Harmonising Tech and Art

After three years in the arts and media industry, Sherrayne Tay decided to challenge herself in a global and more diverse organisation. As a UI/UX Designer in Mission & Software Services at Digital Systems, Sherrayne now works with larger teams to gain firsthand knowledge of user needs and plays a bigger role in influencing designs. Here, she engages directly with customers and stakeholders across engineering, software and design fields to bring multi-user interfaces for communication platforms in the defence sector to life.

Q: How has your first year at ST Engineering been like?

I took up this role with basic knowledge of UI/UX design and deepened my understanding while training on the job. With my supervisor’s support during my first year here, I enrolled in a six-month part-time course to further upskill in UI/UX design. Since then, I have been actively applying the skills I picked up in my day-to-day work.

Q: Whom do you work with in your role as UI/UX designer?

I regularly collaborate with users, engineers, software developers, fellow designers, and other stakeholders. Through various projects, I’ve gotten a better understanding of how engineers, technologists and designers can work together to solve issues for customers.

Q: Share with us some challenges you faced during the initial stages of your career here.

Initially, I faced difficulties coming up with suitable designs for our customers as they have different concerns and considerations from what I was used to in the media industry. Thankfully, my colleagues were patient in guiding me.

Working with engineers was also new to me. When it comes to creating user interfaces, engineers focus more on functionality while designers look at aesthetics. But through open conversations, we can leverage our strengths to come up with the most appropriate workflows and solutions. In fact, having different perspectives opens the floor for more user-centric designs. Looking back, this has helped me to better understand users’ needs, which is vital in UI/UX.

Q: What do you hope to achieve or try next at ST Engineering?

I will soon be pursuing a degree in Computer Science in Interactive Media and Game Development at the Singapore Institute of Technology, and will return to ST Engineering after my studies. My goal is to be able to lead a team of fellow UI/UX designers and solidify UI/UX design as a valuable component in all projects after a few years here.

Q: What advice would you give to anyone interested in joining ST Engineering?

Despite my background in the arts and media, I found myself fitting in easily here. Tech is definitely not as daunting as it seemed to be before I joined. For anyone who has not been in the industry, my advice is that if you don’t try, you’ll never know. Tech is interesting and fast-paced, and it can give you the space to continue your passion for design and the arts.