From Mountain View to Tokyo: Meet the self-taught Singapore UX designer who is the driving force behind multiple projects at Google and YouTube

“UX design is the great equaliser.”

Singapore UX designer Xinni C.’s journey has been nothing short of unorthodox. Once a wide-eyed teenager obsessed with anime and manga, to becoming the first Singapore UXer at Google and championing some of the biggest design projects in YouTube, her career progression has been jam-packed with incredible milestones.

“Regardless of your background, you can end up having a flourishing career in UX design,” she shares. “Personally, I’m from computer science. But you could have a background in psychology, or graphic design, or any other degree, and bring all those unique viewpoints to the table, and have them influence your design perspective in wonderful ways.”

After working in some of the world’s most sought-after tech offices, and traversing the globe, Xinni’s latest pit-stop is in Tokyo, as one of the Founding UXers behind Google Travel Japan.
 

A self-taught coder turned UX designer
 

Xinni’s first foray into anything remotely UX design-related started when she was a teenager teaching herself how to code. “Tech felt so accessible then. Everyone was building their own GeoCities sites, and I wanted in on the fun” she recalls.

“I got completely hooked — diving deep into DeviantArt, Neopets, and tinkering endlessly with HTML.”

And while she loved UX design, she went the software engineering route in her Computing course at the National University of Singapore. “At the time, Singapore did not have a strong UX design scene, especially when it came to education,” she explains.

Despite the limited local scope of UX design education then, there were some courses that Xinni credits to making her a better designer. “A couple of my classes focused on front-end developing, which helped me become a better coder,” she says.

Armed with a slew of software engineering projects under her belt post-graduation, she hoped they would double up as design projects. “I figured that since I ended up ‘designing’ these works, they would showcase my dual abilities to code and design,” she says.
 

Becoming a Googler
 

Xinni’s strategy paid off, with her body of work landing her a design internship at Google – which she was able to convert into a full-time UX design role, despite not possessing any formal qualifications in the specialisation.

Realising that she was the company’s first Singaporean UX designer, Xinni initially felt lonely.

“I wanted to find others like me – designers who grew up mostly in Singapore, so we could talk about our common background,” she shares.

“I couldn’t find anyone else like me, but luckily, the rest of the intern cohort, most of whom were from the United States, became my community. Some of us remain close friends to this day.”

Her full-time opportunity came about when she was asked to take on a role as the first designer at Google Singapore. However, she felt differently about how she wanted her career trajectory to pan out.

“Because I was just starting out, I decided to head to YouTube in Silicon Valley instead, where there is a large design community, and more mentorship opportunities,” she says.

As a full-time UX designer for Google, Xinni’s work included designing a go-to for web features (which refers to essential features of websites and applications) for YouTube Community.

She was one of the creative minds behind YouTube Messages – a feature which allows users to share videos via direct messages on YouTube – and subscription recommendations, which tailored channel suggestions based on what you watched, searched, and already loved.

Here, she was tasked to hand-code a Javascript browser plugin to generate a simulation of how one would actually receive messages while browsing YouTube. “This ended up helping the engineering team get more accurate insights about this feature,” she shares.

Providing further context on why this was such a significant development, Xinni explains, “Coded prototypes are a rarity within the designer sphere. I always made sure to perform this level of fidelity for all my prototypes, which earned me the respect of my team.”

However, her most popular project at Google, which ended up with thousands of unique viewers, was the world’s first scaled research on how designers and engineers collaborate.

Titled “UX/ENG Collaboration”, the project highlighted the top challenges engineers face when implementing designs, and how they need to account for all cases, including errors and accessibility issues.

Once Google gave her permission to publish the works externally, she delivered several tech talks on the topic, including one at government technology company OpenGov.

She credits her design sensibilities to her peers and colleagues, many of whom have served as sources of inspiration.

“In the Bay Area, I was surrounded by immensely talented designers who inspired me greatly,” she shares. “I would try to incorporate their storytelling approach to my own work.”

She admits to feeling a case of imposter syndrome after wrapping up YouTube Messages. “I didn’t even have a UX design degree and yet here I was with a full-time role at Google,” she shares.

