The Intricacies of Product Design
Interview Process
I was actually quite surprised by how my entire interview went — it was smooth sailing. My interview was over a WeChat call. I simply went in without much expectations and answered the questions posed to me sincerely and to the best of my ability. In fact my supervisor was very easy-going and affable throughout — he wanted to understand more about my interests, passions and preferred internship role, and also get a better sense of what I wanted to get out of interning in Beijing. In the end, what was supposed to be an interview turned out to be a very candid conversation that helped me to reflect and gain a better sense of what I wanted to achieve out of my time in Beijing, so I actually felt good about it!
If I were to reflect on the entire placement process for Beijing, I would think that it always helps to have a clear idea of what one wants to do and one’s intended goals. Personally, I approached the process looking for roles in product and UX design because I wanted to work alongside product managers, designers and engineers to build impactful digital and tech products. I’m definitely glad to say that has turned out well. But it’s also important to show that you’re willing to learn new things and wear a variety of hats, because that’s a huge part of what working in startups is like. There’s less bureaucracy, a wider breadth in roles, and the pace of work can get hectic, so you’ll be expected to soak up new knowledge and skills like a sponge. Finally, doing some basic research about the companies you would like to apply to helps as well, as it may help you understand your values and what opportunities align with them.
My Internship at VIPKID
I feel like I’ve grown in many ways since joining my company VIPKID 3 months ago. VIPKID is an education technology company which offers online English classes to children in China taught by certified teachers who speak English as a native language. Since its inception in 2013, it’s grown leaps and bounds to become a major online English education provider for children in a market that has seen increasingly intense competition over the last few years. China’s rapid economic growth has led to a fast-expanding middle class with the spending power to invest on English education for their children, so I definitely mean it when I say that the online education market in China is huge and lucrative! Currently, I am working on an emerging product that aims to ultimately give more Chinese children the opportunity to learn English, many of whose families may not be able to afford much of what’s out in the market now.
As a designer, I’ve grown more comfortable using industry-standard tools like Sketch, and I’ve picked up collaborative tools such as Figma and Zeplin to improve the efficiency of my workflow and smoothen the process of working with developers. Working in a product team, I’ve also learned more about the roles and responsibilities of product managers and developers, and the collaborative workflows that should be established between the designers, the developers and the product managers in a high-tech environment. That has inspired me to develop a greater sense of ownership over my work, and to be more meticulous with what I do. I’ve also been able to appreciate the importance of user-centered design in creating an excellent product. I mainly work on the teacher platform, so we talk to our teachers regularly to understand their problems, and their feedback informs our design decisions. Broadly, my team’s job is to deliver a product that not only meets our users’ goals and needs, but also satisfies business objectives and technical constraints. It requires effective collaboration and communication, so every member is important in contributing to our success!
During the first few weeks of my internship, I worked with a few other interns on a branding project, where we interviewed teachers to better understand their goals, needs and motivations, and our co-workers to learn about their thoughts on our product’s overall vision. In the end, we came up with a brand proposal outlining our research, value propositions and overall strategy, and found ourselves presenting that to the CEO in a very casual and impromptu setting, under a very clear Beijing evening sky (it’s a privilege to have clear skies here!). I thought that was interesting because it felt to me that experience captured the essence of working at a startup!
A Design-Centric Approach to Technology Products
Designing tech products ‘from a Chinese perspective’ is very different from what I’ve been exposed to back in Singapore. Off the top of my head, there are three areas that stand out: integration, social interaction, and design process. Chinese digital products are super integrated, and thereby super sticky. For example, Alipay allows me to do all sorts of seemingly unrelated things like make transactions, unlock share bikes, send & receive packages while I top up my PKU student card balance and perhaps invest a little of my money. Apps like 大众点评 and 美团 help me discover places nearby, order 外卖, and access reviews of just about anything I need, and that leads me to the point on social interaction. A fellow designer in my team said, product design in China often feels like spreading a net far and wide over a sea of ideas, trying out almost every solution and seeing what sticks. The user interfaces of Chinese apps thus always seem to appear fun and delightful, though they can get messy and confusing at times. There are many options to choose from and features to mess around with, and there’s also a high level of discoverability. Scrolling through 淘宝 or 点评, I’ll most likely find myself looking at something I never intended to in the first place!
On the other hand, Western digital products often stick to a particular vision, so they seem more compartmentalised. They also seem more centred around the individual user. I feel that at this point there’s still more emphasis on user research and iterative design in the West, leading to digital products with a smaller range of well-developed features.
All in all, I think the best part about Beijing is the people and the culture. I’m really lucky to have met great colleagues at VIPKID who are willing to help me grow and trust me with responsibilities of a typical employee, and forged meaningful friendships with the awesome interns of the DBJ7 batch. Also, Beijing stands out to me among all the other cities in China because of how it encompasses the old and new, and the ancient and modern. It’s refreshing to step into a bar or restaurant in a hutong and think about how people used to go about their daily lives in its ancient alleyways and courtyards hundreds of years ago.
