Every little bit helps—thank you so much! ♥️ Reach out to us on Instagram, where we hold post-release discussions with our supportive listeners or email us at kiasudesignlife@gmail.com ___ Behind Kiasu Design Life: Adilah - Website | LinkedIn Hsuan - Website | LinkedIn

A design recruiter has joined the chat! Join us with Sangeetha as she shared insights of design job market, hiring and staying competitive in Singapore. ___ Our guest: Sangeetha Selvaraja Reach out to her on LinkedIn Dynamics of Singapore's Product Design Job Market Thank you Alistair and Brief for sponsoring the space! ♥️ ___ Timestamp: (00:00) Intro (09:02) Sangeetha's day as a recruiter (14:50) Stereotypes of a recruiter (17:41) Design job market in SG (26:29) How recruiters classify designers (30:24) Career paths for UX in SG (36:40) Hiring process for UX in SG (42:20) How effective is the current process? (47:32) Salary & hiring (51:16) Red/green flags for candidates & interviewers (54:29) Recruitment for large & small companies (56:34) View on pregnant candidates (58:08) How career history affects hiring (01:01:41) Staying competitive as designers and AI (01:04:19) Sangeetha's 3 takeaways ♥️ We're self-funding this podcast, so if you’re enjoying the episodes and want to support us, we'd be so grateful for any donations. Every little bit helps—thank you so much! ♥️ Reach out to us on Instagram, where we hold post-release discussions with our supportive listeners or email us at kiasudesignlife@gmail.com ___ Behind Kiasu Design Life: Adilah - Website | LinkedIn Hsuan - Website | LinkedIn

We're covering how products have "Presence" and "Expression". We had such fun recording this episode as we draw examples from our daily lives to illustrate the design concepts. 📚 My Robot Gets Me: Official Website Get it for free from NLB (Physical/ audiobook/ eBook) 🗓️ Chapters 5-6 discussion will release on  11 Mar 2024! Timestamp: (00:00) Welcome & name reveal! (02:24) Ch3: Product presence & embodiment (05:49) Product semantics (12:17) Product's social roles (15:11) Ch4: Product expression (18:37) Lighting as expression (20:24) Moving on to movement (keke) (23:18) Sound as expression (29:48) Ch3-4 thoughts ♥️ We're self-funding this podcast, so if you’re enjoying the episodes and want to support us, we'd be so grateful for any donations. Every little bit helps—thank you so much! ♥️ Reach out to us on Instagram, where we hold post-release discussions with our supportive listeners or email us at kiasudesignlife@gmail.com ___ Behind Kiasu Design Life: Adilah - Website | LinkedIn Hsuan - Website | LinkedIn

Riding on (🤓) the SimplyGo drama, we put on our commuter & designer hat and review the SimplyGo app! Is this the standard of our local apps? 🫠🫠🫠 Timestamp: (00:00) Hello! (01:29) SimplyGo drama recap (05:01) Our take on this topic (10:42) SimplyGo's main workflows (16:02) Sign up & onboarding review (23:47) Dashboard review (27:37) Adding card review (30:40) Travel txn review (Hsuan's pissed) (35:32) Top-up review (pun galore!) (36:45) Our conclusion ♥️ We're self-funding this podcast, so if you’re enjoying the episodes and want to support us, we'd be so grateful for any donations. Every little bit helps—thank you so much! ♥️ Reach out to us on Instagram, where we hold post-release discussions with our supportive listeners or email us at kiasudesignlife@gmail.com ___ Behind Kiasu Design Life: Adilah - Website | LinkedIn Hsuan - Website | LinkedIn

In this light-hearted episode, we're discussing chapters 1 & 2 of My Robot Gets Me!  We introduced 'social interactions', how that relates to product design, and how automatic doors gotta do with all these?! We also got a lil nerdy about 'affordances' & 'interactions' with the help of a framework 🤓 📚 My Robot Gets Me: Official Website Get it for free from NLB (Physical/ audiobook/ eBook) 🗓️ Chapters 3-4 discussion will release on  21 Feb 2024! Timestamp: (00:00) Welcome! (01:52) Ch1: Social interactions w/ products (05:25) Good and bad social exp. (11:53) Social design framework (13:14) Ch2: Affordances & Interactions (15:06) Intuitive & intimacy (18:01) Social affordances (21:13) Interactants (23:19) Our thoughts ♥️ We're self-funding this podcast, so if you’re enjoying the episodes and want to support us, we'd be so grateful for any donations. Every little bit helps—thank you so much! ♥️ Reach out to us on Instagram, where we hold post-release discussions with our supportive listeners or email us at kiasudesignlife@gmail.com ___ Behind Kiasu Design Life: Adilah - Website | LinkedIn Hsuan - Website | LinkedIn

This is a follow-up to our previous episode "22: Going through a layoff". We've already shared a personal story of how one of us got laid off, but today we're covering what you can do knowing you're leaving a company, some lessons learnt after a layoff andddd, how to layoff-proof yourself! MUSIC Survivor - Destiny's Child Timestamp: (00:00) Hello! (00:40) Your reactions from ep.22 (03:04) 4 reasons behind a layoff (07:07) What to do if you are leaving (15:27) Lessons from a layoff (31:13) How to lay-off proof yourself ♥️ We're self-funding this podcast, so if you’re enjoying the episodes and want to support us, we'd be so grateful for any donations. Every little bit helps—thank you so much! ♥️ Reach out to us on Instagram, where we hold post-release discussions with our supportive listeners or email us at kiasudesignlife@gmail.com ___ Behind Kiasu Design Life: Adilah - Website | LinkedIn Hsuan - Website | LinkedIn

Help us decide our club name by polling in Spotify and Instagram! Our first book: My Robot Gets Me - Carla Diana Official Website Check availability in NLB (Physical book/ audiobook/ eBook) 🗓️ Chapters 1-2 discussion will release on 1 Feb 2024! Timestamp: (00:00) New concept reveal! (01:03) Current club name  (02:25) How it works (05:47) How this will benefit you (06:39) Our first book! (10:48) Wrapping up ♥️ We're self-funding this podcast, so if you’re enjoying the episodes and want to support us, we'd be so grateful for any donations. Every little bit helps—thank you so much! ♥️ Reach out to us on Instagram, where we hold post-release discussions with our supportive listeners or email us at kiasudesignlife@gmail.com ___ Behind Kiasu Design Life: Adilah - Website | LinkedIn Hsuan - Website | LinkedIn

Happy 2024! We did it, we've tide through another year! Let's give a gentle pat on our backs. Since it's the new year, we decided to share a personal story about ____'s layoff experience (guess who). Yes we're putting the AI in "laid off" 🥁 Disclaimer: This episode is by no means disparaging or harming the reputation of any companies. Timestamp: (00:00) Hello! (03:26) Who got laid off? (06:32) Our motivation behind this episode (08:32) How the layoff happened (22:27) Feelings towards the layoff (38:12) Truth behind a layoff (43:01) Getting laid off in Singapore ♥️ We're self-funding this podcast, so if you’re enjoying the episodes and want to support us, we'd be so grateful for any donations. Every little bit helps—thank you so much! ♥️ Reach out to us on Instagram, where we hold post-release discussions with our supportive listeners or email us at kiasudesignlife@gmail.com ___ Behind Kiasu Design Life: Adilah - Website | LinkedIn Hsuan - Website | LinkedIn