“But somehow, I did it anyway. I made it happen. As long as my team supports me, I can make magic happen.”

Xinni’s background, which makes her fluent in both coding and design, has earned her considerable respect from the engineers in her team.

“As someone with a Computer Science background, I understand firsthand how long it takes to code something – usually double the time for design, she explains. “This makes discussions and negotiations with engineers much easier for all, because I can speak their language.”

After being promoted to senior UX designer at Google, she spearheaded several groundbreaking design projects.

Among these are: YouTube Gaming, a then-major YouTube vertical offering gameplay livestreams that boasted billions of yearly watch hours; Android Premium Singapore, which involved building a physical “mini Android store” within the Google office; GPay Japan; and Google Travel Japan, a feature offering beauty, wellness, and lifestyle recommendations to Japanese users.

And given how gaming is an integral component of Xinni’s life, she found herself having to walk a delicate line between making decisions based on what her team (most of whom were serious gamers) would love, and what their wider audience needed.

“I love gaming so much, and so do most of my teammates. And because gaming is a topic we are all so passionate about, and each of us brings strong opinions to the table when it comes to gaming, it was challenging to stay objective, at times,” she admits.

“However, because of the extensive user research we undertook, we needed to make data-driven decisions that would benefit all. After all, we were not just designing for ourselves. As a result, staying objective in situations like this is really important.”
 

Starting a new chapter in Tokyo
 

Google Travel Japan eventually brought Xinni to Tokyo — now the city she calls home. Commenting on the difference in speeds between corporate life in Silicon Valley and Japan, she mentions how career-wise, things tend to slow down these days.

“Big tech companies are usually invested in growing the headquarters. So, if you’re in a smaller office, where not many people get promoted, and you want to find new challenges, it can be hard,” she shares.

Despite the slower career growth in Japan, Xinni remains focused on contentment. “At work, what I enjoy the most is that my co-workers and I have a great working relationship. We’re passionate about what we’re building. I have time to introspect about my life and what keeps me going. I have time to try my hand at new things.”

Among these experiences, her most memorable so far includes visiting an onsen (Japanese hot spring) with her team.

“At the time, we were working on making onsens more discoverable. To really immerse ourselves in the project (no pun intended), we decided to take a trip to an onsen and discover what it was like for our users,” she recalls.

“I used the insights from that trip for better product development.”

And after having lived and worked in Japan for a while, Xinni now has a better understanding of Japanese design aesthetics and philosophies, and how they show up natively, compared to the commonly-presented aesthetics shown in mainstream media.

“Most people in the West think of Japan as this place of wabi-sabi and zen, these “clean” design philosophies.

And while that’s true to a certain extent, most of Japan does not operate in those modalities,” she explains. “If you ever visit places like Shinjuku or Akihabara, you’ll see bright lights and walls of neon-emblazoned text everywhere.”

“In reality, Japanese users love being prepared, so they tend to gravitate towards huge swathes of information and appreciate a lot of details.

So, we often end up designing interfaces that would be “cluttered” by Western standards but are actually preferred by the Japanese.”
 

Juggling different communication styles
 

So far, Xinni has spent time in three international locales – Singapore, Silicon Valley, and Japan. She cites Silicon Valley as the place that has left the deepest impact on her. “Most of my work experience has been shaped by my time in Silicon Valley,” she reminisces.

She also mentions how certain personality traits, which guaranteed success in a relentless environment like Silicon Valley, did not necessarily translate very well in an Asian context.

“My personality is direct, and I tend to be assertive in my communication,” she says.

“However, in Singapore and Tokyo, I had some trouble with how I was perceived. My intentions might have come off as rude or aggressive – even though the way I spoke was commonplace in Silicon Valley. That is just how we work.”

The same candidness is something Xinni applies to her own leadership style as well. “I try to be as authentic to myself as possible, which means, often, I am really direct,” she says. “However, I try to tweak my communication style when I’m in Asia.”

This stark contrast in communication styles between America and Asia continued to show up in other ways for her.

