Crafting Experiences
Over time, a number of design approaches, models, and processes have emerged to help us empathize, clarify, create, and improve. Each one brings its own nuances, but at the core, product design is about solving real problems through empathy, collaboration, and continuous iteration.
When we consistently put customers at the center, listening deeply, responding thoughtfully and iterate with intention then great outcomes will follow. That’s how products are shaped that not only function well and meet business goals, but also connect emotionally with users. That’s when customers become advocates and products evolve into experiences people love.
Understanding
Contextual enquiry
During my time on the Driver Experience team at Grab, I was involved in designing a more unified, digital experience for driver sign-ups and onboarding across Southeast Asia. Each country had developed its own processes, often relying on manual steps tailored to local needs. To better understand these variations and design an inclusive solution, I conducted contextual inquiries in key markets, one of which was Vietnam. By observing the end-to-end onboarding process in the local context, I gained valuable insights into operational workflows, pain points, and user behavior. These learnings directly informed our design decisions, helping ensure the new digital experience was adaptable, efficient, and sensitive to regional differences.
Exploring
Co-creating with the teams
During the exploration phase to improve the engagement and retention of the MealPlan app at CaterSpot, I designed and facilitated this 2-day workshop in Kuala Lumpur. Bringing together cross-functional stakeholders from Singapore and Malaysia including Product, Engineering, Marketing, and Account Management to create a space for collaborative thinking and aligned problem-solving.
Together, we mapped the user journey from onboarding to post-purchase engagement and identified key areas for improvement across multiple user groups. To generate ideas, I used structured writing and sketching exercises, followed by a lightning gallery share, where participants presented their ideas and explained the rationale behind them. This ensured not only clarity but also sparked valuable discussions and cross-team insights. We then collaboratively prioritized the ideas based on impact and desirability.
Post-workshop, I synthesized the outputs into actionable insights to guide the next stages of design and development. This collaborative effort not only uncovered overlooked opportunities but also fostered shared ownership of the product vision.
Immersive shadow session
To gain a deeper understanding of the day-to-day realities of Grab Express delivery drivers in Jakarta, we conducted shadowing sessions. This involved immersing ourselves in their daily routines, from the moments before their workday began until its completion. We started at one driver's home, where we observed and experienced her living environment, daily preparations, and family dynamics. Throughout the day, I accompanied her on deliveries, shared lunch, and engaged in candid conversations that revealed her motivations, challenges, and aspirations. This immersive shadow session allowed me to gather rich, contextual insights that go beyond transactional user behavior, informing design decisions that are not only functionally effective but also emotionally and socially.
Testing
Mobile field testing
To test the redesigned transaction feature in the Grab Driver app, we conducted a mobile field study in Indonesia. Over three days, two research teams traveled on scooters across central Jakarta (the most efficient way to get around dense urban traffic) to reach popular gathering spots where drivers usually hang out in between jobs.
This mobile approach allowed us to engage with a wide range of drivers in their natural habitat, giving more depth and authenticity to the insights we gathered. It also lowered the barrier to participation, enabling drivers to test the prototype and provide feedback without disrupting their workday. As a gesture of appreciation, we offered reusable water bottles as incentives as an alternative to the cash or vouchers typically used in UX lab testing. Interestingly, driver engagement and willingness to participate remained high even after we ran out of bottles for the day, suggesting that our efforts to make the testing experience convenient and respectful of their time could have played a role in sustaining interest.
I created a digital prototype that combined the current transaction design with the new design components, allowing us to test familiarity alongside the iterated design within a realistic context. To reflect the variety of driver types, we also included a short profiling questionnaire to ensure that we received input from a diverse mix of Grab drivers across vehicle types and services, including transport, express and food delivery. The insights we gathered revealed key areas for improvement, which we addressed before handing off to engineering
Moderated Usability Testing
To test the usability of the earnings history feature for the driver app, we conducted several UX research sessions with Grab drivers from different services in Jakarta.During these sessions, participants interacted with my prototype and compared physical printouts of graphs as part of a moderated interview conducted in Bahasa Indonesia. I was seated close to the participants behind a one-way mirror in an observation room, where I sat alongside the PM and a simultaneous translator. This setup allowed us to interpret the drivers behaviors and responses in real time, and to follow the moderated dialogue for deeper contextual understanding and analysis.
