My final-year project in polytechnic wasn’t just another school assignment.

It was personal.

I designed something to help my parents—both of whom are wheelchair users.

It wasn’t about aesthetics. It wasn’t about trends.

It was about solving a real problem for people I cared about.

That’s when I realized:

📌 Design isn’t about making things look good.

📌 It’s about making life better.

Fast-forward a few years:

When I started teaching at Nanyang Polytechnic, I kept bringing this mindset into my classes.

I wanted students to see beyond UI, beyond portfolios, beyond aesthetics.

Because the best designers?

🚀 They don’t just build things.

🚀 They make things work for people who need them most.

That’s why I later joined NTUC Income—a company focused on serving the under-served.

They weren’t just selling insurance. They were helping people who wouldn’t normally get access to it.

And that mission? It aligned perfectly with my personal “why.”

Here’s the thing:

A fulfilling UX career isn’t just about skills or job titles.

It’s about working on problems that actually matter to you.

If you’re feeling stuck in your UX career, ask yourself:

👉 What kind of problems excite me the most?

👉 How do I want my work to impact real people?

Because when your work aligns with your values?

That’s when your career starts to feel like more than just a job.

What’s a design project that felt deeply meaningful to you? Reply and tell me.