Tell us about yourself
I'm Steven Ma. I've been a UX designer in the United States for 20 some years now.
Why did you participate?
At this stage of my career, I wanted to explore how others approach UX, learn from their experiences, and discover opportunities to give back as well. I also have love for Japan, making this the perfect combination of motivations.
How did this workshop meet your expectations?
This workshop met my expectations 100 percent - actually, I’d say 110 or even 120 percent!
I came in with only a vague idea of what to expect, but once I arrived, I loved the problem we were given. The team chemistry was fantastic, and I was really impressed by the professional work the organizers had done. The whole experience has been great.
Of course, nothing is ever truly perfect, but in the context of being a student in the workshop, it far exceeded my expectations.
Was there something in particular that left a great impression?
One thing that left a great impression on me was something that happened organically. Even though the organizers didn’t plan it, I discovered that every night after dinner, we would naturally come together, for example, at the bar.
Getting to know each other and sharing our experiences added a lot of fun to what many mentioned was a heavy workload. That complementary balance between the UX exercises we worked on during the day, combined with the social entertainment in the evening, was something really valuable that I took away from this experience.
What would you tell any colleague or friends interested in attending in the future?
I would definitely recommend attending this workshop because it’s not just professionally enriching, it enriches your life in general. I’m sure many people who attend will remember this experience for a long time, not just for what they learned and took away, but also for the connections they built.
