Me.About()

My Story

"Design is not just what is looks and feels like. Design is how it works"
~ Steve Jobs

I always knew I wanted to use my creativity to create things or experiences to help or bring happiness to people. My hobbies include playing the piano, dancing and performing magic. I love bringing joy, smiles are one of the most valuable things in the world!

I was also fascinated by technology, so I pursued a degree in Information Technology where I really enjoyed creating something from just lines of code. We were only graded by the functionality of our projects though - a straight forward checklist with no brownie points for the design

I remember once I had a team project that was to have a webpage to just have the text "Order confirmed". We completed that easily, but then I decided to add a simple green tick, choose a better font and size, and align it properly. I just wanted it to look a little nicer but it had a surprising effect - my team member said to me "I love this tick, you know, it makes me enjoy debugging this because I get to see this page every time I debug". And that really struck me - design can even make the coder's job more pleasant!

A few years later, I signed up to a hackathon with a focus on design thinking and working with those with a disability to come up with a pitch for a product. That day was my first introduction into the world of design thinking and UX. It opened me up to the idea that design is not just aesthetics, it's how it works - the research and testing of a product with real users so that not only does it look good, it works good. So I sought and took the opportunity to join the design team at where I was working for half a year to learn more. While I enjoyed it, I decided to settle in the development team because I still loved to code. But I always wondered - maybe there is a bridge between the two? And so I decided to enrol part time into the Master of Interaction Design and Electronic Arts at the University of Sydney. I continued working full-time as a programmer so I could gain experience in both sides of the engineering and design world, appreciating the magic that each can bring.

“LIVE as if you were to die tomorrow, LEARN as if you were to live forever”
~ Mahatma Ghandi

The above is one of my favourite quotes as I truly believe in never stop learning and sharing knowledge. The constantly evolving technology and design worlds excite me. You can learn from anyone, anytime, anywhere.

Technology is a field with some unique challenges, dealing with people and the world where there is a large canvas of possibilities that can satisfy my curiosities.  When things get challenging, I like to face it thinking "How can I put a smile on another face?"