Young Changemakers!https://dbcsingapore.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/young-changemakers1-1.jpg11481000Design Business Chamber SingaporeDesign Business Chamber Singaporehttps://dbcsingapore.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/young-changemakers1-1.jpg
Young Changemakers believe that a better future lies in a strong foundation that incorporates sustainability into the teaching pedagogy.
When we started the project, we were driven by the desire to make sure that kids had the right principles growing up from a young age, especially when it comes to sustainability.
As no one has ever done a program on sustainability, we wanted to be the first.
A cherished, destination, the Rifle Range Nature Park has restored natural forest and wetland habitats, while providing recreational spaces for the community.
Park Yourself envisions a playful series of People "Parking Lots" to engage people in various play and rest positions. where people from all walks of life can position themselves within the frames for poses and photography opportunities.
Abhay Vyas of Salesforce Advises to “Keep it Simple”https://dbcsingapore.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Swift_Review_1_1_1280-e1671078069192.jpeg12801119Design Business Chamber SingaporeDesign Business Chamber Singaporehttps://dbcsingapore.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Swift_Review_1_1_1280-e1671078069192.jpeg
As a designer, have you always been interested in the tech space? Share your journey with us. Tell us a little more about yourself.
Unconsciously yes!
I’m a young, always cheerful and passionate UX designer practising user-centred design in Bengaluru, India. I am also a well-acknowledged photographer & auto-ethnographer.
I started my career at Whirlpool India as an Interaction Design Intern working on multiple tangible interfaces, then moved to the research domain and joined CKS as a researcher. After exploring research, I joined Info Edge (Naukti.com) as an interaction designer and primarily worked on the recruiter side of the products for close to three years. Later, I moved to Microsoft India and worked for 5+ years on various products like Windows Apps, Bing, and Dynamics 365.
From there, I joined Salesforce, where I’m responsible for the end-user product experience for Industries’ Common Services and Platforms. I’ve spent the last few years helping various companies to create an effortless user experience and design delightful digital products. This experience allowed me to acquire a wide range of skills as a designer.
Building products from scratch, working alongside developers, analysing customer interactions, and seeing how users use my designs and continuously improve them is what I love the most about my job!
Abhay Vyas is the brain behind the SG Mark winning project - Business Rules Engine in the Digital Solutions Category and is currently the Director of Product Design at Salesforce.
What are the greatest highlights or impacts of working at Salesforce?
Salesforce is a fast-paced and dynamic environment where we work closely with our product owners and constantly innovate.
As part of the Salesforce Industries, I had multiple opportunities to work on zero-to-one products. I lead the end-to-end product experience for Industries Public Sector Cloud. This has dramatically impacted connecting today’s government with every citizen and employee. With the help of this product, government agencies can now deliver mission impact through modern, secure, and compliantexperience.
I lead the design and product (to an extent) for the Salesforce Business Rules Engine that empowers anyone to build, test, and execute rules with a drag and drop no-code interface. This product has become a core of the Salesforce platform and won the Singapore Good Design award.
There have been a few other personal highlights as well. Salesforce supported me in completing my executive education from IIM Bengaluru, allowed my interest for mentoring new talents to manifest in reality by giving me a chance to participate in the AIGA New York mentorship program, and many more.
Working with different stakeholders in cross-departments across the organisation isn’t easy. How do you facilitate and manage your stakeholders? How would you advise your junior and why?
I would give credit to Slack for its great asynchronous and continuous collaboration. 😀
Keeping that aside, we have established clear roles in the team that have helped to keep things moving more smoothly. We have limited the number of stakeholders to only those who are essential. We have created a regular check-in and have given sign-off power to everyone involved in the project.
I would advise the team to “set the right tone”. Healthy relationships between cross-departments can significantly influence how well team members can collaborate. You can set up regular check-ins with your counterparts to understand the overall progress and challenges. Have retrospectives within the teams to understand what went well and what did not and improve things. This can foster a sense of collective responsibility for your organisation’s success and build a sense of trust across the departments.
In the past 3 years, what new habits or systems have helped improvised your life?
“Synergize”
This has helped me collaborate with people around me to create alternatives rather than settling for a compromise. While practising synergy, we have developed innovative solutions that leverage diversity and satisfy all key stakeholders.
On the personal front, I have also started focusing more on my health and have developed a few good habits like doing yoga, meditation, and a few weekly runs, which keep me at peace.
