Xian

I'm Xian (pronounced see-ann). Product designer based in Singapore. Comfortable in chaos. Probably too comfortable.

Before product design, I was in advertising. That's where I learnt how to build narratives, which turns out to be surprisingly handy when you're redesigning a legacy system and need to get 30 stakeholders on the same page. Product design stuck because I like being the reliable friend. The one who shows up with a solution. Not the one who shows up with snacks though. That's on you.

I've experimented my way through the Growth team at Grab and shaped how millions of people interact with money in the Grab Financial Group. Most recently, I rebuilt a government system that hadn't been touched in years. That last one was a bit like being an archaeologist and a gardener at the same time. You dig things up, figure out what's still alive, and slowly grow something new around the old.

Currently, as the only designer on my product team, I learnt to wear every hat in the room. Design, research, product strategy, QA, prompt engineering, evaluation frameworks, coded prototypes. If it needed doing, it was my job.

Outside of work, I make things with my clay as @xian.things. Functional wares, sculptures, characters that started as illustrations and became something you can hold. I also volunteer with Ground-Up Initiative, helping to build sustainable communities through hands-on, heart-centred work. Turns out I like getting my hands dirty in every sense.

I like the work most people find overwhelming. That's usually where I do my best.