“In Asia, there is less of an impetus to speak up. So not only do I have to actively encourage my team to do it more often, I also have to create a safe space for them to speak their minds, whereas in America, from the get-go, everyone likes to throw in their opinions,” she acknowledges.

Xinni’s direct and assertive communication style has earned her the label of being intimidating, especially when it comes to negotiations. However, direct conversations with collaborators have helped both parties see eye-to-eye on issues.

“There was a time when I had trouble agreeing with a co-worker on what to prioritise,” she recalls. “However, I realised that I was only thinking about what my team needed to do.

Our conversation gave me clarity on his challenges and helped me better understand how to approach resource and time management.”

Despite the hiccups around communication, Xinni has enjoyed her work in Asia. “My favourite part about it is being able to solve problems for diverse user bases, such as merchants in India and consumers in Japan,” she says.

“I’ve learnt that a “one-size-fits-all" approach will not fit everyone’s needs. It’s taught me to be a better advocate for inclusive design, given my work designing for global audiences.
 

Finding community in alternate spaces
 

While Xinni found making friends in Japan to be a bit of an uphill battle, she nevertheless was able to carve out a community for herself, thanks to her love for anime and gaming.

“I like sharing my art, and the act of creating physical merchandise for a community I can surround myself with,” she mentions.

As a frequenter of anime conventions like Anime Festival Asia (Singapore), Anime Expo (Los Angeles), and SMASH! Anime Convention (Sydney), she is no stranger to fostering strong connections within these communities.

She has also found ways to translate her personal passions into compelling work projects. “Because I can create physical merchandise, I would create keychains and T-shirts for Google’s Anime Club,” she shares.

“I love that within Google, I can find communities to contribute to and leverage my talents in a work setting. For instance, when people wanted to create slide decks and projects, I would draw fun characters for them. I would even create resources on how people can make their presentations better.”

Besides showing up at creative spaces, Xinni has also found community in fellow Singaporeans and Americans living in Japan.

She has also attended National Day dinners hosted collectively by the Singapore Global Network and the Singapore Embassy in Tokyo, where she and other Singaporeans came together to enjoy local delights for a night.
 

Advice for the younger generation
 

The UX landscape is going through a restructuring of sorts, thanks to the latest developments in artificial intelligence, coupled with the emerging needs of tech companies and customers alike.

And while the space looks a lot different than the environment Xinni flourished in, her advice remains applicable to aspiring designers today.

“To other young UX designers, or even to anyone looking to go into this field, I will say that formal education does matter, insofar that it will get you a foot in the door and help you create meaningful connections,” she advises.

“The tech companies will come looking to recruit you, especially if you are enrolled at the top universities in the U.S.,” she shares. “However, I am mindful that this is a privileged take, and not everyone can afford a US$100,000 a year-overseas education.”

For those like herself, who do not have formal qualifications in the UX design space, yet are committed to their craft, Xinni offers alternatives. “Attend meetups, connect with people on LinkedIn, and create meaningful relationships with other people in the industry,” she advises.

“Getting your brand out there and making connections will give you some advantages. But to be honest, it’s going to be harder. But as long as you’re constantly experimenting and reinventing yourself, teaching yourself new things, and creating a solid brand, you’ll be alright.”

Another component of landing a meaningful UX design opportunity is the ability to stand out, according to Xinni.

“At a certain point in your career, it’s no longer about merely designing something. While being a good designer is the base requirement, you need to stand out from the competition,” she says.

“There are a lot of people gunning for spots at major tech companies. You need something that makes you distinct from the crowd, something that convinces the recruiters to take a chance on you. Have a competitive advantage. In my case, it was having programming experience and being able to converse with engineers in their language.”

Xinni also recommends budding UX designers to practice discernment while experimenting with AI tools (while being mindful of current ethical arguments and considerations) and having an insatiable drive for curiosity and exploration.

“Do all that and trust me – you’ll go places.”
 

Source: This article was first published by the Singapore Global Network (SGN), a 140,000+ strong network connecting professionals and building communities across the globe. For networking events, industry insights and stories like this, join SGN here.