What advice would you give to any graduates who are entering the “real world”? What advice should they ignore?
“Speak up and make yourself visible.”
Ask questions and don’t hesitate to give your opinion. Talk about your work; try to expose yourself to more opportunities. This will give you a lot of visibility and help you learn fast.
“Avoid focusing on Minimum Viable Product.”
You are a designer, so use your skills to create an ideal vision that can serve as the “guiding light” that your team can constantly refer to, consult, and steer towards.
If you have a chance to place a quote on billboards across your city, what would it be and why?
“Keep it Simple.”
Everyone loves simplicity. It’s easy to articulate, understand, and execute. We should avoid providing excessively complex solutions to a problem and focus on what works given the circumstances.
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A cherished, destination, the Rifle Range Nature Park has restored natural forest and wetland habitats, while providing recreational spaces for the community.
Park Yourself envisions a playful series of People "Parking Lots" to engage people in various play and rest positions. where people from all walks of life can position themselves within the frames for poses and photography opportunities.
The Business Show Singaporehttps://dbcsingapore.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/TBSS_Banners_1000x1000px.jpg10001000Design Business Chamber SingaporeDesign Business Chamber Singaporehttps://dbcsingapore.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/TBSS_Banners_1000x1000px.jpg
Welcome to The Business Show Singapore, taking place at the Singapore Expo on the 28th & 29th of September 2022. The show will reveal the secrets of business adaptation, innovation, and survival in the business world through finding and purchasing the products and services that your business needs to take to the next level.
Singapore has won the opportunity to host ‘The Business Show’ Singapore 2022. The renowned event has been running for 25 years and provides a unique 2 days where thousands of entrepreneurs, business leaders, and business decision-makers meet to inspire one another. The Business Show Singapore is the ultimate event for entrepreneurs, business leaders and key decision-makers to explore new business opportunities. It will host over 200 expert business speakers sharing their knowledge with Singapore businesses, along with interactive workshops, networking sessions, and 1-2-1 advice sessions.
As international travel opens up, it’s a crucial time for Singapore to reignite the local economy and equally important to remind the world that Singapore is Asia’s leading global business powerhouse.
With your FREE ticket secured for the show, you can expect yourself to connect with over 300 industry-leading exhibitors, 200 inspirational seminars, countless networking opportunities, interactive masterclasses and much more! You will leave with all knowledge and resources needed to succeed. This show really is the perfect platform for businesses, small and large, to come face to face with their ideal target audience while also taking part in this incredible educational hub.
So what are you waiting for? Register for your free ticket now via https://bit.ly/PTNDBCS
Dbcs Circle Connects x IAFhttps://dbcsingapore.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Role-of-Facilitation-x-DBCS-x-IAF.png45014501Design Business Chamber SingaporeDesign Business Chamber Singaporehttps://dbcsingapore.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Role-of-Facilitation-x-DBCS-x-IAF.png
Designers are known for their love of solving problems. With bright minds and lit up eyes, they are able to derive gaps and insights with ideas and concepts to follow through.
However, how do you manage stakeholders after presenting great ideas?
In this upcoming workshop partnering with IAF, we get to learn about facilitation 101. Effective facilitation is the first step in honing in on a problem to bring about creative solutions and consensus.
Come and join us! You will get to meet new faces, engaged with knowledge and questions about facilitation. Without a doubt, you will walk away with a valuable, insightful and fruitful night from the IAF team and facilitators.
Mark your calendar on 21 July 2022, Thursday, 6:30pm-9:00pm at the Pixel(Nearest MRT station: One-North). If you are interested, you may register here: https://forms.gle/QM4hZRmENWs8vTDMA
Singapore Design Award (SDA)https://dbcsingapore.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/DBCS-SDA-150-scaled.jpg25601707Design Business Chamber SingaporeDesign Business Chamber Singaporehttps://dbcsingapore.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/DBCS-SDA-150-scaled.jpg
The Singapore Design Awards (SDA) was conceived in 1988. Launched by then PM, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, at the first Singapore International Design Forum to recognise and honour outstanding design practitioners and design students. These designers create innovative designs and use a human-centric approach in their design methodology.
