Even though I had friends in the neighborhood, I would build a “house” with umbrellas and chairs, invite my stuffed animals as guests, and cozy up under the shade. I would put together plates of snacks for the guests and make sure their experience was enjoyable.
For my kindergarten project, I was given the prompt to build whatever I wanted from my home, while most kids built static objects like a TV or a table, I wanted something kinetic and interactive. So given the budget, constraints, and interest, I built a fan using wooden materials. I remember having so much fun building a prototype of a real fan, while also being frustrated at how the fan toppled over couple times because it was top heavy. After several rounds of trial and error, ehem user testing, I was able to finally present a fan that could stand on its own and have its blades turn.
In middle school, we had to make a miniature version of different culture’s places of dwelling. I immediately knew what I wanted and got to work. Sugar cubes resembled ice blocks, thus I shaved and glued sugar cubes together and completed my igloo with many weeks to spare. However, what I didn’t foresee was my environment’s effect on my creation: humidity and ants. I hadn’t taken into consideration how Malaysia’s tropical weather would disfigure the sugar cubes. Then there was the problem of unwelcome ant guests. When I got back from school, I found ants feasting on my project. Not knowing how to salvage the remains, I decided to start over. I learned from the pain points and considered what material could withstand the humidity and ants. The day the project was due, I walked in with an igloo, lighter and more portable, with no dents or ants. I had used styrofoam and painted it with clear manicure, giving it a glossy icy look. Proud to say, I aced it.
In high school, I was so frustrated at how I couldn’t look up songs I heard on the radio, because I struggled to catch the song lyrics. I wanted to tell someone to create a product that could listen to the song and show me what song was playing. Shazam made that happen several years ago. Being bilingual, another frustration for me was not knowing keywords to search for what I saw in real life. I wished I could take a picture and look up online what the type of plant, article of clothing, or Mandarin character it was. Google made that happen in the last couple years. Just like this, I had so many ideas for products to improve user experiences, but I didn’t know who to talk to or what to do about it.
I’m in love with User Experience Design precisely because I get to be a part of the solution for making people’s lives more enjoyable. I always knew my passion was to help others, and with UX Design, I can help users reach their goals smoothly. They can channel their energy into their own passions instead of being slowed down by inefficient processes.
