SAMANTHA YUEN (SIN)
DESIGN RESEARCH COACH AND RESEARCHOPS LEAD, GOVTECH SINGAPORE
Agoraphobia led Sam from hospitality to human-centered design in 2005. Curiosity, candour, and an innate care for the people she once feared have guided her on this path, and she is currently at GovTech Singapore, driving design research and research ops as new disciplines while building a reflective practice centered around skill sets, mindsets, and self care. Her hope: That one day, people will feel safe enough to cry in front of their colleagues.
TALK: 'SLOWING DOWN TO SCALE DESIGN' (2019)
To begin a new starter:
1. In a large bowl, mix 55+ UX designers, 1 design research coach, and 12 months of experiments till well-combined.
2. Leave to ferment till it starts to bubble.
3. Feed regularly to encourage the development of strong skills and elastic mindsets.
Like artisan sourdough, baking a robust design practice requires time, space, and perseverance. Without rigour and fermentation, we’re just creating a lot of product without the nutrition that feeds wider outcomes. I’ll share my experience in creating this starter, the experiments that shifted our strategy, and a proposal to leadership for scaling design capability sustainably.
