What is it that makes us designers uniquely Singaporean? It’s not just designers who were born here, but also designers who have been based in Singapore for a long time. They certainly may have picked up some local traits along the way. 

There's a lot of articles or videos in the web exploring what makes us uniquely Singaporean - be it queuing up for bubble tea, chope-ing tables with tissue, dropping lingos like "kena arrowed" then "bo bian" so just "lan lan suck thumb".

We decided to do the same by asking ourselves how these uniquely Singaporean traits crosses design and answer this question - what makes Singaporean designers unique? To start things off on a positive note, we're covering traits to keep in this first part of the episode. Enjoy!

Feel free reach us @KiasuDesignLife over at Instagram, where we hold post-release discussions with our supportive listeners ♥️ or email us at [email protected].

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Notes/references we made in this episode:

"Open to Change" meet up by OGP

IRAS Course Fees Relief

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Behind the voices:

Adilah - Website | LinkedIn

Hsuan - Website | LinkedIn

♥️ 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 [email protected]

___

Behind Kiasu Design Life:

Adilah - Website | LinkedIn

Hsuan - Website | LinkedIn

"Hi.", "Still avail?", "Can nego?"

Whether we like it or not, negotiating for our salary is a step that's baked into the process of our careers. It's something that's not taught in school, yet we're expected to know our ways around it. Knowing your worth is such an important element in our careers, and we'd like to share 3 resources that may help you as a designer negotiate more strategically! :) 

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What we mentioned:

Design Pay Asia

Levels.fyi

Negotiation with Chris Voss

Feel free reach us @KiasuDesignLife over at Instagram, where we hold post-release discussions with our supportive listeners ♥️ or email us at [email protected].

___

Behind the voices:

Adilah - Website | LinkedIn

Hsuan - Website | LinkedIn

♥️ 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 [email protected]

___

Behind Kiasu Design Life:

Adilah - Website | LinkedIn

Hsuan - Website | LinkedIn

Early this year, an article surfaced on Mothership about a Ban Mian stall owner who refunded $445.50 to a customer who overpaid (and that's 99x more, siao eh!) for his order. While the article mainly angled around the honesty and integrity of the owner,  we thought there's a perspective around the design and usability to this story as well! 

In this episode, we investigated what even cause this $445.50 error, and went down the rabbit hole of the UX of payment apps in Singapore. Strap on, because it's gonna be a geeky ride.  -adjusts specs- 🤓

We recommend you pair this episode with a bowl of Ban Mian (your choice of dry or soup) for the utmost Singaporean x design experience. 

Feel free reach us @KiasuDesignLife over at Instagram, where we hold post-release discussions with our supportive listeners ♥️ or email us at [email protected].

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Notes/references we made in this episode:

Mapping Service Ecosystem Workshop by Cornelius Rachieru

Hsuan's GTMS: DOC

Adilah's GTMS: Atomic Habits by James Clear

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Behind the voices:

Adilah - Website | LinkedIn

Hsuan - Website | LinkedIn

♥️ 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 [email protected]

___

Behind Kiasu Design Life:

Adilah - Website | LinkedIn

Hsuan - Website | LinkedIn

This is our first Chilli Padi episode 🌶️, which you may have already guessed -- means short and punchy ones. Pew pew!

Amid the stormy scene in the job market now, we decided to share our ways to finding design jobs in Singapore! We hope this is helpful to anyone out there. Regardless, stay safe friends and drink more teh halia :) 

What we mentioned:

• LinkedIn
• JobsDB
• JobsCentral
• Indeed
• Friends of Figma #job-board
• DesignSG Telegram Group
• CultJobs
• Networking for designers, or by industries via Meetup.com
• Volunteering via Better.sg

Feel free reach us @KiasuDesignLife over at Instagram, where we hold post-release discussions with our supportive listeners ♥️

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Behind the voices:

Adilah - Website | LinkedIn

Hsuan - Website

♥️ 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 [email protected]

___

Behind Kiasu Design Life:

Adilah - Website | LinkedIn

Hsuan - Website | LinkedIn

Riding the MRT is such a quintessential part of us Singaporeans lives (at least for us 😅). Remember when the new line TEL first opened last year, did you know there were also efforts to improve the commuters’ user experience too? Well, we didn’t — until we stumbled upon this CNA article.

Today we are going to deep dive into this and we ensure you will see the MRT at a different light after. You may be equipped to drop extra nuggets of design facts no one asked for when a stranger asked you for directions to a MRT station. So come on in and ride along (hurhur) to this insightful episode! 🚇

Links mentioned in episode:

https://www.instagram.com/blindonthemove/

Feel free reach us @KiasuDesignLife over at Instagram.

____

Behind the voices:

Adilah - Website | LinkedIn

Hsuan - Website

♥️ 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 [email protected]

___

Behind Kiasu Design Life:

Adilah - Website | LinkedIn

Hsuan - Website | LinkedIn

Happy 2023!

Can't believe Kiasu Design Life has sustained through the year! 🙌🏼 🙌🏽

In Day 6, we recalled our times as new-joiners in our jobs and shared our wholesome and horror stories. You may realise that we sound a lot smoother this episode, that's because we finally tried recording together in person! It definitely delight us a lot and we hope you feel the same. Please enjoy this (hopefully) higher quality episode, along with Hsuan's very masculine, nasal voice as she tries to recover from the cold lol.

Feel free reach us @KiasuDesignLife over at Instagram.

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Behind the voices:

Adilah - Website | LinkedIn

Hsuan - Website

♥️ 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 [email protected]

___

Behind Kiasu Design Life:

Adilah - Website | LinkedIn

Hsuan - Website | LinkedIn

Hellllo! We're back from a month break and feeling lemony fresh 🍋

Having a job is a sense of purpose to many of us, it helps us put rice on our table,  finance us towards our biggest dreams. But have you caught yourself thinking "I'm done!" or even looking out for job openings? 

