As a designer, I believe its very important to keep myself updated with not only what’s new in the design technology but also with who are the players and fellow designers in your community. There is a reason I like to follow people in a community-
1. Network – Network – Network – Create you own cult :)
2. You can get some expert advice on a topic you are unaware of. You know who to call or ask for suggestions
3. Helps you categorise yourself in a particular group – Dreamers, Innovators, Institutionalist’s, Critics
4. Crowd sourced learning – Fill your knowledge gaps
So here I was at UXSG meetup with all the above intentions in mind.
A quick snapshot of my experience
1. The event was hosted at PayPal Singapore office ( Food and drinks! They have a free flowing vending machine – I loaded myself with ice teas every now and then)
2. Excellent organizers – Well planned logistics
3. Open Space topics – Participants could suggest design topics, something they wanted to learn from the community and get inspired
4. Discussions and Brainstorming – Interactive discussions around the suggested topics. Lots of insights, ideas, thought provoking statements, design thinking finally led to a great learning
My takeaways from this experience
– I met a lot of new people, knowing the kind of work they do was quite interesting
– Learnt about design challenges in a practical industrial scenario and how to tackle them
– Answered a big question ” What defines WOW in a product”
– Lot of thought provoking ideas on “Rationalising design to clients”
– Loved my ice tea
– Eagerly waiting for the next one. Till then ciyo :)