Yvonne Chia, UX Designer, Agile Consulting and Engineering, GovTech, Singapore
By Nurfilzah Rohaidi
Women in GovTech 2018 Special Report.
As a UX designer in GovTech, I work closely with other government agencies to put citizens at the heart of the digital services that we build. Using an "outside in" approach, we first identify the needs and pain points of citizens, then come up with possible solutions to address them. We develop prototypes and conduct user testing sessions to validate designs before deployment. Adopting the Agile methodology means features are prioritised based on the value they bring and are rolled out iteratively. The effectiveness is monitored through analytics tools, which can also help to inform our subsequent work.
What has been the most exciting thing that you worked on in 2018?
For a product that we’re working on, we partnered with external players such as a local start up and an international player with AI and machine learning capabilities. I also worked briefly with another team that uses blockchain. These may be buzzwords, but they become a lot more exciting when they are used to help the everyday person in meaningful ways.
If you were to share one piece of advice that you learned in 2018, what would it be?
As an Agile team, we also try to apply the same philosophy to how issues are handled within the team. Processes can always be improved, though change may need to be done incrementally, and take a few iterations to arrive at the desired outcome. After all, a genius once said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results.”
What tool or technique particularly interests you for 2019?
Not so much a tool or technique but I’m always interested in how business models are increasingly being disrupted with the use of technology.
What is one skill that has helped you the most throughout the course of your career?
Being adaptable to change. I used to work as a copywriter in advertising firms and went from doing traditional broadcast ads to digital interactive sites to social media engagements before doing UX among a team of developers. When you're willing to try something different and learn new things, you end up picking up lots of tips and tricks along the journey that can come in handy wherever your final destination might be.
Coffee, yoga, music... what powers you through your day?
Lunch, coffee or waffles with the team. A team that eats together works better together.