In Day 5, we wanna touch on this thorny and juicy topic - "When do we call it  quits?" What principles do we have when it comes to drawing the line with work. Is it the workplace? It is the people? Is it ourselves? Is it the money? Or all of the above? Listen in as we recall the last time we felt pump up for work and dive into what made us excited, and also what has all these got to do with hairdressers?! 

We're glad to be back on the groove and hope you enjoy this discussion with us! If you like to join in this discourse, feel free reach us @KiasuDesignLife over at Twitter or Instagram.

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Behind the voices:

Adilah - Website | LinkedIn

Hsuan - Website

♥️ 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 [email protected]

___

Behind Kiasu Design Life:

Adilah - Website | LinkedIn

Hsuan - Website | LinkedIn

Hey everyone! It's been some time!

If you're active in Singapore's design community space for a while, Kiat shouldn't be a foreign name to you. Following a recent heartfelt email on the closure of IxDA meet-ups, we sat down with the man himself for a casual chat! Kiat took the chance to look back at the past 11 years and shed his true feelings around organising IxDA meet-ups in Singapore. We also got a tiny peak into what's next for IxDA - exciting times ahead!

Apart from all the impressive contributions for IxDA, Kiat also share his experiences as a product designer. If you have ever used Hardware Zone, news flash - your experience may be shaped by him!

Seriously ah, day 4 of Kiasu Design Life is jam packed with golden nuggets of wisdom and we couldn't wait for you to join us on this truly enjoyable ride. (We recommend you pair this episode with your favourite version of kopi and some kaya toast).

Reach us @KiasuDesignLife over at Twitter and Instagram.

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Notes/references we made in this episode:

IxDA - Official Website

World Interaction Day (IxDD) 2022 - Official Website

Designing Web Usability by Jacob Nielson - nngroup Website

Finding Common Ground Podcast - Apple Podcast

The McKinsey Podcast - Official Website

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Good Things Must Share:

Kiat's: School Circles Film

Adilah's: School of Chocolate

Hsuan's: Sigur Ros Live

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Behind the voices:

Kiat - Website

Adilah - Website

Hsuan - Website

♥️ 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 [email protected]

___

Behind Kiasu Design Life:

Adilah - Website | LinkedIn

Hsuan - Website | LinkedIn

If we could write a letter to our younger souls fresh into the UX industry, what would it be?

In Day 3, we're retrospecting and getting raw this time as we dive into our past experiences along with the lessons learnt. Adilah shared her revelation and ways she differentiates herself as she graduated from bootcamp and into working world, whereas Hsuan revealed her (cool?) ah lian identity and how it may or may not help in her career.

We have also introduced a new segment called "Good Things Must Share" where we exchange some sweet ol' lobangs (colloquial for good deal). 

Reach us @KiasuDesignLife over at Twitter and Instagram.

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Timestamp:

(00:14) - Day 3 of Kiasu Design Life

(01:31) - Sharing our inspiration behind this episode

(03:31) - Adilah's letter

(10:58) - Funny story on Hsuan's over-enthusiasm 

(11:54) - Hsuan's letter

(24:50) - Our tapaus (takeaways, lol)

(26:50) - Good Thing Must Share

(29:30) - Show wrap

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Notes/references we made in this episode:

Known-unknown matrix - A medium article on this framework

Better.sg - Official Website

Copywork - smashingmagazine's explanation

Designing systems - A medium article on designing systems and practical ways of approach

Bus Factor - Wikipedia

Curb Cut - uxdesign.cc's explanation

Nielson Norman's article on PM and UX Responsibilities - NN/g article

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Good Things Must Share:

Adilah's: mymind - Official Website

Hsuan's: restofworld - Official Website

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Behind the voices:

Adilah - Website | LinkedIn

Hsuan - Website

♥️ 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 [email protected]

___

Behind Kiasu Design Life:

Adilah - Website | LinkedIn

Hsuan - Website | LinkedIn

What do we all think of meet ups and networking now? We pondered, we surveyed, and now we're ready for the big reveal!

In Day 2, we are sharing insights gathered from multidisciplinary folks in Singapore across 5 categories - agenda, speaker/content, venue/space, food and audience/crowd. This episode will be enlightening to you whether you are thinking of organising your own event, or joining one.

Listen to Hsuan's peanut butter on Gardenia bread analogy (she was probably just hungry), and did Adilah managed to say FoF correctly? Also, find out to how we whipped up a new and promising career in Singapore - think SDA but for meet ups. 🤭

Reach us @KiasuDesignLife over at Twitter and Instagram.

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Timestamp:

(00:27) - Day 2 of Kiasu Design Life 

(00:57) - A little retrospective on Day 1

(02:39) - Sharing our inspiration behind this episode

(04:22) - Sharing our memorable meet ups

(06:53) - High level survey result

(08:07) - Insights on agenda

(14:02) - Insights on speaker/content

(18:40) - Insights on FOOOD 🍱

(21:04) - Insights on venue/space

(23:50) - Insights on audience/crowd

(25:51) - 3 big takeaways

(26:50) - Show wrap

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Notes/references we made in this episode:

"Half-past six" - colloquial for shoddy

Our survey - we are keeping this survey open. Feel free to share your thoughts! 

ADP List - Official Website

UXSG 2016 Conference - Highlights by Collab Folks

Urban Sketchers SG - Official Website

F&B Hygiene Grades - Singapore Food Management System 

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Behind the voices:

Adilah - Website | LinkedIn

Hsuan - Website

♥️ 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 [email protected]

___

Behind Kiasu Design Life:

Adilah - Website | LinkedIn

Hsuan - Website | LinkedIn