Working at OGP: From Intern to Full Stack Designer

Meet our product designer, Natalie Mae Tan, who previously interned with us before deciding to pursue a full-time role at Open Government Products (OGP). She reflects on the impact of her work in battling COVID-19 in spite of the social isolation during the pandemic.

Tell us more about yourself.

Hi, I’m Natalie! I’m a product designer currently working on Isomer and CheckFirst, and I previously worked on Postman and GoGovSG. I have many hobbies at the moment, such as sewing, painting, and crocheting.

How did you begin your journey at OGP?

It started with me looking to get into the service design industry, as that was the area of design I enjoyed the most in school. My classmate was actually interning at OGP before me, and suggested for me to try the internship as well.

What was the most rewarding thing about your internship?

I had the unique experience of onboarding to the team and doing most of my internship virtually, as it was at the height of COVID-19. It made doing user tests and interviews a bit more difficult to plan and conduct, but all the work was worth it when seeing how my research insights helped the team improve our product.

Getting to talk to users and hear their challenges and needs was also insightful, and it was also nice to hear from them directly about how our product was helpful to them. During that period of social isolation, it was comforting to get that feedback.

What led you to pursue a full-time role in OGP?

Aside from having the chance to make an impact on my community, I liked that I get to have a lot of product ownership, as well as work closely and directly with my team of engineers and product managers.

What is the most exciting part about your current job?

As “full-stack” designers, we get to try a little bit of everything in the design process! I enjoy exploring and trying out the different areas, as compared to larger companies where departments are more specialised. There is also always an interesting problem to solve, and it is exciting to see how my parents and friends are impacted by the products I work on!

How would you describe OGP’s culture?

Everyone wants to improve the current state of things, so everyone is highly motivated to make our products better all the time. Such motivation makes everyone really involved in discussions, and communication is open! Roles are not isolated — engineers, designers, and product managers come together and work collaboratively. This makes us more understanding towards each other and see things from different perspectives.

In your opinion, what makes OGP unique?

Being in the public sector gives us different motivations and goals when we make products. We have this unique perspective, yet operate in a very fast-paced and startup environment. The problems we find and solve also have a lot of social impact on the wider community, and the way we approach them is also very user-centric, where we are allowed and even encouraged to experiment and try.

Any advice to those who might be considering a career in OGP?

Our teams are small and agile. If you like a startup culture, take a look at our work and see if they resonate with you!

Interested in working on tech for public good? Find out more and work with us!