Hi friends,
This week, I’d like to share some reflections on my growth as a designer. While sorting through some old files, I found my past portfolio, which brought back memories of my three years in mobile gaming, one year in finance, and now two years in real estate. This week, I’ve been reflecting on the differences and growth I’ve experienced between my time in mobile gaming and my current job. I’ll save my learnings from the finance industry for another time.
Growth Design vs. Core Product Design
Back in the gaming days, our products were already mature, so my work mainly focused on growth design—like setting up daily rewards, monthly challenges, and subscription models. These designs were all about meeting business needs, and we did a ton of A/B testing to support them. I also got to work on a new game from the ground up, but because the concepts were so similar, the team often joked that it felt like a side project. In contrast, I’ve always been more drawn to core product design, where I can focus on user experience. Now, my role revolves around core product design, iterating based on technical and user challenges. This year, we’ve started running more growth-related A/B testing, and I’m excited to see how my past experience can contribute to these experiments.
Mobile-First vs. Multi-Platform Design
In the gaming company, we focused on mobile first, extending to tablets and web versions. The nature of the games allowed me to create lots of animations, making the experience more engaging. Now, my design scope is much broader, covering both web and mobile platforms, and I’m dealing with more complex design systems. Unlike before, there’s less room for those fun micro-interactions; it’s more about making sure the whole system works seamlessly together.
Product Complexity
In gaming, the product was straightforward. We used vibrant colors and playful styles, with our style guides mainly applied to growth related features, new content, and marketing assets like seasonal events and App Store visuals. In my current role, the product architecture is way more complex. Sometimes it’s so intricate that I need to consult with other designers just to understand what’s feasible. The design system here is heavily used and needs to fit into existing structures while being adaptable for various use cases. We also have a dedicated design system team to ensure everything aligns and functions cohesively.
Working with Data
At the gaming company, we had weekly meetings where data analysts presented reports on daily active users, retention, and revenue. The data was straightforward, and we could easily spot trends based on game cycles and seasons. In my current role, with so many features and user interactions, it’s much harder to pinpoint insights from a single metric. I rely on analysts to help make sense of the data. With recent testing, everyone’s constantly debating which metrics matter most. I’m hoping to learn more about how design connects with these numbers.
Shifting from a UX Team of One to a Larger Design Team
Back then, I was the whole design team, handling everything from research to design, user testing, and marketing. It was fulfilling but also limiting—I had no one to bounce ideas off of. Now, I’m part of a team of over ten designers. We have regular design reviews and meetings, which help me see things from different perspectives. Working with researchers and strategists has broadened my thinking and opened up new growth opportunities.
Small Teams with Direct Communication vs. Large Teams with Diverse Stakeholders
In the gaming company, communication was straightforward. I often discussed design decisions directly with the CTO and developers and sometimes acted as a project manager to keep things on track. But now, I work with a much wider range of stakeholders—PMs, engineers, analysts, operations teams, and more. Each group has its own priorities, so clear communication and frequent alignment through meetings and presentations have become crucial skills.
Community-Driven Users vs. Helping Users Achieve Dreams
One of my favorite parts of working in gaming was seeing how players formed communities. They set up a Facebook group with more than 10k users, and every time we launched something new, there was a ton of excitement and discussion. Now, while our user base is much larger, the product is more function-driven and less about community. But on the flip side, our product helps people take real steps toward their dreams, which is incredibly rewarding in a different way.
Wrapping Up
I’ve realized that as a designer, I need to keep updating my portfolio and reflecting on my growth. Moving from a small gaming startup to finance, and now to real estate tech, I’ve learned so much—from growth-focused design to tackling complex, team-driven projects. I’m looking forward to creating more workshops, diving deeper into design strategy and data, and applying my past experiences to new challenges.
