Throughout my career, I never saw myself as someone suited for a design lead role. The two times I took on this responsibility were because I was assigned by the directors, and I wasn’t fully prepared for it. I found it challenging to balance managing team dynamics while leading the design direction, and I didn’t perform as well as I had hoped. So, I decided to focus on improving my design skills and gaining a deeper understanding of the process.
However, in 2024, I realized that I wanted to have a greater influence on product decisions, particularly in shaping the overall product strategy, driving collaboration within cross-functional teams, and ensuring a consistent, high-quality user experience across the entire product. To achieve this, I believe transitioning into a leadership role, where I can take responsibility for guiding and coordinating the efforts of different teams, ensuring alignment, and contributing to the overall success of the product, is the right next step.
In the next 5 years (2025-2030), my design vision is to create products where design plays a central role in shaping high-quality user experiences that are deeply aligned with both user needs and business objectives, while also nuturing a culture of collaboration and growth across teams.
As I begin this new chapter, my focus will be on creating user-centric products and building strong teamwork. It’s a challenging journey for me, but these are the first steps toward progress.
I will focus on building products that meet both business goals and user needs, ensuring they provide real value and a great experience for everyone.
I’ll work on creating a team environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing ideas, working together, and learning from each other. I believe by keeping communication open and respecting each other’s perspectives, we can solve problems more easily and come up with better ideas for the product.
This is a starting list of the knowledge I want to focus on for now. I'll continue to expand and refine this list as I grow.
Stakeholder alignment: learn how to manage stakeholder expectations, especially when design decisions differ from their initial ideas. Practice communicating design choices clearly and justifying them with research and data.
Product teams alignment: learn how to align design goals with the product roadmap, balancing user experience and business needs, while ensuring smooth collaboration between design, engineering, and product management
Product vision alignment: learn how to define, communicate, and align the product vision with business goals, ensuring that design supports these objectives.
Prioritizing & frameworks: understand how to prioritize features based on impact and get familiar with product management frameworks (e.g., OKRs, KPIs) to ensure design is aligned with company goals.
Feedback-driven evaluation: learn how to collect both qualitative data (user feedback from interviews, surveys, and usability testing) and quantitative data (analytics and conversion rates) to evaluate design success.
Analytics: learn how to use data to measure design success and make informed decisions.
Feedback & communication: learn how to give constructive feedback and create a culture of open, respectful communication. Develop the ability to lead conversations that encourage discussion and brainstorming.
Resolving conflicts: learn strategies to resolve disagreements while maintaining team harmony and focus.
Emotional awareness: able to sense unspoken emotional shifts in teams and offer timely support or communication adjustments to maintain team harmony and collaboration.
Building trust: learn to build trust with my team and stakeholders by being reliable, transparent, and supportive, helping me influence decisions more effectively.
Decision-making: sharpen my ability to solve problems and make quick, thoughtful decisions that keep projects on track and aligned with the bigger vision.
Storytelling: improve my storytelling skills to communicate design decisions in a way that’s clear and impactful.
I’m working on 2 personal projects in my free time, and I love the freedom they give me to design things my-own-way.
One is a Health Coach app that connects personal health coaches with their clients. The app enables coaches to motivate their clients and track their progress, creating a supportive and engaging experience throughout their health journeys.
One is a Zoo Encyclopedia app that helps visitors to learn about wildlife, connect with nature, and enrich their experience at the Saigon Zoo.
These 2 projects are inspired by my own experiences and personal needs. Stay tuned for updates!