Now

Currently at the IT department of the Singapore Economic Development Board (“EDB“), but not doing anything IT-related: more about design research, in order to scope out user stories.

Biggest chunk of work has been a design-research project to flesh out and understand the causes of employee fatigue (due to end 27 Apr). I’ve shadowed three officers, and interviewed a score, using sorting-cards to tease out the tasks, time and tools used. In addition, I completed three focus group discussions in the week of 23 March, which had 20 participants across different levels of seniority. (Note to self: never, ever, EVER, organize these on three consecutive days. EVER. That was not smart.) We were about to present these findings to the Directors, when this got disrupted by the Covid Circuit Breaker.

Related to the above, I’m part of a team looking at Digital WorkPlace tools, especially around Microsoft Teams and its app ecosystem. We had tapped on the research above, and have zeroed in on the task of scheduling meetings: right now we’re understanding that task better with a few more user interviews, before we’ll attempt solutioning.

I’ve also been doing a mindfulness+kindness cultivation+design thinking training for some colleagues in our Business Environment team. This course has drawn on a few sources for inspiration: my CIID design research course last year, the kindfulness@Work course that I’ve been running at EDB for the past five years (initially inspired by Tan Chade Meng’s “Search Inside Yourself” but it has evolved to be a very different animal), but also drawing on techniques I learned from “Never Split the Difference” (negotiation book using tactical empathy, from a FBI hostage negotiator) and which I practiced as an elderly befriender and dementia screener.

In addition to the above, I’ve also been busy recently with the Covid 19 situation, which has created a lot of work for MTI with the appeals by corporates to stay open. Literally, that has sucked up about half my weeks.

Side Projects

I’m working with IDP ‘17 alum Yee Mun on a project: we’ve parked aside the book sharing project (in light of Covid and the partial lockdown of Singapore), and are exploring how to connect people through audio stories. This was partially inspired by the Netflix show “Love is Blind”.

I also gave a Dhamma talk recently, with my cat Dharma (thanks to the Buddhist Fellowship of Singapore). Maybe I should start a series called “Dhamma with Dharma”….

Concurrently, I’m also doing Scott Young’s Rapid Learner course. I have typed up the material for the first week, but am going to go back to re-look and re-think what exactly I want to apply this on. Originally I thought I’d apply it to visual design (which I like but am very slow and weak at). But my mind keeps going back to programming, especially about learning Javascript and/or Swift… :\

Mulling Over

Industry development strategy, especially for emerging industries in the post-Covid 19 world. I’m especially mulling on Ray Dalio’s study “The Changing World Order”.

Another thing I’ve been mulling on a lot, is learning strategy from the natural world, and applying it to industry, design, whatever.

Other Stuff

Reading
Good Services by Lou Downe
Admissions by Henry Marsh
Do things that don’t scale by Paul Graham

Meditating 30+ mins a day, still.

Working out
I’ve re-started the Starting Strength Linear Progression.
Using GMB.io for Focused Flexibility, especially for stretching my calves (for squatting) and hamstrings (longsit)

Updated as of 17 Apr 2020