Long
嗨，讀者朋友們，
這週我想分享作為設計師的成長與反思。最近整理檔案時，看到了以前的作品集，讓我回想起自己在手機遊戲業三年、金融業一年，和現在房地產業兩年的經歷。這週我特別反思了自己在手機遊戲業和現在的成長與差異，之後有機會再分享在金融業的學習。
增長型設計 vs 核心產品設計
在遊戲公司時，產品已經很成熟，我的工作主要是增長設計，像是每日獎勵、每月挑戰，以及訂閱制度等，這些設計圍繞商業需求，並進行了大量的 A/B 測試。同時，我也參與了新遊戲的從無到有設計，但由於遊戲內容相似，團隊戲稱這些新遊戲像是 side project。相比之下，我更喜歡核心產品設計，從使用者體驗出發進行設計。現在的公司，我主要做核心產品設計，從技術和用戶問題著手進行設計迭代。今年起，團隊開始進行多種用戶增長測試，希望能將過去的經驗應用在這些實驗中。
手機為主 vs 多平台設計
在遊戲公司時，我的設計大多圍繞在手機遊戲的操作體驗，並延伸到平板和網頁版本。由於遊戲的特性，我設計了許多互動動畫，使遊戲更加生動有趣。現在，我的設計範圍更廣，需要同時考慮網頁和手機平台，設計系統也更加複雜，與過去不同的是，現在較少有機會專注於微互動細節設計，而是要考慮整體系統的協調性與一致性。
產品複雜度與設計應用
在遊戲公司時，設計使用多元的遊戲顏色與風格，設計系統的應用集中在增長設計、新遊戲設計和行銷設計上，如季節性活動和 App Store 的行銷素材。現在的公司，因產品架構複雜，設計系統的應用範圍更廣，也必須基於既有架構進行設計，還需與不同部門合作，設計需求和廣度都大不相同，也需要透過各種工作坊讓大家的想法對齊。
數據指標的應用
在遊戲公司時，每週例會由數據分析師提出報告，檢視每日用戶活躍量、留存率、收益等指標，這些數據固定且明確，因遊戲模式穩定，也能清楚看到季節性變化。而現在的公司，由於用戶操作的功能更多，難以從單一數據中看出關聯，必須依賴數據分析師的建議。像是最近的用戶增長測試，大家在討論適合的數據指標，希望藉此學習更多數據與設計的聯繫。
設計團隊規模的變化
在遊戲公司時，設計流程由我一人負責，從前期研究到設計、用戶測試和行銷設計，設計專業發展上非常侷限。現在，我在一個十幾人的設計團隊中，每週有設計評論和討論，能從不同角度思考設計，也有專業的設計研究與策略同事合作，提供多元的設計視角，讓我的設計思路更廣。
小公司直接溝通 vs 大公司多元利益相關者
在遊戲公司時，溝通簡單直接，常常直接與 CTO 和工程師討論設計決策，有時還需兼任專案經理，管理專案進度。而在現在的公司，利益相關者眾多，從 PM、工程師到數據和營運團隊，每個人的需求不盡相同，需要大量的會議和簡報來對齊目標，這讓我學會如何清晰表達設計意圖與方向。
用戶社群的互動 vs 幫助用戶實現夢想
在遊戲公司時，我最喜歡的是觀察玩家的社群互動，玩家們在線上建立了上萬人的玩家群組，每次推出新遊戲或新活動時，都有熱烈的反應和討論。現在的公司，雖然用戶數量龐大，但產品導向不同，用戶以功能為主，較少形成社群。但我們的產品幫助用戶實現夢想，這讓我有另一種成就感。
最後
我最近發現，身為設計師無論在哪個職涯階段，都要更新作品集。從小型遊戲公司到金融業，再到現在的房地產科技公司，公司規模、產品複雜度和團隊成熟度的不同，都塑造了現在的我。未來，我希望能參與更多工作坊，學習更多設計策略，並將過去的經驗應用到新的挑戰中，下次見！
Long