Source: Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew visits a housing project. Credit: Larry Burrows via Getty Images
All nations come with a vast array of people with different cultures, heritages, and history – but only some succeed. Why? Singapore is positioned in a unique space that emphasises the importance of unity among its citizens despite our clear divides. As a consequence of this, we are also in a place that allows for effective nation-building.
Whilst our governmental bodies make huge decisions, they are also working in tandem with their citizens to build a better Singapore. Despite their best efforts, no one can solve every problem a nation has on their own. This is why ground-up initiatives are important to the future of Singapore.
This brings us to the current day. We live in, are exposed to, and are surrounded by so many good examples of good design that we barely notice. However, these designs were actually responses to the challenges that Singapore once faced. From our housing enclaves to our water system, we take many designs (read: solutions) for granted. We face no shortage of challenges – which is why it’s so important for people to unite to tackle these challenges from the ground up.
This year, 4 challenges were set forth by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment.
While each of the finalists have wildly different ideas, each of them are similar in their ideology to create a better Singapore.
Singapore Design Awards (SDA) offers individuals the chance to ideate and come up with potential solutions to the current challenges that Singapore faces. While submissions to SDA only require ideas, winners of SDA will be given seed money to prototype their projects to make their designs a reality. Our four finalists have already launched their designs – and are trailblazing the way for Singapore’s future.
Want to be notified of the next open call for SDA? Interested in learning more about our other events? Keen on meeting like-minded designers and potential collaborators? Join our DBCS membership today for free.
Hunger for Supper that Sparked Scratchbachttps://dbcsingapore.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Core-Team-2.png40002667Design Business Chamber SingaporeDesign Business Chamber Singaporehttps://dbcsingapore.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Core-Team-2.png
Cheryl, one of the co-founders of Scratchbac shares about her motivation and inspiration behind the ground-up project.
Tell us a little more about yourself
My background is in mechanical engineering and product design. Since 2020, I’ve been working on a start-up I co-founded, Scratchbac, which is a proximity-based favour app where people in the community can give or receive help and resources from one another.
I am also currently pursuing my masters at Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) under the Innovation by Design programme. Concurrently, I also volunteer at TechforShe, mentoring and helping to facilitate UIUX workshops.
I would say I have a strong passion for user-centric tech and aspire to make a difference in people’s lives and the community through innovative solutions to everyday problems.
I’m also a strong advocate for design thinking education and hope to help people of all ages to get into the design landscape.
How did Scratchbac come about?
My co-founders and I came to the idea of Scratchbac because of personal problems we faced during SG’s circuit breaker period. For me personally, circuit breaker came into implementation during my final term and by then, I was already quite used to ‘university hall life’ having stayed in hall for the past few years. So, one night I was up late rushing a project and really wanted supper. Normally, I would have no problem ‘jio-ing’ other students in our SUTD group chat to share delivery fees. But stuck at home, I had to either go hungry or bite the bullet and pay the exorbitant delivery costs myself. This started the train of thought: “Why can’t I just ‘jio’ the neighbours around me instead?”
What is your greatest learning experience from running Scratchbac?
That good design is far from just creating the perfect product. In the context of a start-up, everything is limited – time, money, manpower (and as a student start-up, we even lack experience). Early in the game, I often came up with crazy ideas and designs which I believed would solve the user problems in the best way possible. But often those ideas would get thrown out or be stuck in the backlog perpetually because they were just not feasible to be built with the resources that we had. It took a while but eventually I came to appreciate the idea of what we call the ‘build, measure, learn and iterate’ cycle. As a start-up, it’s not about building perfect versions of features from the get go but rather just what is good enough to test the hypothesis within our limited resources and building up from there.
It required a lot of humility on my part as a designer to move from seeing these limits as hindrances to appreciating them as opportunities for more nuanced learning. When development cycles are so tight, you are really forced to think hard about each decision you commit to making which I feel helps me grow as a designer as well.
As a Co-founder, has entrepreneurship changed the way you view the world?
Yeah definitely. One thing that is abundantly clear in entrepreneurship is that success doesn’t happen by accident. It happens by design. Of course, there is an element of luck or good timing in entrepreneurship – but fundamentally, if you don’t put the work in, you aren’t going to go anywhere.
So, if you have a problem that you’re passionate about solving, put in the work and get it done. Don’t get hung up on the what-ifs and naysayers. Get serious, double down and be confident in what you’re doing. People are naturally going to respect and respond to that.
