I joined Cuong Nguyen Private Fitness and began training in March 2024 – not just to lose weight, but to build healthier habits and make exercise a part of my daily routine. During one of our recent sessions, my personal trainer, Bằng, brought up something unexpected. He shared his concern that AI might replace personal […]
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 […]
This Tết (Vietnamese Lunar New Year), I wandered through the Trên Bến Dưới Thuyền flower market in District 8 – got some great afternoon photos! The name translates to “On the wharf, under the boat” reflecting its location along the waterfront and its history as a bustling market for flowers, especially during major holidays like […]
I attended the webinar on Making UX Research matter to the business, hosted by Stravito. The key takeaway was that presenting research clearly is challenging, especially when different people need different types of information. Besides learning how Stravito’s platform can help address these issues, I also gained insight into the importance of aligning research with the […]
I’m so grateful that I’m still in touch with my university friends. This post is for the friends who stood by me during some of my craziest times, who know me in ways most people don’t. They always bring positive energy to my problems. Imagine having friends who can turn any stressful difficulty into a […]
I had an amazing time connecting with the design and product community at the UXVN Festival 2024. This year’s discussions were all about defining your value, exploring new-possibilities and stepping into leadership for designers. AI and cross-team collaboration were hot topics, sparking lots of conversations. Below are some highlights that I truly connected with from […]
It was a calm, windy afternoon. I sat on a couch behind a gentleman I call ‘Ba’ – the Southern Vietnamese word for Dad. We were at our local bank, taking care of some paperwork. Since we needed to stay in a queue due to COVID-19 precautions, we had to maintain some distance from each […]
I had the opportunity to visit the Mind & Machine art exhibition at the Vietnam Festival of Creativity and Design 2023, and one project that truly caught my attention was Sống Xa Ở Gần (Living Far Away, but Staying Nearby). This Augmented Reality (AR) map, created by Andrew Stiff and Becky Lu offers an interesting experience […]
Bringing Life to Digital Products was a session shared by Jon, hosted by the RANDSTAD UX Network & Community, focusing on the concept of ‘liveness’ in digital products. Jon emphasized the importance of observing the real world, like how people engage with physical objects and their environment. AND using those insights to create digital experiences […]
It was my escape to Tà Năng – Phan Dũng in February 2019. At the time, I was a lost soul, and fate led me to meet this remarkable gentleman during one of the most challenging periods of my life. This person, and the journey itself, inspired me to keep moving forward. My time-spent with […]
In early February 2023, I had the opportunity to attend an insightful UX talk Beyond Designing: The Journey to Great Product Design, hosted by FPT Software. There were many interesting discussions, but my favorite was Storytelling in UX Design by Heilyn Nguyễn. I was inspired by the metaphors she used to illustrate the connections between […]
I recently attended the online exhibition “City” by photographer Christian Berg, hosted by the Goethe-Institut HCMC. The exhibition showcased urban life across various cities in Vietnam, highlighting both their unique qualities and the connections between them. I was inspired by the techniques he used to capture the vibrancy of city life. Takeaways Multiple Exposure My […]
I’ve always enjoyed doodling geometric patterns on paper, and by chance, I decided to create a digital version inspired by my hometown, Saigon. I ended up focusing on the pattern I love most – Vietnam’s modernist architecture. During the COVID pandemic, I spent 30 minutes daily sketching. Most of the patterns in these sketches are […]
When I first thought about the term “data visualization,” the two things that immediately came to mind were charts and colorful infographics. But after listening to the podcast How Do Designers Use Data Visualization to Take the Numb Out of Numbers, hosted by In the Making, I’ve realized there’s so much more to it. It really […]
It’s been about 14 years since my last school project, which was all about ‘Mapping the Invisible’. Honestly, I don’t remember much about how I developed that project using mapping techniques. But recently, I had the opportunity to attend a really interesting talk on Circulative Mapping, hosted by Hanoi Ad Hoc and RMIT Vietnam. The […]
I met this young lady at an art workshop. As we were all waiting for it to begin, I heard a soft voice from behind me, “Hey sis, do you want to draw on your shoebox? I have lots of pencils” I turned around and saw her sitting in a corner, pencil in hand, focused […]
I first discovered Fan Ho through his stunning photos, particularly his The Living Theatre album. I admire how he tells the stories of everyday life through light. What draws me in even more is his ability to capture people living in their moments. I had chance to join Noirfoto for a 3-hour photowalk around the […]
I first heard about pinhole cameras from a friend, who shared stories of making cameras with different types of cans when he was a kid. As living in the digital era, I was really curious about these homemade cameras and wanted to try making one myself. Two years later, I got the chance to visit a […]
Back in 2019, I was dealing with some serious work burnout, which really affected both my physical health and mental well-being. I spent most of my days in bed, focusing on taking care of my basic self-care needs – sleeping, eating, drinking water, and recovering. At the same time, my neighbor started rebuilding her house, […]
My last visit to Thảo Cầm Viên (Saigon Zoo & Botanical Gardens) was when I was around 10 or 11 years old. I don’t remember much from that time, just that we walked around the zoo, and my mom bought us ice-cream. This time, I’m back at the zoo on my own, doing the same […]