I came across a post called ‘UX/Product Designer – Midlevel rồi sao nữa?’, a workshop hosted by StayLab. ‘Rồi sao nữa?’ means ‘what’s next?’ in Vietnamese.
I did-really-spend a few solid-minutes thinking about where I stand in my design career. I then skipped over the design-level part because it felt too complicated. BUT that phrase, ‘rồi sao nữa?’ really sparked my curiosity. So, I decided to hit the sign-up button. It didn’t cost much to satisfy my curiosity tho.
The workshop featured three speakers who shared their unique journeys to their “Next” in product development. They highlighted the skills and knowledge they gained along the way, as well as the struggles they faced and the successes they achieved.
Design Leadership
I was at a point where I needed to level up and take a more active role in guiding design direction, rather than just focusing on craft work like I had for the past 10 years. I wanted my work to make a real impact on people’s lives. Although I knew the possibilities to achieve my goals, I didn’t have the confidence to take action – at least not until I attended this workshop.
Therefore, I felt truly connected to Hoai Nguyen’s leadership story. His story highlighted how these key qualities contributed to building trust within teams and strengthening relationships with stakeholders, including:
Balancing priorities
Aligning design with business goals. (Align design goals with their KPIs to gain buy-in, and once the task is completed, ensure the project’s outcomes are measured)
Listening and empathizing, as well as showing compassion to build trust among team members. (not everyone is proactive or open to sharing, so it’s important for leader to initiate those conversations)
I was also convinced by the team culture values he’s building. In my translation, it’s something like:
The team culture is reflected by the leader.
The power of belief.
Respect & Appreciation (the boundaries for healthy relationships with colleagues)
Being self-reliant, self-driven, and self-reflection.