How do you recharge after work? Do you prefer a social gathering or a quiet retreat?
For me, my work involves a lot of ‘social activity’, be it discussions with my teammates, talking to users or different stakeholders. So usually, I’m more than happy to spend weekday nights in, watching shows or YouTube to unwind.
Nevertheless, I’m quite a FOMO kind of person, so I rarely say no if my friends ever want to go out for some good food & drinks or for some heart to heart convos. Also at Scratchbac, we do have weekly ‘sports days’ where we try new sports together – which is a great way for us to get to know each other outside of work and to let off some steam if needed HAHA!
Are there any books or podcasts that have impacted your life deeply that you would recommend to your friends?
Hmmm deeply impacted… I’m not too sure but I recently read ‘Seven Brief Lessons on Physics’ by Carlo Rovelli which I found quite intriguing. (I think if I didn’t end up pursuing design, I would have considered going into research on quantum physics instead!). Other good Introduction to Design reads include ‘Nudge’ by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein, ‘Hooked’ by Nir Eyal, ‘The Mom Test’ by Rob Fitzpatrick.
As a winner of Singapore Design Awards and Singapore Good Design Awards (SG Mark), what does it mean to you?
Hahaha to be honest I was quite shocked when I found out we won. To see our tiny start-up up there with all these well-known companies is honestly extremely humbling and it’s definitely a huge honour. But for me, I think the biggest takeaway has to be the connection to the design community that these awards have opened the doors to. Getting to meet and learn from this wide array of talented designers and solutions has been a great experience that has challenged me to grow even more as a designer.
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A cherished, destination, the Rifle Range Nature Park has restored natural forest and wetland habitats, while providing recreational spaces for the community.
Park Yourself envisions a playful series of People "Parking Lots" to engage people in various play and rest positions. where people from all walks of life can position themselves within the frames for poses and photography opportunities.
Design Crawl 2022: GovTech & Scratcbachttps://dbcsingapore.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Design-Crawl_June_Teaser_Post.png10801080Design Business Chamber SingaporeDesign Business Chamber Singaporehttps://dbcsingapore.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Design-Crawl_June_Teaser_Post.png
“Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.” Communities create an interconnected web of people that help to support and care for one another. The power of community is unparalleled – so how can we use design and tap onto this to create a better world?
Join 2 of our SG Mark 2022 winners – Government Technology Agency Singapore (GovTech) and Scratchbac in this event to learn about how design and technology can be used to leverage the power of community.
“Dumpster Diving” to Recycle Righthttps://dbcsingapore.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/1-Recycle-Right-Bins-project-1-JEM.jpg20481535Design Business Chamber SingaporeDesign Business Chamber Singaporehttps://dbcsingapore.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/1-Recycle-Right-Bins-project-1-JEM.jpg
Tommy from STUCK Design is following his passion for solving problems through his sustainable designs.
Tell us a little more about yourself
After graduation from NUS as an Industrial Designer in 2020, I am currently at STUCK Design.
As an Industrial Designer, my focus is to design sustainable and ambitious solutions which improve the quality of life. I also aim to create innovative products with a systematic and thorough iterative approach.
How did your award-winning ‘Recycle Right’ Bins project come about?
It was in NUS that I learnt about the issue of contamination in recycling in Singapore. I found out that almost all the plastic recyclables collected in Singapore are rejected by recycling companies.
This issue stuck with me; how can we recycle right with better design? I took on this challenge on my FYP, building on my seniors’ projects and their insights. I reached out to the NUS administration and offered to redefine how we treat the recycling experience with a bin design to tackle this problem.
Thankfully, they were keen to collaborate. I think student projects tend to be short-lived, more so on conceptual fidelity.
By working with the NUS administration, I hoped to test my ideas on the ground, and make a real impact beyond my FYP.
Share with us a memorable process of Recycle Right Bins?
Twice a week for 3 months, I spent my afternoons “dumpster diving” at the campus canteen. I engaged in ground research with a pair of tongs, a mask and a pair of sturdy rubber gloves. The objective was to find out what people were throwing into the recycling bins and find ways to ensure their efforts do not go to waste. My course mates would sometimes find me behind the canteen crouched over a heap of trash. When I tell them that was part of my FYP, some of them would reply with scepticism. But it was something I chose to do as part of the discovery process.
