By Wong Sze Han Darren (24S03C) and Low Jing Kai (24S03H)
The shape of this button. The font of that text. The colour of this arrow.
To most, these might seem like insignificant and arbitrary considerations, but not to Charisse Foo, a UI/UX research associate at the National University of Singapore (NUS). To her, user interface and user experience (UI/UX) design is more than shapes and colours on a website; it’s about understanding the audience you’re designing for, and crafting an experience that suits their needs.
Charisse is an RI alumnus from the class of 2012. She was part of the Humanities Programme with a rather uncommon subject combination of Literature, Economics, Mathematics, and Art. Like most of us in JC, she wasn’t fully set on what or where she wanted to study in the future. Eventually, she decided on architecture at Cornell University in the US.
The pipeline from taking H2 Art to studying architecture then becoming a UI/UX designer hasn’t been a conventional one. Still, to her, it’s been a fulfilling journey of personal growth.
“I don’t regret any of it,” she says with a smile, looking back on her journey to get where she is today.
Life in Ithaca
Charisse graduated from Cornell with a Bachelors in Architecture (equivalent to a Masters in Singapore) after a 5 year course.
“I think I still prefer the big city”, Charisse laughs, when comparing the environments between small-town Cornell and NUS.
In her spare time, Charisse took on a few design internships at architecture firms around the area. Though, most of her time was swallowed whole by the notoriously demanding Architecture curriculum.
“Focus on how you can make the most of being in such a good academic institution”, Charisse emphasises, with a refreshingly positive outlook on the large workload that she faced.
What she enjoyed most at university, however, were the multitude of projects she embarked on. From “The Art of Memory”, a mixed media exhibition on 4 towns in Italy, to “In All This House”, a hand illustrated graphic novel, Charisse’s own personal interests in photography and art really shone through in her projects.
“I really believe in [my projects]”, Charisse says when highlighting the importance of personal projects—avenues that helped her explore and express her interests throughout her schooling. Even now in her working life, she hopes to continue embarking on even more.
Extracts from “The Art of Memory” and “In All This House”.
From Architectural Design to UI/UX Design
During her 4 years in the architectural industry, Charisse worked as an architectural designer as well as an architectural visualiser, utilising CGI to create 3D models and images for firms she worked for.
Charisse particularly enjoyed creating 3D renderings of buildings, which had already been designed, for marketing purposes. “This was a whole sub-industry in between architecture and the entertainment industry, which I felt was really fun,” explained Charisse.
Charisse’s decision to switch careers came from her desire for personal growth and making an impact on people’s lives. She believed continuing on the architectural career path would have eventually led her to do the work her bosses were doing—work that was less artistic in nature and was not something she found fulfilling.
“I am not inherently interested in building buildings,” Charisse explains, “But I still am building on my skill set and evolving in a different way, so I do not feel I am giving up anything major.”
Though she has left the industry, Charisse emphasised that the study and discipline of architecture are still things that she holds dear. She felt that the firms she worked in, where commercial value and workload was valued over creative exploration, just did not suit her. However, Charisse does acknowledge that different firms do have different work cultures and her industry experience is based on the firms she worked in.
“In the university I went to, you are not just taught to be the most efficient, but you are being taught a more high-level conceptual understanding of architecture itself.” Charisse states, highlighting the difference between the study of architecture and the reality of the industry.
Charisse does however note that those who pursue architecture are able to find avenues for creative expression in freelance work and personal projects.
When all was said and done, Charisse felt her calling lay with UX/UI design. Charisse appreciated that UI/UX design allowed her to have a more immediate connection with the end user, and believed that UI/UX design, and digital products in general, will open doors to other projects she is interested in. She had briefly dabbled in the industry when she did game design in college, which sparked her interest in digital interfaces and products. Charisse’s prior experience with graphic and 3D design had also equipped her with the necessary skills to seamlessly transition into UI/UX design. Charisse was also inspired by her peers, many of whom made the switch from architecture to UI/UX design and have found success in their new roles.
Life as a UI/UX designer
Currently, Charisse is a UI/UX design research associate at the NUS School of Public Health, under its Telehealth core division, with her scope of work being covered under healthcare and Human Computer Interaction.
As of late, Charisse is working with a team of UI/UX designers to design a website with the purpose of preparing caregivers of patients with serious illnesses for end-of-life decisions, through the use of interactive forms for caregivers to reflect and gain insight on themselves and their charge.
However, being good at design is not enough for a UI/UX designer, skills such as research skills and paper writing skills are also essential for someone in the role of Charisse. As Charisse puts it, “UI focuses on building what is on your screen, the text, the button, the pictures, while UX focuses on understanding the user identity, the goals, contexts, and behaviours of the end user, which requires research.” In Charisse’s case, her research is done to better understand the attitudes of caregivers and how the forms can be designed so that caregivers are more willing to complete them. clarify, UI/UX does not usually involve coding, which is done by a separate team of programmers after the design has been approved.
Conceptually, UI/UX design is more akin to a social science, with user research being the core of UI/UX and the visual design is built upon that. In fact, some of Charisse’s colleagues do have a background in psychology.
“The UI/UX designer is the advocate for the user,” Charisse explains, highlighting that UI/UX designers prioritise the user’s needs instead of what the engineering team thinks is easiest to implement or what the business team believes is best for the company.
Charisse also enjoys the flexibility with regards to lifestyle and work her current role gives. This can be attributed to the nature of the research aspect of her UI/UX project, which is slower paced compared to other industries.
Charisse admits that this can make work less fulfilling in the short term as getting to the end product is a long process with many changes along the way.
In fact, Charisse believes that UI/UX designers should be no strangers to change. “[Change] helps to challenge the premises of what we are operating under, and it is good to try different things and not to commit too fast to one way of doing things.” Charisse says.
For aspiring design students, Charisse recommends YouTube tutorials and joining online design communities as good starting points and avenues for networking. As UI/UX is a very discussion-based industry, Charisse also highlights the importance of interpersonal skills, as most of the time, designers will be working in teams. Charisse hopes to continue her personal design projects sometime in the future, having put those aside ever since she joined the UI/UX designing.
To The Aspiring Artists…
When asked about her number one tip for aspiring artists, Charisse emphasises the importance of “building your own practice”, developing your own processes, and leveraging your own “diverse experiences that shape you as a designer”.
Charisse’s path as a designer is certainly a testament to keeping your options open and following your interests, even when they lead to something as daunting as a career switch.
Making the decision of what to study in university is often fraught with lots of back and forth, anxiety, and stress. We tend to think of it as a decision that will dictate the rest of our lives, whether we like it or not.
But that doesn’t always have to be the case. Take a page out of Charisse’s book—explore the unconventional routes, walk the roads less travelled, and find a career that you find fulfilling.