Throughout my career, I never really saw myself as someone suited for a design lead role. The 2 times I stepped into that position, I was asked to take it on by the directors, and I wasn’t fully prepared. It was tough to balance team dynamics while also leading the design direction. I didn’t feel like I performed as good as I wanted to. So, I made the decision to focus on sharpening my design skills and deepening my understanding of the process, rather than jumping into a management track right away.
In 2024, I realized I wanted to have a bigger impact on product decisions. I was especially drawn to helping shape the overall strategy, bringing teams together, and making sure the user experience stays consistent and high-quality throughout the product.
To make that happen, I’m aiming to step into a leadership role. It’s time to really contribute to the product’s success.
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 by balancing user experience with business needs. Ensure smooth collaboration between design, engineering, and product management throughout the process.
Product vision alignment: Learn how to define, communicate, and align the product vision with business goals. Make sure design decisions support these objectives and contribute to the overall strategy.
Prioritizing & frameworks: Understand how to prioritize features based on their impact. Get familiar with product management frameworks like OKRs and KPIs to ensure design efforts stay aligned with company goals.
Feedback-driven evaluation: Learn how to gather both qualitative data – like user feedback from interviews, surveys, and usability testing – and quantitative data, such as analytics and conversion rates. Use this information to evaluate the success of design decisions.
Analytics: Learn how to use data to evaluate design success and guide informed decisions.
Feedback & communication: Learn how to give constructive feedback and foster a culture of open, respectful communication. Develop the skills to lead conversations that encourage discussion, collaboration, and brainstorming.
Resolving conflicts: Learn strategies for resolving disagreements while keeping the team focused and maintaining a positive, collaborative environment.
Emotional awareness: Be able to sense unspoken emotional shifts within teams and offer timely support or adjust communication to maintain harmony and collaboration.
Building trust: Learn how to build trust with the team and stakeholders by being reliable, transparent, and supportive.
Decision-making: Sharpen problem-solving skills and make quick, thoughtful decisions that keep projects on track and aligned with the overall vision.
Storytelling: Improve storytelling skills to communicate design decisions in a clear, impactful way.
I’m working on 2 personal projects in my free time. I love the freedom they give me to design things my-own-way.
The Health Coach app connects personal health coaches with their clients, allowing coaches to motivate and track progress. It creates a supportive and engaging experience that helps clients stay on track throughout their health journeys.
The Zoo Encyclopedia app helps visitors discover and learn about wildlife. It’s a fun way to connect with nature and get the most out of a trip to the Saigon Zoo. Visitors will find facts about animals and exhibits, making their visit even more exciting and memorable.
These 2 projects are inspired by my own experiences and personal needs. Stay tuned for updates!