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A cherished, destination, the Rifle Range Nature Park has restored natural forest and wetland habitats, while providing recreational spaces for the community.
Park Yourself envisions a playful series of People "Parking Lots" to engage people in various play and rest positions. where people from all walks of life can position themselves within the frames for poses and photography opportunities.
Join us for the BIG reveal at Singapore Design Awards!https://dbcsingapore.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Singapore-Design-Awards-2022.jpg10801080Design Business Chamber SingaporeDesign Business Chamber Singaporehttps://dbcsingapore.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Singapore-Design-Awards-2022.jpg
The award was conceived in 1988 and unveiled by then Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew at the first Singapore International Design Forum. It honours outstanding individuals and companies for creating innovative designs and applying a human-centric approach. This year, we’ve changed the game to acknowledge the evolution of a designer’s role.
Designers have a natural problem-solving ability that combines creativity with innovative thinking – and they are paramount in creating designs that can help tackle problems in our society.In partnership with The Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment and The Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, the awards have been redesigned to be relevant to the current challenges that Singapore is facing whilst being a launchpad for designers to turn them into opportunities for brilliant design solutions.
Event details Date: 27 June 2022, 2.30pm onwards Venue:10 Central Exchange Green #01-02, PIXEL Singapore 138649 Guest of Honour: Ms Sim Ann, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of National Development
Dress Code: Smart Casual
*Due to limited capacity of the venue, we will give priority to the awards finalists and members of DBCS Circle. Kindly note that RSVPs will be managed on a first-come-first-served basis.
Breaking Conventions as a Playscape Designerhttps://dbcsingapore.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/street-dance-event.jpg1280960Design Business Chamber SingaporeDesign Business Chamber Singaporehttps://dbcsingapore.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/street-dance-event.jpg
Shi Yun from Playpoint Asia Singapore cannot wait for the day when she sees children enjoy the playscapes she designed.
Tell us a little more about yourself and what do you do at Playpoint Singapore?
I studied Industrial Design at NUS and graduated last year. Being a playscape designer at Playpoint Singapore is my first full-time job since I graduated. As a playscape designer, I design custom playgrounds, from the conceptualisation to 3D development of the space and play equipment. I think about how to design playscapes which encourage the children to take risks, learn, and have lots of fun!
What do you love most about your job?
I love it whenever I have the chance to come up with new playscape concepts that break the conventional notions we have of a playscape. I’m a new designer so I haven’t had the chance to see my designs come to life. But I think seeing children playing on playscapes I designed in the future would probably be the most fulfilling part of the job.
Describe your personal design style
I don’t really have a specific design style but more of a design approach. I usually try to look at and interpret what I am designing in other ways that are uncommon and explore those interpretations through my design.
What’s your advice for those who are passionate about pursuing a career as a Playscape Designer?
Play is powerful, it enables children to interact, take risks, learn and grow in various areas. If you believe in the power of play for the children, that would be a good start! As a playscape designer, I believe it’s important to always be trying to push the boundaries, to always think about how we can make the playscapes more interesting for children to develop, learn and grow. And another personal belief I have is that more is not necessarily always good. If purposefully designed, sometimes having less “elements” in the playscape might inspire the children to play more.
Outside of work, what do you enjoy doing?
I love street dance! And I enjoy going on food adventures with my family and friends to find new, good delicacies!
What made you join dbcs circle / our recent circle connects event?
I joined one of the recent events as I have always been interested in inclusive/universal design and how we could better approach it. It was eye opening to see what has been designed so far for the communities and how different people from various sectors approach inclusive design. It was my first Circle Connects event and I’m excited to participate in more such events to connect with others and have a good exchange of thoughts!
What is one thing you had to learn the hard way?
I think that would be learning to not lose sight of what I believe in and the main purpose behind each design/project. Design requirements and criteria should still be met but it’s important to constantly circle back and remind ourselves of the core of the project and make sure that our design is trending towards that direction.
What is good design?
Good design is one which has empathy for people (and often goes unnoticed).
Like what you read? Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Linkedin and Youtube to get the latest updates!
A cherished, destination, the Rifle Range Nature Park has restored natural forest and wetland habitats, while providing recreational spaces for the community.
Park Yourself envisions a playful series of People "Parking Lots" to engage people in various play and rest positions. where people from all walks of life can position themselves within the frames for poses and photography opportunities.
